Honestly, it seemed like I was fated to do this challenge. I went from having never heard about it to seeing it mentioned everywhere. At first, I filed it away for later, but—like so many “I'’ll get to it” ideas—it slipped my mind.
Then, while working through labs to get hands-on experience in a technology I was beginning to love (and sometimes wrestle with), it popped up again. This time, I took it as a sign. I bit the bullet and purchased my own copy of the challenge.
What Hooked Me
The more I read, the more intrigued I became. This wasn’t just another stand-alone lab. It was a project that builds on itself, layer by layer, so you’re not just “doing tasks,” you’re connecting concepts. It forces you to interact with multiple services, think about real-world architecture, and see how everything fits together.
Why This Matters to Me
I realized this challenge was an opportunity to gain more than surface-level familiarity—to develop comfort and fluency in the cloud. For me, it’s not just about having something to add to my portfolio. It’s about building confidence in my skills and having a tangible example to show recruiters that I can apply what I’ve learned.
Where I’m Starting
So here I am, a year after first hearing about it, plugging away, hitting bumps, and gaining new insights. My next posts will share the challenges I’ve faced so far—starting with something that should have been simple: choosing a domain name.
My Cloud Resume Challenge: Choosing a Domain Wasn't So Simple
When I started the Cloud Resume Challenge, I thought, “This will be a great project to add to my portfolio.” But almost immediately, I realized it was going to be more than that. This wasn’t just a technical exercise — it was going to teach me patience, problem-solving, and how to roll with the unexpected.
The first bump came when I went to register my domain. Choosing an extension seemed straightforward, but it quickly became a small rabbit hole. With so many options, I had to think: What does my domain extension say to someone visiting my site?
My first pick was .dev — a clear nod to technology and development. Perfect, right? Unfortunately, AWS Route 53 doesn’t directly support .dev registrations, so that plan was out. No problem, I thought, I’ll just go with .com… except I got an error, twice, and couldn’t complete the transaction.
So, I did the thing I had been trying to avoid: I purchased a domain outside AWS. I settled on .org, completed the purchase, and went back to work getting my site live. With my new domain in hand, I plugged in all the necessary information and saw those magic words… Pending validation.
Pending validation after requesting a certificate in AWS Certification Manager
My takeaway? If you don't want to stall your progress, purchase your domain very early in the process. That way, when you’re ready to connect it, you can keep moving without waiting on DNS or validation delays.
