Top AWS Certifications-Which one should I choose?

Top AWS Certifications-Which one should I choose?

Last Updated: 25 Jan 2021

 

With everyone from Netflix to American Airlines signing up to the cloud to keep things from crumbling into pieces, organizations are running into a big skills gap. There are not enough people who know how to work with cloud services. There are many cloud jobs going unfilled and salaries for trained and certified cloud professionals are jumping high. The lack of cloud skills has been identified as the major challenge for cloud adoption by 25% of the organizations. In this blog we will look at all the popular AWS Certifications and understand why is there such huge demand for AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate and Professional Certifications.

Why you need a AWS Certification ?

Professionals looking to add cloud expertise to their resume or just beginning their career with cloud computing may be wondering – “Which cloud computing certification should I get ?” The cloud is crowded with many competitive vendors like Microsoft and Google that are growing faster than expected. However, what’s interesting is that AWS still holds 57% of the market share. With Amazon being the most mature provider and leading in market share of the overall cloud infrastructure marketplace (approximately twice of any competitor), it is obvious that it will play a major role in the cloud market for years to come.  AWS is the “God of the Cloud” powering many organizations namely- AirBnB, Adobe, BMW,  GE Oil and Gas,  Met Office, UK Ministry of Justice and more. If you would like to become an expert on a specific cloud platform, AWS certifications are the clear way to go.

With increasing growth and demand for cloud computing both in terms of usage and popularity, it is becoming apparently important for IT professionals to certify their cloud computing skills to stay ahead of the competition. Over 350,000 professionals are needed to help fill cloud job roles, there is clearly a huge opportunity for professionals who can prove their cloud skills through vendor specific cloud certifications. With the public cloud market anticipated to reach $236 billion by end of 2020, AWS skills and certifications are likely to retain a significant lead over its competitors –IBM, Microsoft and Google. Whether you are  a Big Data Analyst, Database Administrator, Web Developer, System Administrator, or an AI Developer, your life will become much easier if you make the best out of Amazon’s AWS offerings.  If you are completely new to the tech industry and are looking to get your first cloud gig then definitely AWS certification can boost your resume to the top of the pile.  The two important reasons industry experts highlight for acquiring AWS certification credentials –

• Many employers do not have an effective way to test the competence of AWS skills on the resume of job applicants. Having a AWS certification will make you stand out among the job application pile and at least you can expect your application to be selected by the employer for further interviewing process. Certification promotes your credibility with employers  thereby increasing your chances of getting shortlisted for the interview.
• Another major factor that is driving demand for AWS certified skills is the partnership requirements of vendors. The partners want minimum partner certification requirements as a measure of competence to be assured that they are handing over the job to skilled people.

The average salary for AWS certified staff is 27.5% higher. Regardless of whether you are taking your first steps into cloud or are looking forward to increase your marketability, this is the best time to expand your cloud skill set and become a certified AWS professional. The success to employability in today’s cloud jobs market is to acquire cross-platform skills. If you have acquired Microsoft or Google Cloud Certification, consider expanding your cloud skills to include AWS certifications.

Want to pass the AWS Solutions Architect - Associate Exam? Want to become Amazon Web Services Certified? Check Out this AWS Training!

Choosing the Right AWS Certification Based on Your Role and Skill Set

AWS leads public cloud adoption and provides nine AWS certifications which can be grouped into 5 different categories as follows – Foundational Cloud , Architecting, Developing , Operations and Specialities.

• AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner (Foundational AWS Certification)
• AWS Certified Developer – Associate (AWS Developing Certifications)
• AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate (AWS Operations Certification)
• AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate(AWS Architecting Certification)
• AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional (AWS Developing Certifications)
• AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional(AWS Architecting Certification)
• AWS Certified Big Data – Specialty
• AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty
• AWS Certified Security - Speciality

AWS Certification Comparison

 

AWS Certification Category	AWS Certification Name	AWS Certification Cost	Topics You Need to Know for the AWS Certification	Duration of the AWS Certification Exam	Depth of Understanding	Format of the AWS Cloud Certification Exam
Cloud-Foundational	Foundational Certification: AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner	$100	Understanding of basic AWS Architectural Principles Know-How of Key AWS Services and Common Use cases.	90 Minutes	Very Shallow	Multiple-Choice Questions
Architecting	AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate	$150	You need to know how to build secure and reliable applications on AWS cloud platform. Have understanding of how AWS applications work. Understanding of how Network Technologies work in AWS. Knowledge of how to develop hybrid systems.	130 Minutes	Shallow	Multiple-Choice and Multiple-Answer
Developing	AWS Certified Developer – Associate	$150	You should know how to design, develop, deploy and maintain AWS applications. You must have practical knowledge of working with applications that utilize key AWS Services like AWS Databases, Workflow Services, and Storage and Management Services.	80 Minutes	Shallow	Multiple-Choice and Multiple-Answer
Operations	AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate	$150	You must have knowledge of how to send and receive data between data centres and AWS. Must know how to decide on the appropriate AWS service to fulfil business requirements. Have knowledge of how to provision, manage and secure systems in AWS environment.	80 Minutes	Shallow	Multiple-Choice and Multiple-Answer
Architecting	AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional	$300	You must know how to migrate complex application systems to AWS. Have knowledge on how to choose the right AWS service based on the requirements of an application. Be well-versed with cost optimization strategies and best practices for architecting applications on AWS.	170 Minutes	Much Deeper than required for Associate Level Solutions Architect Certification Exam	Multiple-Choice and Multiple-Answer
Operations	AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional	$300	Must have knowledge of continuous delivery methodologies and how to implement them. You must know how to setup and monitor systems on AWS.	170 Minutes	Much Deeper than required for Associate Level DevOps Engineer Certification Exam	Multiple-Choice and Multiple-Answer
Specialities	AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty	$300	You must know how to automate AWS tasks for network deployments. Network Optimization and Troubleshooting. Knowledge of multi-region setups and cost optimization.	170 Minutes	Extremely deep understanding of both hybrid and AWS-only networks is required.	Multiple-Choice and Multiple-Answer
Specialities	AWS Certified Big Data – Specialty	$300	In-depth knowledge of working with AWS Data Services -Elastic MapReduce, Redshift, DynamoDB and Kinesis is required. Knowledge about security best practices for big data solutions.	170 Minutes	Extremely Deep Understanding of Big Data and AWS Services is required.	Multiple-Choice and Multiple-Answer
Specialities	AWS Certified Security – Specialty	$300	You need to know have in-depth understanding of various data encryption methods, secure internet protocols and AWS mechanisms required to implement them. You should be able to implement secure production environments through different AWS security services.	170 Minutes	Extremely deep understanding on a variety of security-specific services, such as Virtual Private Cloud (VPC), Identity and Access Management (IAM) Key Management Service (KMS), CloudTrail, AWS Config, and Web Application Firewall (WAF) is required.	Multiple-Choice and Multiple-Answer

 

Which AWS Certification should I choose for a great start?

We assume if you have read this far, you are interested in AWS. In fact, you are either already using it in your work place, or perhaps considering using it, or maybe you are planning to use it in a personal big data project. The most common question we get asked about AWS certifications is, “Which is the first AWS Certification I should take to land a top AWS gig?” The most common approach to begin your cloud career is to start with AWS Solution Architect Associate Certification. Solutions Architect AWS Certification is a great way to familiarize yourself with AWS ecosystem and core AWS services. Moreover, it is mandatory to have an associate certificate before you can take the AWS Solutions Architect Professional Certification.

Moreover, AWS Certified Solutions Architect is the most rewarding cloud career option because of the skills gaps. According to Simply Hired,  the average salary for cloud developers $118,758, while that of cloud admins is $78,000. Cloud Architects are big winners in this space with average salary ranging from $124,406 - $173,719.  High salary is not the only motivator for professionals, in fact many also have interest in AWS or cloud services as it is completely new and exciting technology to learn.

With AWS offering multiple certifications , why shouldn’t you get the SysOps or Developer AWS Certification instead ? This completely depends on the existing role and skill set. For instance , if you are into operations, SysOps AWS Certification might be the way to go. If you are software engineer, then DevOps AWS Certification might add more value to your job. ProjectPro industry experts suggest that the Certified Solutions Architect exam is the best way to start as it covers the broadest range of skills on AWS so that professionals can get up and running with AWS offerings right away. And because the solutions architect certification covers broad range of skills, it is a great starting point for people looking to land a new job working with AWS. The solutions architect AWS certification is not super specific to a single platform or domain or area of expertise and covers the widest breadth of AWS services making the most popular AWS certifications.

AWS Certified Solution Architect Certification Exam

The AWS Solutions Architect Certification exam tests technical expertise on –

• Core AWS Services and tools.
• AWS Architectural and Security best practices.
• Knowledge of designing and deploying scalable, highly available and fault tolerant systems on AWS.
• Knowledge on how to migrate existing on-premise applications to AWS cloud.

The weightage of questions from each of the topics for solution architect certification exam are as follows -

• Designing highly available, cost efficient, fault tolerant, scalable systems (60 percent)
• Implementation/Deployment (10 percent)
• Data Security (20 percent)
• Troubleshooting (10 percent)

You can also take the solution architect certification practice exam for just $20 to see if you are ready to get certified after completing AWS Solution Architect Certification Training.

Whether the money or the technology motivates you, there are several ways ProjectPro can help you meet your AWS career goals. ProjectPro’s AWS Certification Training helps you master AWS skills that many employers look for when hiring for cloud expertise. ProjectPro’s AWS training will give you a fantastic introduction to what the AWS platform is capable of. Click on the Request Callback button at the top of the page if you have any questions or need advice on how to advance your AWS skills.

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