Balancing a full-time career while furthering your education can be challenging. Still, Mike Demianiuk, a Product Manager at a prominent financial services company, made it happen. Through LSU Online & Continuing Education's flexible AWS certificate programs, Mike strengthened his expertise in cloud computing and gained hands-on skills to advance in his industry. By completing the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Cloud Practitioner and Solutions Architect Certificates—both taught by Dr. Andrew Schwarz**—Mike expanded his technical knowledge and discovered ways to integrate learning into his busy life.
Mike's journey is a powerful example of how LSU Online & Continuing Education (LSU OCE) helps professionals reach their goals without pausing their careers. Check out his full interview conducted by Dr. Andrew Schwarz** below!
Meet Mike Demianiuk
How did you learn about LSU Online & Continuing Education?
Our company has a subscription to Guild. Through Guild, I learned about LSU Online & Continuing Education programs. I wanted to work towards some AWS certifications, and there were two certificate courses-- AWS Cloud Practitioner Certificate and AWS Solutions Architect Certificate, both taught by Dr. Andrew Schwarz**. I wanted to learn more and work toward those certificates, so I enrolled in them.
What are your career goals?
My career goals as a product manager are to learn more about solutions architecture. Right now, people are talking a lot about generative AI and machine learning. I wanted to understand the building blocks of those things. That starts with learning more about data engineering and how that can be applied to generative AI models and machine learning. So that's where my head is at right now. And I'm looking forward to more courses from LSU Online & Continuing Education on those subjects.
What did you appreciate most about the faculty and the support you received from LSU?
I appreciated the support and feedback on the assessments and the quick online communication. There were a couple of hiccups when signing on to the labs. So, I just emailed Dr. Schwarz, and he got back to me right away. He set up the labs and made sure they were working. The second piece is that I've met in person with the instructor, Dr. Schwarz. This connection has been very helpful for my career development and my personal interest in the topics we learned. I think it'll help me moving forward, not only in my career but also in sharing that knowledge with others.
How was the online experience different from or similar to your expectations?
When I started, I thought classes would just involve lectures and students regurgitating material. But over time, I did AWS labs and integrated what I was learning. I drafted architectural design documents with text and pictures in order to understand and implement the theory I learned in the lectures.
I appreciated these types of hands-on elements which helped me to internalize and understand AWS theory and practice. I can now communicate the same ideas with clarity to others.
How has the program impacted your professional life?
If I had to describe how the program has impacted my professional life, it comes down to confidence. By studying and learning AWS Solutions Architecture and its parts, I better understand conversations around software architecture, and I can contribute to those conversations. I started as a product manager a little over a year ago and did not know any of this. So, comparing my experience to back then, I feel more confident and comfortable engaging with these conversations and moving the customer experience forward in a sustainable, scalable way. I am very grateful for the opportunities that LSU Online & Continuing Education has given me.
How did you balance work, life, and your studies?
It can be challenging to take an online course and work a full-time job, but I learned to integrate it into my daily life during the first course. For example, as I commute, go grocery shopping, or do any other chores, I download the lectures to my phone to listen to them and review the material. I also found new study habits to effectively process the material, practice it, and then take the assessments at the end of the course.
What advice would you give to prospective students who are considering the program?
If I were to give advice to prospective students of LSU OCE for these specific AWS certificates, I would say first try to connect the lessons to mobile and web experiences that you've had before. Try to take what you have learned and what you use every day, whether it's Spotify, Instagram, or other apps, and try to break it apart.
If you connect personal experience to the theory and the content that you're learning, you can integrate it faster and then have discussions with those who know more than you do and ask more questions. That then leads to better understanding and better questions.
Achieve Your Goals with LSU Online & Continuing Education
Mike's journey showcases how the right program can make all the difference in balancing work, life, and education. With LSU Online & Continuing Education, you can access flexible, hands-on programs designed to fit into your life, just like Mike did. Whether listening to lectures during your morning routine or applying what you've learned in real-time at work, LSU Online & Continuing Education helps you turn learning into career advancement.
Ready to take the next step in your professional journey and start building skills you can apply immediately? Explore the AWS Solutions Architect Certificate and the AWS Cloud Practitioner Certificate today!