AWS Cloud Certifications explained - New Relic

AWS Cloud Certifications explained: Which certification is right for you? ; AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner · Length: 90 minutes; Fee: $100 ; AWS ... Skiptomaincontent Observatorybloghomepage HowtoRelic BestPractices NerdLife Nerdlog Blognavigationmenu,4items Toggleblogsearch HowtoRelic BestPractices NerdLife Nerdlog Observatorybloghomepage HowtoRelic BestPractices NerdLife Nerdlog Toggleblogsearch Login Signup Blognavigationmenu,4items HowtoRelic BestPractices NerdLife Nerdlog Searchtheblog Submit Login Signup Careers AWSCloudCertificationsexplained:Whichcertificationisrightforyou? PublishedNov29,2021 • 11minread ByKevinDowns ThispostwasoriginallypublishedinMay2018.Iupdateityearlytoaddressnewcertificationsandchangingcertificationrequirements.ComeseeusatAWSre:Invent.We’rebringingourexpertsandenthusiasmforcloudobservability. Manyoftheworld’sbiggestenterprisesnowrunpartoralloftheirsoftwareenvironmentsintheAmazonWebServices(AWS)Cloud,andmorecompaniesmigratetoAWSeveryday.That’swhy,ifyou’relookingforanewITjob,anewroleinyourcurrentorganization,orsimplywanttocontinuetogrowinyourcurrentposition,earninganAWScertificationcanbeaverysmartinvestment. Infact,accordingtoGlobalKnowledge’sTop-PayingITCertificationsfor2021,theaveragesalaryofacloud-certifiedITprofessionalisnow$159,033.Thisaveragesalaryrepresentsa$9,587increaseoverlast2020’ssalaryof$149,446.AWScurrentlyholdsthethirdspotofthe15highest-payingcertsinNorthAmerica.EnterprisesclearlyrecognizethatemployeeswhoearnAWScertificationsknowtheirstuff,andtheyalsorecognizewhatittakestoretaintheseemployees. Forthisyear'supdatetoourAWScertificationsguide,Iwanttodrawattentiontoafewchanges.First,thisyearthere’smoreemphasisonadvancedcertification.TheAWSCertifiedSolutionsArchitect-AssociatehasmoveddownonespotinGlobalKnowledge’slist.BoththeAWSCertifiedCloudPractitionerandMicrosoftCertified:AzureFundamentalscertificationsarenolongerinthetop15.Thistellsmethattheseentry-levelcertificationsarenolongersomethingtostrivefor,butrather,youshouldreachhigherforthemoreadvancedofferings.Speakingofwhich,you’llalsonoticethatthereisanewcertificationfromGooglethathastakenoverthetopspot.  Additionally,fourofthe15certificationsonGlobalKnowledge’slistarecloud-based.Thisisonelessthanlastyear,butclearlycloudcertificationisstillasought-afterachievement,becausethetopthreecertificationsareallbasedonthecloud. Inspiteofthis,manypeoplestillhavenaggingquestionsaboutanAWScertification:isitreallytherightchoiceforyourcareer?Whichonesshouldyoupursue,andinwhatorder?Whatcanyouexpectfromeachexam?Wheredoyoustart?Andarethereanycertsyoushouldnotconsiderearning? BeforeIexpandontheanswerstothesequestions,IwanttotakeasmallpauseforwhatalotofpeoplehaveexperiencedstartingaroundMarch2020.Peoplemaybeexperiencingmoretimeathome,whetherfromwork-at-homerequirements,orotherunfortunatecircumstances.Ibelievethisrepresentsanopportunitytotakeadvantageofthesesituations.Ifpossible,usethistimeathometoexpandonskillsetsthatimproveyourresume,AWStrainingandcertificationsincluded.Ifyouarelookingforasilverlining,allAWScertificationsareavailabletotakeonline. UnderstandingtheAWScertificationsystem Let’sbeginwiththebigpicture:AWScurrentlyoffers11certifications,includingsixcorecertsandfivespecialtycerts.(Note:theAWSCertifiedAlexaSkillBuilder-SpecialtyexamretiredonMarch23,2021.)AWSorganizesitscorecertsintothreetiers,startingwithFoundationalandthenadvancingtoAssociateandProfessionalcerts.ThisdiagramshowshowAWSviewstherelationshipsbetweencertificationsateachlevel. AWScorecertificationsexplained Nowforthedetails!Here’swhatyouneedtoknowabouteachofthesixcorecertifications.  AWSCertifiedCloudPractitioner Format:multiplechoice Length:90minutes Fee:$100 ThisfoundationalAWSexamcoversthecoreprinciplesoftheAWSCloud.You’llanswerquestionsconcerningessentialAWSservicesandfeatures,includingbusinessusecases.TheexamalsocoversAWSsecurityandcompliancefundamentalsandrequiresyoutodemonstrateaworkingknowledgeofAWSbilling,support,andpricing.YoushouldalsoexpectquestionsaboutdeployingresourcesandservicesintheAWSCloud. ThisAWSCertifiedCloudPractitionercertificationisperfectforanyoneinanon-technicalrolewhoneedsageneralunderstandingoftheAWSplatform.Forexample,ITsalespeoplecanlearntospeakwithconfidenceandauthoritywhenaconversationtouchesonacustomer’sAWSinvestments.Also,thecertificationcanhelppeopleinfinance,management,andbusinessrolescommunicatemoreclearlywiththeirITcolleagues. AWSrecommendssixmonthsofAWSexperiencebeforetakingthisexam,butthatexperiencecanbeinanycapacity,includingtechnicalandnon-technicalroles(suchassales,management,orfinance).Inpractice,yourpreptimeisfarmoreimportantforpassingthisexam.Setasideatleastsixhoursforstudyandreview. AWSCertifiedSolutionsArchitect-Associate Format:Multiplechoice,multipleanswer Length:130minutes Fee:$150 Forthiscertification,youneedtoproveyouknowhowtobuildanddeploysystemsintheAWSCloud.Theexamwillaskquestionsaboutcloud-basedsolutionsfordeploymentsthatfollowstrictrequirementsandrequireyoutodemonstrateaknowledgeofarchitecturalbestpractices.You’llneedconsiderableexperiencedeploying,configuring,andmanagingcompute,network,storage,anddatabaseservicesinAWS.IalsostronglysuggestgoingintothisexamwithworkingknowledgeofAWSsecurityandcompliancepolicies. Beforetakingthisexam,AWSrecommendsatleastoneyeardeployingdistributedsystemsatscaleusingAWSservices. AWSCertifiedSolutionsArchitect-Professional Format:Multiplechoice,multipleanswer Length:180minutes Fee:$300 ProveyourabilitytobuildanddeploydistributedsystemsintheAWSCloudtospec, plusunderstandhowtodeploythematscalewithfaulttoleranceandhighavailability.Thiscertificationalsorequirestheabilitytodeploymulti-tierapplicationstotheAWSCloud,andtobuildenterprise-scalecloudsolutionswithAWSresources—allwhilemanagingyourcloudspend. AWSnolongerrecommendsearningtheAWSCertifiedSolutionsArchitect-Associatecertificationbeforetakingthisexam.However,ifyoudon’talreadyhaveyearsofAWSexperience,IrecommendworkingtowardyourSolutionsArchitect-Associatecertificationfirst.AWSstronglyrecommendsmorethantwoyearsofexperiencedeployingdistributedsystems,atscale,usingAWSservicesbasedondesignrequirementsandbestpractices. AWSCertifiedDeveloper-Associate Format:Multiplechoice,multipleanswer Length:130minutes Fee:$150 ThisAWSexamtestsyourabilitytodevelopapplicationsnativetotheAWSCloud.You’llneedtoshowyourabilitytousetheAWSSDKtointeractwithandoptimizetheAWSservicesthatyoubuildintoanapplication.Passingthisexamalsodemandsafunctionalunderstandingofcode-levelsecuritypractices,includingcredentialcreationandencryptionstrategies. Beforeyoutakethisexam,AWSrecommendsatleastayearofexperiencemaintainingapplicationsintheAWSCloud.Youshouldalsounderstandthecoreservices,principles,andbestpracticesassociatedwithservicesonAWS.AndyoushouldhavesomeexperiencecreatingapplicationsfortoolslikeAmazonDynamoDB,AWSElasticBeanstalk,andAWSCloudFormation(amongothers). AWSCertifiedDevOpsEngineer-Professional Format:Multiplechoice,multipleanswer Length:180minutes Fee:$300 TheDevOpsEngineercertificationisallabouttestingyourabilitytomanagedistributedapplicationsintheAWSCloud,fromprovisioningtofulloperationalmanagement.You’llfacequestionsaboutcontinuousintegrationandcontinuousdelivery(CI/CD)methodologiesandautomationbestpractices,includingbestpracticesforautomatingsecurityandcompliancechecks.You’llalsoneedtoshowaworkingknowledgeofmonitoringandloggingpracticespertainingtotheAWSplatform. Asshowninthediagramatthebeginningofthissection,thiscertificationisintheprofessionaltiercertfortheDeveloperandOperationstracks. WhileAWSnolongerrequiresholdinganAWSCertifiedDeveloper-AssociateorAWSCertifiedSysOpsAdministrator-Associatecertificationbeforetakingthisexam,Istillrecommendboth.UnlessyouhaveyearsofAWSexperience,workingtowardstheseothertwocertificationshelpsyougreatlybecausetheybuildthefundamentalknowledgeyou’llneedfortheprofessional-levelcertification.AWSdoesrecommendatleasttwoyearsdeliveringapplicationsinormanagingAWSclouddeployments,andsomeexperiencewithautomationbestpractices,includingscriptingorotherprogramming. AWSCertifiedSysOpsAdministrator-Associate Format:Multiplechoice,multipleanswer Length:130minutes Fee:$150 Certifyyourabilitytodeploy,manage,andoperatesystemresourcesintheAWSCloud,includinganunderstandingofwhatittakestomigrateon-premisesworkloadstotheAWSCloud.Youshouldunderstandhowtomanagecloudsystemsforbothfaulttoleranceandhighavailability.Youshouldalsobeabletomatchresourcedeploymenttorequirementsandtoaccountforoperationalneeds,suchassecurityandcostcontrol. Forthiscertification,you’llwantatleastayearofexperiencemanagingAWS-nativeapplications.You’llalsowantsomeexperiencegatheringrequirementsandfollowingAWSbestpracticesfordeploymentsandprojectlifecyclemanagement. AWSspecialtycertifications AWShasfivespecialtycertifications:  Here’swhatyouneedtoknowabouteachofthesespecialtycerts. AWSCertifiedDatabase-Specialty Format:Multiplechoice,multipleanswer Length:180minutes Registrationfee:$300 DemonstrateyourabilitytousevariousAWSdatabaseservicestohelpaccelerateanddriveyourorganization’sbusiness,includingknowinghowtodesign,recommend,andmaintainAWSdatabaseservices. Beforeyoutakethiscertification,AWSrecommendsatleastfiveyearsofexperiencewithdatabasetechnologies,atleasttwoyearsofhands-onAWSexperience,andsometimespentworkingwithrelationalandnon-relationaldatabases. AWSCertifiedAdvancedNetworking-Specialty Format:Multiplechoice,multipleanswer Length:170minutes Fee:$300 Ifyou’reintocomplexnetworkingprojects,especiallyonesthatspanscalableAWSsystems,thenthiscertisperfectforyou.TheexamrequiresyoutoknowhowtomanageanetworkarchitectureforanyserviceontheAWSplatformandautomatemostnetworkingtasks. Beforetakingthisexam,AWSrecommendsearninganAWSCertifiedCloudPractitionercertoranyoftheassociatecerts.AWSalsosuggestsfiveyearsofexperiencemanagingnetworksandafirmunderstandingofnetworkingconceptsandbestpracticesrelatedtotheAWSplatform. AWSCertifiedSecurity-Specialty Format:Multiplechoice,multipleanswer Length:170minutes Fee:$300 ThisAWSexamisallaboutadvancedmethodsforsecuringtheAWSCloudplatform.CandidatesforthiscertshouldbeseasonedITsecurityexpertswhocandemonstrateexpert-levelknowledgeofdataprotectionandencryptiontechniquesforAWSenvironments.YoualsomustdemonstrateamasteryofAWStoolsforimplementingandmanagingcloudsecurity. Beforetakingthiscertification,AWSrecommendsatleasttwoyearsofhands-onexperiencesecuringAWSworkloadsandaminimumoffiveyearsofITsecurityexperience. AWSCertifiedMachineLearning-Specialty Format:Multiplechoice,multipleanswer Length:180minutes Fee:$300 Thiscertificationemphasizesdesigninganddeployingmachinelearningsolutionstosolvepracticalbusinessproblems.Youcanexpectquestionsthataskyoutochoosethebestmachinelearningsolutiontoaproblemandwhythechosenapproachisbetterthanothers.You’llalsoneedtounderstandwhichAWSservicesarerelevanttodeliveringamachine-learningsolution.Andyou’llneedtoknowhowtooptimizeyourAWSservicestodeliverscalable,reliable,andsecuresolutions. Beforetakingthisexam,AWSrecommendsthatcandidatesworkindevelopmentordatasciencerolesandhaveonetotwoyearsofexperienceusingmachinelearningordeeplearningontheAWSCloud. AWSCertifiedDataAnalytics—Specialty Format:Multiplechoice,multipleanswer Length:180minutes Fee:$300 ThiscerttestsyourabilitieswithAWSdatalakesandanalyticsservices.Thatincludesunderstandinghowtodesign,build,secure,andmaintainanalyticssolutionsonAWS.YouwillneedtoknowhowtodefineAWSdataanalyticsservicestounderstandhowtheyintegratesecurely.Youwillneedtoshowhowdataanalyticsservicesfitinthedatalifecycleofcollection,storage,processing,andvisualization. Forthiscertification,AWSrecommendsatleastfiveyearsofdataanalyticstechnologyexperienceandatleasttwoyearsofhands-onexperiencewiththeAWSCloud. BuildingyourAWSCertificationplan AsaSolutionsStrategyDirectorandAWSexpertforNewRelic,peopleoftenaskmeinwhatordertheyshouldtaketheseexams.Irecommendthefollowingsequenceforstartingandturbochargingyourcloudcareer: AWSCertifiedSolutionsArchitect-Associate AWSCertifiedDeveloper-Associate AWSCertifiedSysOpsAdministrator-Associate AnyspecialtyAWScertificationsthatinterestyou AWSCertifiedDevOpsEngineer-Professional AWSCertifiedSolutionsArchitect-Professional NotethatthisroutedoesnotincludetheAWSCertifiedCloudPractitionerexam,whichisn’tterriblyusefulforanyoneinatechnicalrole.IrecommendfolksintechnicalrolesbeginwiththeAWSCertifiedSolutionsArchitect-Associateexamandgofromthere.Thiscertificationalsocoverstopicsyou’llseeagainintheDeveloperandSysOpsAdministratorexams,whichmakesitagreatup-frontinvestmentforanyoneplanningtotakeallthreeexams. Theknowledgegainedpreppingforthedatabase,network,andsecurityspecialtycertificationswillhelpyouwiththetwoprofessionallevelcertifications,buttheothersdon’tofferthatextraedge. PreparingforAWSexams—todayandinthefuture TheAWSplatformhasalwaysbeenahotbedofinnovationandconstant,oftenrapid-firechange.Whilethere’sonlysomuchAWScandotoaddresstheeffectoftechnologychangeonitsexams,itdoesadheretosomeguidelinesthatwillkeepyourexamprepreasonablyfocused: AWSrequiresanewfeatureorservicetobegenerallyavailable(GA)foratleastsixmonthsbeforeallowingittoappearonanexam. Asnotedinitsexamguides,AWSwilldiscussinbroadtermswhich“topicareasandobjectives”you’llfindonanexam,althoughitwon’tdiscussspecificfeaturesandservices. AWS“regularlyrotatesquestionsinandout”ofitsexams,buteveryquestionshouldremainwithintheexam’sstatedtopicareasandobjectives. AsfortheAWSexamprepprocess,you’llwanttoseeforyourselfwhat’savailabletogetyoureadyforeachexam.Basedonmyexperience,however,seriousandthoroughpreparationforanAssociate-levelexamrequires120hoursormore—andtheSpeciality-orProfessional-levelexamsareevenmoredemanding. Manyengineers,especiallyyoungerones,getintothezoneduringtheirexamprepandtaketwo,three,orevenmoreexamsinamatterofmonths.Iknowthefeeling,butIalsostronglysuggestresistingtheurgetobingetest.Instead,takeaminimumofthreetosixmonthsbetweeneachexam. Considerwhenyou’llneedtore-certify:Youmightbeinthezonetoday,butwhataboutthree,six,orevennineyearsdowntheline?Whenthetimecomes,preparingtore-certifywhenyouhaveafamily,andacareerinmid-flight,andwhoknowswhatelsehappeninginyourlife,couldbecomeanoverwhelmingburdenifyouhavemultiplecertificationsexpiringwithinashortperiod.Alittleforesighttodaycanpayhugebenefitsthroughouttherestofyourcareer. Stayfocusedonyourcareergoals,planandpreparecarefullyfortheseexams,andmoveaheadwithconfidencethatyou’vegotawinning—andlucrative—career-buildingstrategy. BestofluckinyourAWScertificationjourney! Nextsteps InterestedinwaystomonitorAWS?LearnaboutsendingmetricsforallAWSservicesandcustomnamespacestoNewRelicOne. Or,tryoutoneofthequickstartsforintegratingAWSandNewRelicOneonNewRelicInstantObservability.Ifyou’renotalreadyaNewReliccustomer,youcan signupforfree. RelatedTopics Careers ByKevinDowns AsSolutionsStrategyDirectoratNewRelic,KevinhasdeepknowledgeofITOpsandthecloudindustry.Heworkswithcustomersandpartnerstoassistintheircloudadoptionjourneys.He’sbeenintheenterprisesoftwareindustryformorethan20years,including12yearsasacustomerfacingsolutionsarchitect,sellingenterprisesoftwaresolutionstoallverticals. TheviewsexpressedonthisblogarethoseoftheauthoranddonotnecessarilyreflecttheviewsofNewRelic.Anysolutionsofferedbytheauthorareenvironment-specificandnotpartofthecommercialsolutionsorsupportofferedbyNewRelic.PleasejoinusexclusivelyattheExplorersHub(discuss.newrelic.com)forquestionsandsupportrelatedtothisblogpost.Thisblogmaycontainlinkstocontentonthird-partysites.Byprovidingsuchlinks,NewRelicdoesnotadopt,guarantee,approveorendorsetheinformation,viewsorproductsavailableonsuchsites. Wasthisposthelpful? Voteforthiscontent. 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