Use your AWS Certification expertise as an AWS IQ expert

By day, James Barney is a Principal Cloud Enablement Engineer for a financial services company. On the nights and weekends, he is an AWS IQ expert, helping customers set up and scale out solutions on AWS. In both roles, James works to understand the business case behind a cloud initiative. He uses his AWS skills to build cost-effective, secure solutions so his customers can keep moving toward their business goals.

AWS IQ enables AWS customers to find, securely collaborate with, and pay AWS Certified third-party experts for on-demand project work. As an expert, AWS IQ lets you showcase your skills, AWS Certifications, and expertise to connect with potential clients. IQ facilitates payments through the customer’s AWS Account, so you can easily get paid for your work. Customers post project requests for a wide range of assistance from experts, such as hosting a website, migrating a database, setting up a virtual private cloud (VPC) or virtual private network (VPN), building an analytics solution, or optimizing their AWS service usage.

James has three active AWS Certifications: AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate, AWS Certified Developer – Associate, and AWS Certified Data Analytics – Specialty. He began his certification journey because his company was looking to have more AWS Certified individuals on their team. After preparing for and passing AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate exam, he found he really enjoyed the process and found his new certification helped him do more with AWS. James says, “My AWS Certifications allow me to be the expert in the conversation and demonstrate my expertise with a badge.”

Once James had his first AWS Certification, he was ready to prepare and earn more. James has some advice for anyone looking to get AWS certified, “Just flipping through the documentation isn’t quite enough. You need to gain the knowledge to do it yourself, build the LAMP stack, set up the firewall, etc.”

Why become an AWS IQ expert?

According to James, AWS IQ gives him an opportunity to create diverse solutions with his skill set. As a self-described tinkerer, he enjoys the challenge of working on many different kinds of projects and keeping his skills fresh. With AWS IQ he “can control the whole process, solve the initial problem, own the rate, build the relationship with the customer, architect the solution, and get feedback from the customer.” James’ typical IQ requests range from customers looking for quick assistance solving an error, which might entail a quick call, to migrating a website or setting up a new database, which may take a few weeks.

AWS IQ is open to US-based individuals with an active Associate, Professional, or Specialty AWS Certification. Learn more about becoming an AWS IQ expert today!