Hello Reader,

Here is one of my favorite interview tricks. I used it myself, and I teach it to every one of my bootcamp students.

In almost every SA phone screen, you'll get an icebreaker like "What is Lambda?" or "What is S3?" Sounds easy. But most candidates blow it.

Here's the average answer I hear: "Lambda is serverless. It works with API Gateway. It can run up to 15 minutes."

A list of random features with no structure, super basic, right?

Here's the trick:

Memorize one line of the official AWS definition, then add your own words on top, like:

"AWS Lambda is a compute service that lets you run code without provisioning any server, physical or virtual. Some of its key properties - automatic scaling, pay-as-you-go pricing, inherent high availability. However, there are limitations. 15-minute maximum runtime, 10 GB memory ceiling. So for long-running workloads, you'd evaluate EC2, ECS or EKS."

This answer requires the same knowledge, but leaves completely different impression.

The interviewer immediately thinks: "this person can explain services crisply to engineers AND executives. That is exactly what a Solutions Architect does all day."

This trick takes about 30 minutes to prepare for the top 10 services.

Lambda, S3, EC2, EKS, CloudFormation, DynamoDB, RDS, API Gateway, IAM, CloudWatch.

And it will set you apart in every single phone screen you do.

However, that trick will work, if you understand those services deeply enough to structure such answer on the spot.

That depth is what the Skool courses build. The real knowledge of how services work, when to use them, and what their trade-offs are. The kind of foundation that makes structured answers like the one above come naturally.

Keep learning and keep rocking 🚀,

Raj

P.S - If you want to get an AWS Solutions Architect job without coding or learning every AWS service, the 10th cohort for AWS SA Bootcamp is launching on Oct 17th, 12 PM ET (Eastern Time) via live workshop. This program now includes our updated GenAI curriculum. Please register below:

Here’s what you get when you show up LIVE:

1. The myths keeping most people stuck - and what actually gets you hired as an SA - I've conducted over 300 SA interviews, so I know what I'm talking about!
2. How GenAI is reshaping the SA and FDE roles, and the exact AI concepts (RAG, agents, MCP, eval etc.) you need to speak fluently in interviews.
3. A first look at my new product feature, built to help you practice real-world, interview-relevant hands-on work instead of copy-paste tutorials.
4. Full bootcamp breakdown for Cohort 10, plus a special offer only for live attendees.
5. My exclusive Solutions Architect framework to prep you for today's job market! But if you’re not live, you won’t get it. No second chances.

And good news - it already worked for last cohort's students who secured cloud jobs in top companies, including at AWS, Microsoft, Google, JPMorgan, Reddit, and some of them didn't even have cloud experience 💰.

Spots are limited, so don't miss it!