For many years now the AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate certification has ranked as the most in-demand certification in the computing industry, with these rankings listing it with a median $120K annual salary. Key benefits for studying and taking the exam are:
- Improving your knowledge of the platform and technologies you might not have used before
- Giving you a leg up on cloud positions for which a certification is a bonus
- Bragging rights when you are enjoying your club soda at the Certified Lounge at the next AWS Re:Invent conference.
Roadmap to AWS Certification based on role
Foundation Certification
If you want to start your career as Cloud Engineer, you definitely need to have skills that following certifications provide. These certifications will help you to understand basics of Cloud along with overview of tools present on dashboard.
Foundation Certification is optional but highly recommended if you are beingner.
AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner
The AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner 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
Associate Certifications
After gaining the foundation knowledge, the next step will involve learning advance skills that will help you to gain an Associate Certification. These certifications will help you to understand in-depth functions of cloud environment and prepare you to perform your role efficiently.
The AWS Certified Developer examination 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.
This examination is intended for individuals who perform a solutions architect role. It validates an examinee's ability to demonstrate knowledge of how to architect and deploy secure and robust applications on AWS technologies.
The AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate examination is intended for individuals with one to two years of experience as a systems administrator in a systems operations role.