You’re considering obtaining your AWS certification. That’s great! Candidates with certification in cloud computing are in high demand right now. Hence, whether you’re looking to further your career or enter a new area, having the right AWS certification can help you take advantage of some game-changing opportunities.
So where do you start? Ten unique certificates from AWS are available, and they are divided into four tiers. What needs to be determined is where to start and which AWS certification would best serve your career goals. This could first seem very intimidating. Thankfully, if you know what you’re searching for, the path is frequently rather obvious. But first, let’s discuss why you should obtain an AWS certificate before we go through the list.
Why go for AWS Certification?
There are several reasons to pursue an Amazon Web Services (AWS) certification:
- Validate your knowledge and skills: AWS certifications demonstrate that you have a strong understanding of AWS services, architecture, and best practices, and that you have the ability to apply that knowledge in real-world scenarios.
- Increase your earning potential: Employers really appreciate AWS certifications, and having one listed on your resume can boost your salary and help you move up in your career faster.
- Stay current with the latest AWS technologies: AWS is constantly evolving, and certifications help you to stay up-to-date with the latest services and best practices.
- Stand out in the job market:
- Around the world, AWS certifications are famous and really wanted by employers. Getting one can make you stand out from the crowd and improve your chances of getting the job you want.
- Expand your skill set: Pursuing an AWS certification requires you to learn new skills and technologies, which can help you to expand your expertise and increase your marketability.
- Build credibility with customers and stakeholders: An AWS certification can help you to build credibility with customers and stakeholders by demonstrating your expertise in using AWS to solve complex problems.
Exploring the AWS Certification
Let’s take a look at the certifications offered by Amazon Web Services. So, for now, there are ten different certifications, dispersed across four experience levels – Foundational, Associate, Professional, and Specialty. Further, you can read about Introduction to AWS. Now, we’re discussing all the AWS certifications in brief.
1. Foundation Level AWS Certification
Well, every journey starts somewhere. For AWS, it starts from the Foundation level certificate. Since there is only one certification at the foundational level, we’re just going to merge our analysis of the level and the individual certification. As for now, AWS offers only one foundation level certificate
AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner – Foundation
To begin with, the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner is the newest certification. Not to mention, this is an entry-level certification i.e beginner level. This is intended to validate a candidate’s overall knowledge of the AWS cloud. This exam is intended for candidates to grasp foundational cloud concepts.
2. AWS Associate Level Certifications
We offer associate-level certification after foundation-level certification. In other words, Associate level certifications are the way to go if you want to work in AWS in any capacity. Candidate who wants to advance in the cloud computing industry should start at the AWS Associate level. The AWS Foundation certification offers a solid intellectual basis, but in terms of practical application, the AWS Associate certifications are where it’s at.
AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate
The AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate exam is designed for individuals with limited experience in creating distributed applications. This certification focuses on candidates’ ability to plan, oversee, and execute applications using tools and services on the AWS platform.
AWS Certified Developer – Associate
The Associate test for the AWS Certified Developer focuses on creating and managing Amazon-based applications. The candidate must also be proficient in writing actual code that accesses Amazon apps from within your own bespoke business applications.
AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate
The AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate exam is specially designed for system administrators. Succeeding in this exam requires both technical skills and a good grasp of how AWS functions operationally. Additionally, having prior experience as a Linux or Windows administrator is beneficial.
3. AWS Professional Level Certifications
Certifications surely make a difference, but not all certifications are designed equally. That’s the reason we have different levels of certifications. And, finally, we’re discussing Professional level certification. These exams are no joke. They represent the zenith of AWS certification and are both extensive in scope and deep in focus. Therefore, apply to the professional level certification only if you already have experience working in AWS, or have mastered the AWS Associate Level certifications
Recommended Experience: Two years of extensive experience using AWS in designing, operating, and troubleshooting solutions.
AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional
A professional AWS architect is an individual who can assess an association’s requirements. And, accordingly, make architectural suggestions for implementing and deploying applications on AWS. Not to mention, the Solutions Architect Professional certification requires a high level of technical skill and experience designing AWS-based applications.
Prerequisites: One must have acquired the status of the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate certificate.
Recommended Experience: Two years of hands-on experience designing and deploying cloud architecture on AWS.
AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional
The DevOps Engineer is an individual who can provision, operate, and manage applications on the AWS platform. Also, this certification places a lot of emphasis on continuous delivery (CD) and process automation, two core ideas of the DevOps movement.
Prerequisites: One must have acquired the status as an AWS Certified Developer Associate or AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate.
Recommended Experience: Candidates should come with previous knowledge in setting up and handling applications on AWS. Moreover, a strong grasp of contemporary application development practices like agile methodology is essential.
4. AWS Specialty Certifications
AWS Specialty certifications plunge exceedingly deep in narrow focus areas, particularly networking, big data, security, and machine learning. Just like professional-level certification, AWS Speciality certification must not be approached carelessly.
Recommended Experience: Before diving into AWS Specialty Certification, it’s important to have hands-on experience of about two to five years and a deep understanding of AWS in the chosen specialized field.
As for now, AWS offers four specialty certifications. These are as follows-
AWS Certified Big Data – Speciality
The AWS Certified Big Data Specialty certification is designed for individuals with a data analytics background and previous experience in using AWS services to create big data solutions. This certification assesses your ability to derive insights from data using AWS services.
AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Speciality
The AWS Certified Advanced Networking Specialty certification confirms a candidate’s skills in handling intricate networking tasks on AWS and hybrid IT networking architecture at a large scale. Candidates need to possess prior knowledge of designing and implementing network solutions, along with advanced expertise in AWS networking.
AWS Certified Security – Speciality
The AWS Certified Security Specialty certification encompasses topics which security professionals and staff need to be skilled in. not to mention, they must have an understanding of security fundamentals, follow best practices, and build expertise in key services that are unique to the AWS platform.
Furthermore, this certification is created to validate the candidate’s understanding of various security aspects within AWS. These include topics like safeguarding data, encryption, protecting infrastructure, handling incidents, managing identities and access, as well as monitoring and logging.
AWS Certified Alexa Skill Builder – Speciality
The AWS Certified Alexa Skill Builder Specialty certification tests candidate’s technical specialization in creating, testing, and deploying Amazon Alexa skills. So, this exam is for an individual who executes the role of Alexa skill builder. Most importantly, candidates must have at least six months of hands-on experience constructing Alexa skills with the help of Alexa Skills Kit. Further, he/she must be skilled in a programming language.
AWS Certified Machine Learning – Speciality
The AWS Certified Machine Learning Specialty certification tests candidate’s potency to create, implement and maintain machine learning solutions. Not to mention, this exam intended for individuals who conduct a development or data science role. Also, candidates must have at least one to two years of experience with the help of ML and deep learning on the AWS Cloud.
Path according to the Job role:
Earlier we have classified certifications according to different levels. And, now we’re classifying the certification according to the job profiles. So, let’s begin.
For Solutions Architects, Solution Design Engineers
This learning path is for solutions architects, solution design engineers, and anyone who wishes to gain knowledge on how to design applications and systems on AWS.
The optional course Architecting on AWS Accelerator is included in this study route. Architecting on AWS and Advanced Architecting on AWS are two more AWS courses that are covered in this five-day course. Build on your technical expertise as you go on the path to AWS Certification.
For Software Developer
This learning journey is designed for software developers who want to learn how to create cloud applications on AWS. So, as you progress through this path towards AWS Certification, focus on developing specific skills.
For DevOps Engineer
This particular learning path is for those who wish to learn how to create, deploy, and manage apps in the AWS Cloud using the most popular DevOps practices. Develop your technical expertise as you move closer to earning your AWS Certification.
For Sysops Administrators, Systems Administrators
This learning route is designed for Sysops administrators, systems administrators, and DevOps job candidates who are eager to learn how to create repeatable, automatable deployments of systems, networks, and applications on the Amazon platform. So, it is advised that you rebuild your technical aptitude as you go further on the road to AWS Certification.
For Business Decision Maker
This course is meant for business professionals and team leaders who want to explore machine learning (ML), artificial intelligence (AI), and deep learning (DI) for evaluating their organization’s growth strategies. Additionally, participants will understand how these technologies play a role in the broader digital transformation of the company by generating business value.
For Data Platform Engineers
This learning path is for data platform engineers. Certainly, candidates get to gain comprehensive knowledge of machine learning (ML). Further, it changes data ingestion, system demand and performance, and customer insights as well. Moreover, try to supplement the skills that you understood with the help of optional training.
For Data Scientist
This particular learning path is for candidates who have prior knowledge in math, statistics, and analysis. Furthermore, they wish to become machine learning (ML) subject matter experts within their establishment. Therefore, this path will make sure that the candidate understands how machine learning frameworks and analysis tools can strengthen workplace collaboration. Also, make sure to expand your skills with optional training.
For Builders and Software Developers
This path is for builders and software developers. This learning path will help in how machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) can be helpful to better partner with data scientists to introduce with ML technologies. Moreover, it will be beneficial to you if try to enhance your knowledge with optional training.
And, this was the end to all the AWS certifications, but we have a few tips that will be helpful to how to choose the right certification to help you elevate your career. So, don’t forget to check out the section below.
Three steps to becoming AWS Perfectionist
Becoming an AWS perfectionist involves a commitment to ongoing learning and staying up to date with the latest AWS technologies and services. Here are some steps to help you become an AWS perfectionist:
- Get certified: AWS offers a variety of certifications, from foundational to expert level, which are recognized in the industry. Earning these certifications demonstrates your expertise in AWS and validates your skills to potential employers or clients.
- Build hands-on experience: Practice is essential to mastering AWS. Experiment with the different AWS services and build your own projects using AWS. This will help you gain a deeper understanding of how the services work and their practical applications.
- Attend training and events: AWS regularly hosts webinars, workshops, and other training events to help users learn more about its services. Attending these events can give you valuable insights into AWS’s best practices, use cases, and trends.
- Stay up to date:
- It’s important to keep yourself updated on AWS’s latest features and services, as they frequently release new ones. Stay connected by following AWS blogs, forums, and social media accounts to receive the latest updates and announcements.
- Join the community: Joining AWS user groups or online communities can give you access to a wealth of knowledge and resources. You can ask questions, share experiences, and learn from other AWS experts.
- Learn from failures: AWS can be complex, and mistakes can happen. However, learning from failures is a crucial part of becoming an AWS perfectionist. Analyze what went wrong, determine what you could have done differently, and use that knowledge to improve your skills.
Final words
We all have to agree with the fact, that the trend of AWS certifications is not going to end! AWS provides a powerful cloud platform and further provides new services, features, and certifications regularly. So, to test your AWS cloud expertise, it is very essential to pick out the right AWS certification.
In addition, to this, we would like to remind you that there are a few aspects you should keep in mind regarding AWS certifications. To keep your specialization current, you need to go through a recertification process. This means renewing your credential every two years to keep your AWS cloud certification valid. It’s important to note that there’s no fixed passing score for AWS certifications; it differs for each certification. This emphasizes the need to study thoroughly and prepare effectively to meet the requirements for AWS certifications.
A great career is just a certification away. So, practice and validate your skills to become AWS Certified.
Get certified and have a bright AWS career!
