AWS Certifications validate cloud expertise to help professionals highlight in-demand skills and organizations build effective, innovative teams for cloud initiatives using AWS. In this post, you can find AWS course details, AWS certified solutions, AWS certification salary, etc. Two of the certifications that employers look for in entry-level cloud computing jobs are the AWS Cloud Practitioner and AWS Solutions Architect certifications. So, we will look at the difference between the two and the best online courses for AWS Certifications in 2022.
Why do Cloud Computing and AWS Certifications Matter?
The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of cloud computing. With employees working from home, using the conferencing systems and remote connection/access to their working tools, cloud technology has been essential for the economy to cope with the crisis. The scalability and elasticity of the cloud have proven the limitations of legacy applications and infrastructure during challenging times.
According to Gartner, global public cloud spending is forecast to reach $332.3 billion in 2021, increasing by 23.1% from $270 billion in 2020.
Job Market
Cloud computing skills are in huge demand. 63% of IT leaders say it’s harder to find qualified engineers. The main cloud providers were AWS with 37%, Azure with 23%, and GCP with 9%. AWS, Azure, and Google cloud have plans to open new data centers in the US in 2021 to keep their lead.
Many employers look for AWS certifications as a sign of proficiency in the disciplines within AWS. AWS is commonly used for cloud infrastructure in many organizations, IT professionals are likely to work directly with AWS.
- Certifications ARE a proof of knowledge – They prove that you are proficient enough to pass the exam.
- Certifications are NOT a proof of experience – There is no substitute for actually working in the cloud. However, there are many ways to get hands-on AWS cloud training outside of the workforce and to jump-start your cloud career with minimal experience.
- Certifications ARE door-openers – They can get you into the interview, or the consideration set for promotion.
- Certifications are NOT golden tickets – They do not ensure a job. They can tee you up for success, but you have to earn it from there.
- Certifications ARE rather valuable – The average salaries for AWS cert holders are well over $100,000 per year. AWS certifications are some of the highest salary cloud certifications out there.
- Certifications are NOT just about earning power – They also validate your knowledge and help ensure that teams possess a common cloud “language” — often called “cloud fluency.”
Which AWS Certification is Right for You?
In the AWS camp, the most commonly held certifications listed by the report include:
- AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate – 72%
- AWS Certified Developer – Associate – 33%
- AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate – 24%
- AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional – 16%
Read Insights into the Careers in DevOps and Cloud Computing.
AWS Certifications Path
Currently, AWS has 12 different certifications across four different levels: Foundational, Associate, Professional, and Specialty. Each level builds on the previous level. There are different career paths that you can branch off into as you level up in certifications.
AWS Could Practitioner Certificate For Absolute Beginners
AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner (CCP) is the easiest Amazon Web Services certification. It’s a cloud beginner-friendly certification that covers the basics of AWS and the cloud and requires no technical experience as a prerequisite.
If you need to know foundational cloud concepts — like what is cloud, what is cloud migration, and how does AWS works at a high level, this is an ideal certification. This is not right if you want your hands to get dirty with implementation.
AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner – Foundational
The AWS Cloud Practitioner exam certification gives you a high-level introduction to AWS. It doesn’t go deep on any particular services. Instead, it provides a general overview of how AWS is structured.
Prerequisites for taking the exam: Recommended six months of general AWS knowledge and AWS Cloud experience.
To earn certification as an AWS Cloud Practitioner, you will need to know the following:
- What the AWS Cloud is and how it works
- Ability to identify and explain global AWS Cloud infrastructure
- Describe the AWS Cloud value proposition
- Familiarity and ability to explain AWS Cloud architectural principles
- Key services on the AWS platform and their common use cases (like computation and analytics)
- Basic security and compliance aspects of the AWS platform and the shared security model
- Details of the billing, account management, and pricing models
- Core characteristics of deploying and operating in the AWS Cloud
AWS Solutions Architect – Associate for Intermediate Learners
This certification verifies that you know how to design, build, manage, and deploy systems in the AWS cloud.
If you’re going to be working in AWS in any hands-on capacity, the associate-level certifications should mark the point where your journey truly begins. AWS Cloud Practitioner provides a solid conceptual footing, but the AWS Associate-level certifications are where the rubber really meets the road in terms of day-to-day implementation.
The AWS Solution Architect – Associate certification focuses on the core AWS services, like Identity and Access Management (IAM), Virtual Private Cloud (VPC), S3, and EC2. Studying these core services will give you a good understanding of how AWS approaches security, networking, data storage, and compute capability.
AWS Salary
AWS salary ranges from $170K to $180K and can go as high as $201K+ in the US. In India, the average base pay for AWS professionals is INR 600K per annum.
Curated List of Best Online Courses on AWS Certifications
Explore our role-based certifications for those in Cloud Practitioner, Architect, Developer, and Operations roles, as well as our Specialty certifications in specific technical areas.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) Certified – 4 Certifications! (Udemy)
4.6 (10,670 ratings) || 64,700 students enrolled
This course is for anyone wanting to work as a Solutions Architect, Administrator, or Developer in AWS cloud technology.
In this course you’ll be fully prepared for the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate, AWS Certified Developer Associate and AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate exams.
This course is regularly updated at least every month. Course Features are:
- The most comprehensive AWS certification prep course on Udemy.
- real-life labs with professionally produced detailed lab notes (1,000s of pages!)
- NodeJS and Javascript code for developer labs (Lambda, Cognito, X-Ray, SQS, SNS and much more)
- practice tests/quizzes for each main section (600+ questions in pdf format!)
- 4 full-length certification practice exams (240 questions!)
AWS Certified Developer – Associate (Udemy)
4.3 (31,449 ratings) || 166,458 students enrolled
This AWS online course is for you if you want AWS certification! And want to be an AWS Certified Developer Associate!
You’ll be able to pass the AWS Certified Developer – Associate 2019 Exam. You’ll Become confident in creating basic Python and PHP code to manipulate AWS environments and Become intimately familiar with the AWS platform from a developer perspective. After completion of this course, you’ll get certified by Amazon and will Become A Cloud Guru.
AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate (Udemy)
4.5 (9,588 ratings) || 86,504 students enrolled
This course is for those who Want to pass the AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Exam and Want to become Amazon Web Services Certified!
You’ll be able to pass the AWS Certified SysOps Administrator 2017 – Associate Exam and Become a certified AWS SysOps Administrator and Intimately Familiar With The AWS Platform.
AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate (Udemy)
4.5 (150,006 ratings) || 461,559 students enrolled
If you really Want to pass the AWS Solutions Architect – Associate Exam? Want to become Amazon Web Services Certified? Trust me this is the most suitable course for you!
In this course, you’ll learn how to pass the AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate Exam, Design Highly Resilient and Scalable Websites on AWS, and Become Intimately Familiar With The AWS Platform. After completion of this course, you’ll get certified by Amazon and will Become A Cloud Guru.
Check the free Course from Udemy: Amazon Web Services (AWS) – Zero to Hero
AWS Fundamentals: Building Serverless Applications (Coursera)
4.6 (277 ratings) || 11,674 already enrolled!
This course will introduce you to Amazon Web Services (AWS) serverless architecture. Through demonstrations and hands-on exercises, you’ll learn skills in building and deploying serverless solutions.
In this Course You’ll learn how to:
- Introduce AWS serverless framework and architecture in the context of a real business problem
- Provide the foundational knowledge to become more proficient in choosing and creating serverless solutions using AWS
- Provide demonstrations of AWS Lambda, Amazon API Gateway, Amazon DynamoDB, Amazon Lex, and other services needed to deploy serverless solutions.
AWS Architect Certification Training (Edureka)
4.6 (22850 ratings) || 58000 already enrolled!
Curated by industry professionals, Edureka’s AWS Architect Certification Training is designed as per the industry requirements and demands. It will help you prepare for the AWS Certified Solutions Architect (CSA) – Associate Exam. With Edureka’s instructor-led sessions, you will be able to effectively deploy secure and robust applications on AWS. The course will help you identify the appropriate AWS service based on data, compute, or security requirements.
Other Popular Courses on AWS Certifications 2022
AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Courses
AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate Courses