Master your Learning Strategy and Get Certified

The value of professional certifications can not be denied. It boosts your professional credibility and gives you access to opportunities that could otherwise be closed off.  It is also a great personal achievement to have under your belt.

There is no big secret on how to get certified – you can reach your goal by incorporating continuous learning into your daily schedule and having a disciplined approach. The path to certification is not about cramming as much information about a topic as possible; it is about finding a suitable learning strategy that works for you and remaining consistent.

We asked our ATLAS Legend Award winners what learning strategies got them certified and we are excited to share them with you. Top tips  range from effective study habits, how they manage their time effectively, how to tackle multiple roles or the importance of prioritizing their needs. There is no “one-size fits all” approach, and there are many paths to success.

Whether you’re just starting out or looking for a new direction, here are our ATLAS Winners top tips and tricks for success:

• Identify if you have visual or auditory memory and tailor your study habits accordingly 
• Find out your Chronotype: are you a morning or a night person? This will help you identify the best time of the day to dedicate to learning
• Take every opportunity to learn: listen to audiobooks or video blogs while in the car, train or bus
• Apply everything you learned in your daily projects to solidify your knowledge

Strategies recommended by

• Dedicate some time to learning daily
• Follow known and reputable IT news sites like Techcrunch, BleepingComputer, KrebsonSecurity, or Phoronix (RSS readers can also be helpful)
• Do not just learn which light goes on if you hit a knob (don’t be an IT-Ape). Take your time to understand how applications and services work, what the underlying architecture is and which algorithms, structures or technologies are being used 

Strategies recommended by

Jens Brey
Solutions Architect

• Have a specific goal in mind (for example: Do I want to get better at Salesforce Flows? Do I want to learn about a new cloud?) and a trailhead or course dedicated to your topic (there are a ton of structured resources out there that you can complete to get a base set of knowledge on your specific topic)
• Share your learning goals with your team members and managers so that they can keep an eye out for hands-on opportunities to learn about that topic as well
• Set clear, measurable goals
• Track your progress and celebrate your small victories

Strategies recommended by

Faraz Khan
Business Analyst

• Select a reasonable exam deadline before starting the learning process
• Read the certification exam guide thoroughly and understand the key topics
• Make a study plan: a good study plan has a study period and deadline for each key topic and a date for the final review of all topics 
• Find a good resource to studyL exempt for Salesforce Trailhead, Salesforce Documentation, use Focus on Force, SalesforceBen, etc
• Always use the practice exams as your mock exam; you can find plenty of certification practice exams online

Strategies recommended by 

Smile Ma
Business Analyst

• Take every opportunity you have to learn (for example, you could watch an online course while on the treadmill at the gym) 
• Diversify your learning resources (books, blogs, vlogs, online tutorials, courses, industry events, technical articles, learning platforms such as Udemy) to keep yourself engaged and interested
• Implement new features and best practices of what you learn in your day-to-day tasks
• Surround yourself with a community of like-minded individuals who are also passionate about learning (participate in online communities, attend meetups, and seek out learning partners to discuss what you know and stay motivated)

Strategies recommended by 

• Set specific and measurable learning goals (use the SMART methodology: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Timely goals)  
• Break up your learning into smaller, manageable chunks (it will make it less overwhelming and help you make steady progress) 
• Track your progress to stay motivated and on track
• Have faith & don’t give up (no matter how hard it is)

Strategies recommended by 

• Create a daily reminder in your calendar and dedicate 1 hour each day to learning. And it’s very important to respect this hour. In the rare cases of unforeseeable circumstances, then even 10-15 minutes will do to summarize what you have learned so far. The length of a learning session is not that important. How many days in a row you were consistent with your goal is what really matters
• Reward yourself for your accomplishments 

Strategies recommended by

AllCloud’s ATLAS Legend Awards Program recognizes AllClouders globally who have gone above and beyond to demonstrate commitment to continuous learning by getting certified with our technology partners, and who lead the way for fellow AllClouders.