Why are Cloud Certifications Important?
Hands-on, instructor-led training for top cloud certifications gives employees and the companies they work for a clear competitive advantage in the cloud era.
The global public cloud infrastructure market continues to explode reaching $142 billion in 2020. The leader in providing cloud services to this global market is Amazon Web Services with a market share of 31%[i]. As demand for AWS continues to grow, so too does the demand for qualified AWS professionals. IT professionals in cloud technology can enhance their career and earning potential by demonstrating to their employers or prospective employers that they possess the knowledge required to be successful and productive with AWS technology. One solid way to do this is by achieving an AWS certification. Not only does it look good on a resume, it is also a strong tool for commanding top salary in cloud technology. AWS is one of the highest-paying certification categories. Seventy percent of AWS professionals interviewed reported a salary increase of up to 20% after passing their certification. A 2018 survey covering the US and Canada revealed that certified professionals earned approximately $20,000 more each year compared to non-certified individuals in similar positions[ii]. And salaries for certified AWS professionals continue to increase. The average salary for a certified AWS Solutions Architect, the most commonly held AWS certification, in the US in 2021 is $155,000[iii]. It is no surprise that achieving an AWS certification has become a very popular course of action with cloud IT professionals.
AWS currently has 11 certification programs.
Foundation certification is intended for individuals who demonstrate an overall understanding of the AWS Cloud.
AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner
Architecting certifications validate technical knowledge for solutions architects, solution design engineers, and anyone who designs applications and systems on AWS.
AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate
AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional
Operations certifications validate technical knowledge for sysops administrators, systems administrators, and those in a DevOps role who create automatable and repeatable deployments of applications, networks, and systems on the AWS platform.
AWS Certified SysOps Administrator - Associate
Developer certifications validate technical knowledge for software developers who develop cloud applications on AWS.
AWS Certified Developer – Associate
AWS Certified Developer - Professional
Specialty certifications validate technical knowledge for AWS experts who also possess expertise in specific technical areas. They’re designed for individuals with at least one associate-level AWS Certification plus deep proficiency and real-world experience in an area of specialization.
AWS Certified Data Analytics – Specialty
AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty
AWS Certified Security – Specialty
AWS Certified Database – Specialty
AWS Certified Machine Learning - Specialty
The AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner examination is intended for individuals who have the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively demonstrate an overall understanding of the AWS Cloud, independent of specific technical roles addressed by other AWS Certifications. Becoming an AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner is a recommended, optional step toward achieving an Associate-level or Specialty certification.
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The AWS Certified Solutions - Architect examination is intended for individuals who perform a solutions architect role. This exam validates an examinee's ability to effectively demonstrate knowledge of how to architect and deploy secure and robust applications on AWS technologies. It validates an examinee's ability to: define a solution using architectural design principles based on customer requirements, and provide implementation guidance based on best practices to the organization throughout the life cycle of the project.
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The AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional exam validates advanced technical skills and experience in designing distributed applications and systems on the AWS platform. The exam is intended for individuals who perform a solutions architect role with two or more years of hands-on experience managing and operating systems on AWS.
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AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate
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The AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate exam validates technical expertise in deployment, management, and operations on the AWS platform. It is intended for systems administrators in a systems operations role with at least one year of experience.
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The AWS Certified Developer – Associate exam validates technical expertise in developing and maintaining applications on the AWS platform. It is intended for individuals who perform a development role and have one or more years of hands-on experience developing and maintaining an AWS-based application.
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The AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional exam validates technical expertise in provisioning, operating, and managing distributed application systems on the AWS platform. It is intended for individuals who perform a DevOps engineer role with two or more years of experience provisioning, operating, and managing AWS environments.
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The AWS Certified Data Analytics - Specialty exam validates technical skills and experience in designing and implementing AWS services to derive value from data. It is for individuals who want to highlight their ability to design, build, secure, and maintain analytics solutions on AWS that are efficient, cost-effective, and secure to deliver insight from data.
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The AWS Certified Advanced Networking Specialty examination validates advanced technical skills and experience in designing implementing and maintaining AWS and hybrid IT network architectures at scale. It is intended for individuals who implement core AWS services according to basic architecture best practices
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The AWS Certified Security Specialty allows experienced cloud security professionals to demonstrate and validate their knowledge of how to secure the AWS platform. It is intended for individuals who perform a security role with at least two years of hands-on experience securing AWS workloads.
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The AWS Certified Database - Specialty exam validates technical skills and experience in recommending, designing and maintaining the optimal AWS database solution to improve performance, reduce costs, and enable innovation. The examination is for individuals who want to highlight their ability to design, recommend, and maintain the optimal AWS database solution for a use case.
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The AWS Certified Machine Learning - Specialty exam validates ability to build, train, tune, and deploy machine learning models using the AWS Cloud. The examination is for individuals who perform a development or data science role.
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In the relatively short time since the AWS certification program launched in 2013, salaries for professionals with AWS certifications have grown to rank among the highest for IT certification holders. Here is a sampling of the average US salaries for positions requiring AWS certifications in 2020.
AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner | $110,000 |
AWS Certified Solutions – Architect | $114,000 |
AWS Certified Solutions – Professional | $131,000 |
AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate | $109,000 |
AWS Certified Developer - Associate | $114,000 |
AWS Certified DevOps Engineer - Professional | $100,000 |
AWS Certified Advanced Networking - Specialty | $72,000 |
AWS Certified Security - Specialty | $78,000 |
To learn more about how you can advance your career and earn top salaries by achieving an AWS certification.
[i] Canalys, “Global cloud infrastructure market Q4 2020,” Feb. 2021, https://www.canalys.com/newsroom/canalys-worldwide-cloud-infrastructure-Q4-2019-and-full-year-2019
[ii] Dent, K., Jefferson Frank, “AWS certification in 2020: is it worth it?” 2020, https://www.jeffersonfrank.com/insights/aws-certifications-is-it-worth-it
[iii] ZipRecuiter, “AWS Solutions Architect,” https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/AWS-Solution-Architect-Salary
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