Which AWS Certification Should I Get Started With ...

There are 3 different levels of AWS certification: Foundational, Associate, and Professional. The specializations sit alongside the other certifications and ... WhichAWSCertificationshouldIget? Therearenow11AWSCertificationsunderthefoundational,professional,andspecialtylearningpaths–soyoumightbewonderingwhichAWScertificationisrightforme?AndwhichAWScertificationshouldIgetfirst? Itcanbeabitconfusingatfirstbutonceyouunderstandthedifferentlevelsandtherole-basedorspecialtyscopeoftheexamitbecomesmucheasiertodigest.IfyoualreadyknowwhichAWSCertificationisrightforyou,checkoutourpopularAWSTrainingcourses orenrollinour Membershipprogram.FormoredetailedinformationoneachAWScertification,getyourFreeBeginner’sGuidetoAWSCertificationwith35pagesofpracticaltipsandinsightsonhowtogetstartedwithAWS.Todownloadyourfreeebook,simplycompletetheformtotheright. Keepreadingtolearnaboutthevariouslevelsandhowthecertificationsaredesignedtoprepareyouforspecificorganizationalrolesworkingwithcloudcomputing.Beforewegettothat,let’sjustexploresomeofthereasonswhyyoumightwanttoworkincloudcomputingandwhyyoumightwanttoearnanAWScertification. WHYWORKINCLOUDCOMPUTING? Asyou’reprobablystartingtorealize,cloudcomputingisareallygoodspacetobeintodayanditsconstantgrowthindicatesthatitwillcontinuetobeagreatindustrytoworkinfortheforeseeablefuture.Herearesomeofthetopreasonswhyyoushouldworkincloudcomputing: Jobdemand Duetothehuge,continuinggrowthofthetakeupofcloudservices,therewillbeongoingdemandforqualifiedandexperiencedcloudprofessionalsaroundtheglobe. Rewardingcareerpaths Ifyouhaveapassionfortechnology,workingincloudcomputingwillbeoneofthemostexcitingandrewardingcareerswithsignificantopportunitiesforgrowth. Skillsaregloballyrelevant CloudcomputingproviderssuchasAWSprovideservicestocustomersaroundtheworld–soyoucantakeadvantageofjobopportunitiesglobally. Greatsalaries Accordingto payscale.com,averagesalariesforaSolutionsArchitectwith5+yearsofexperiencecanexceed$123,000perannum(basedintheUS). WhygetAWScertified? Certificationsareagreatwaytodemonstrateyourskillstopotentialemployersortogetapromotionintoyourtargetjobrole.WithAWSdominatingtheworldofcloudcomputingandmanycompaniesmovingservicesintothecloud,AWScertificationsaresomeofthemostsought-aftercertifications.  Gaintheoreticalandpracticalknowledge AWScertificationsaredesignedtotestboththeoreticalandpracticalknowledgesothetrainingprogramsforgettingcertifiedshouldalwaysincludebothelements.Therefore,youcanbuildpracticalskillsbytakingacertificationtrainingcoursethatwillhelpyouperformwellinyour(future)cloudcomputingjobroles. Getaheadofthecurve Trainingforcertificationsprovidesknowledgethatyoucanpracticallyuseinyourcurrentroleevenifyoudon’tworkwithcloudservicestoday.MostITrolesinvolvesomelevelofexposuretocloudcomputing(andverylikelyAWS).Ifyourroledoesn’t,itprobablywillsoon.Therefore,it’swisetoensureyourskillsstayrelevant. WhatExperiencedoIneedtogetstartedwithAWSCertifications? Weallcomefromdifferentstartingpointsandtheanswerstotheabovequestionswilldependonyourcurrentskillsandexperienceandwhatyourcareerobjectivesare.Therefore,I’dliketostartwithanoverviewofthedifferentlevelsofcertificationavailableandthescopeanddepthofexpertiserequiredbythem.We’llthenmoveontotherole-basedstructureofthecertificationlearningpathsandhowtheyrelatetoyourbackgroundandcareeraspirations. ArethereanyprerequisitestotakeAWSCertifications? Backin2019,AWSremovedtheprerequisitesfromallAWScertifications.ThismeansyoucannowtakeANYAWScertificationatanytime,youdon’tneedtocompleteanyothercertificationfirst.However,asyou’llnowlearn,thereisastructuretotheAWScertificationlearningpathsanditiswisetofollowthatstructuretomaximizeyourchanceofsuccessinyourexamsandtoensureyouhaveagoodskillsettotakeintoyourworkinglife. AWSCertificationLevelsandSpecializations Thereare3differentlevelsofAWScertification:Foundational,Associate,andProfessional. Thespecializationssitalongsidetheothercertificationsandfocusinmuchmoredepthonparticularjobskills. Understandingthekeyconcepts Scope –thisindicatesthebreadthofcoverageofAWSservicesintheexamDepth –thisindicateshowdeeptheexamgoesintermsoftechnicalknowledgeofaspecificservice Youneedtobewellawareofthesefactorswhenchoosingwhichcertificationyouwanttoaimforasthescopeanddepthcanvarygreatlyandthiswillhaveanimpactontheamountofexperienceyouneedbeforeyougetstartedandhowmuchstudytimeyou’llneedtoputin. AWSFOUNDATIONALLEVEL Thereisonlyonecertificationatthislevel:theAWSCertifiedCloudPractitioner.ThisexamisaimedatthosewhoarenewtotheAWScloudandneedtounderstandthebasics.ItisbroadinscopeasitcoversquitealotofcoreAWSservicesbutitisveryshallowindepthsoquestionsarefairlyeasy. LearnmoreabouttheAWSCloudPractitionerCertification. AWSCertifiedCloudPractitionerExamGuideAWSCloudPractitionerTraining–WhattoExpectintheExam AWSAssociateLevel TheassociatelevelAWScertificationsareabigstepupindifficultyfromthefoundationallevelcertification,butnotnearlyasdifficultastheprofessionallevelorsomeofthespecialtycertifications.Theassociate-levelcertificationscoverabroadscopeofAWSservicesatamediumdepth.ThismeansyouwillneedtolearnarelativelylargenumberofAWSservicesatagoodleveloftechnicalunderstanding.Therearethreecertificationoptions,eachaimedataspecificjobrole: AWSCertifiedSolutionsArchitect–AssociateAWSCertifiedDeveloper–AssociateAWSCertifiedSysOpsAdministrator–AssociateTheassociate-levelcertificationscoverabroadscopeofAWSservicesatamediumdepth.ThismeansyouwillneedtolearnarelativelylargenumberofAWSservicesatagoodleveloftechnicalunderstanding. Learnmoreabouttheassociatelevelcertificationsusingthelinksbelow:HowtoPassAWSCertificationExamsAWSCertifiedSolutionsArchitect–AssociateExamGuideAWSCertifiedSysOpsAdministrator–AssociateExamGuideAWSCertifiedDeveloper–AssociateExamGuide AWSPROFESSIONALLEVEL TheprofessionallevelcertificationsrepresentanexpertlevelofknowledgeandareaimedattheSolutionsArchitectandDevOpsEngineerjobroles.Thetwocertificationsare:AWSCertifiedSolutionsArchitect–ProfessionalAWSCertifiedDevOpsEngineer–ProfessionalTheseexamscanbeverydifficultastheycoverbothabroadscopeofservicesandtheycoverthoseservicestoadeepleveloftechnicalexpertise.Thoughitisnolongerarequirement,it’sagoodideatostartoffbytakingtheassociate-levelcertificationsbeforeyoutakeaprofessional-levelcertificationexam.Infact,Iwouldrecommendtakingallassociate-levelcertificationsbeforeyoutakeeitheraprofessionallevelexamoraspecialtyexamasitwillgiveyouawell-roundedknowledgeandagoodleveloftechnicalunderstanding. Onceyouhavetherequiredexperienceandarereadytotakeononeofthesecertifications,choosetheexamthat’smostappropriateforyourjobroleorcareeraspirations.Togainabetterunderstandingofwhatisincludedineachexam–checkouttheexamguidebyclickingthelinksbelow:AWSCertifiedSolutionsArchitect–ProfessionalExamGuideAWSCertifiedDevOpsEngineer–ProfessionalExamGuide AWSSPECIALTYCERTIFICATIONS Beingmorespecialized,thesecertificationsfocusonamuchnarrowerscopeofAWSservicesbuttheleveloftechnicalexpertiserequiredisverydeep.Youneedtobeanexpertinyourchosenspecialtybeforetakingtheseexams.Generallyspeaking,youcanexpecttheoveralldifficultytobemoreakintotheprofessionallevelexamsthantheassociatelevelexams.Thesecertificationsdovaryindifficultyhowever,somakesureyoucheckouttherecommendedexperienceasthatcangiveyouanideaofhowchallengingit’slikelytobe.Forinstance,fortheAWSCertifiedAdvancedNetworkingSpecialty,AWSrecommendsaminimumoffiveyearsofhands-onexperiencearchitectingandimplementingnetworksolutions. Learnmoreaboutthespecialtyexamsusingthelinksbelow:AWSCertifiedAdvancedNetworkingSpecialtyExamGuideAWSCertifiedSecuritySpecialtyExamGuideAWSCertifiedMachineLearningSpecialtyExamGuideAWSCertifiedDataAnalyticsSpecialtyExamGuideAWSCertifiedDatabaseSpecialtyExamGuide WhichAWScertificationshouldIdofirst-basedonmyexperience/careergoals? Thepathyouchoosetotakewilldependonyourindividualstartingpoint.Tohelpyouidentifythebestlearningpath,weofferafewoptionsbasedoncommonscenarios. 1.I’mcompletelynewtoCloudorITinGeneral Ifthissoundslikeyou,you’rebestoffstartingwiththeAWSCertifiedCloudPractitioner.Thiscertificationisgoodforthosefrombothtechnicalandnon-technicalbackgroundswhowanttolearnwhattheAWScloudis.Learnaboutitsbenefits,pricingmodels,architecturalpatternsandgainahigh-levelunderstandingofthecoreAWSservices.Onceyou’veearnedyourAWSCloudPractitionercertification,youcanthenmoveontotheassociate-levelcertifications. 2.I’vegotBasicExperienceofAWSorTechnicalbackgroundinIT IfyoualreadyhavesomeworkingexperiencewithAWScloudservicesoryouhaveastrongtechnicalbackgroundinIT,youcanstartoffwiththeassociate-levelcertifications.Personally,IwouldrecommenddoingtheAWSCloudPractitioneraswellasitwillbeaneasyexamforyouandcoversabitmorearoundbenefitsandpricingmodels.Sowhichassociate-levelcertificationshouldyouaimfor?TaketheAWSCertifiedSolutionsArchitect–Associatefirst.ThisisthemostpopularAWScertificationandwillgiveyouastrongandbroadunderstandingofmanycoreAWSservices.Ifyou’reaDeveloper,dotheAWSCertifiedDeveloper–Associatenext.ThisexamwillteachyousomeservicessuchasAWSLambda,AmazonDynamoDB,AmazonAPIGatewayandtheAWSDeveloperToolsinmuchgreaterdepth.Itwillalsoteachyouhowtooptimizeyourcodeforperformanceandsecurity.Ifyou’reaSysOpsEngineer,dotheAWSCertifiedSysOpsAdministrator–Associatenext.ThiscertificationwillteachyouabouthowtooptimizeinfrastructuretorunonAWSandgoesintolotsofdetailsonoperationsandmanagement(includinggreatdepthonAmazonCloudWatch). 3.I’mhighlyexperiencedwithStrongKnowledgeofAWS/MultipleYearsofAWSExperience Ifyou’realreadywellonyourwaytobeinganAWSgurubuthaven’ttakenanycertificationsyet,youmaybetemptedtostartwiththeprofessionallevelorspecialtycertifications.Thoughthatcouldworkforyou,I’dstillrecommenddoingataminimumtheAWSSolutionsArchitectAssociatecertificationfirstinmostcases.FollowingthisadvicewillhelpyoutolearnhowAWScertificationexamsarestructuredandwhatsortofknowledgegetstested.You’llalsobecomefamiliarwiththestyleoftheAWSexamquestionsandlearnhowtomanagetimeintheexams,whichwillhelpyouwhenyougettotheharderprofessionalorspecialtycertificationexams. AreAWSCertificationsworthit? AWScertificationsdon’tjustlookgoodonyourresume—theycansignificantlyboostyoursalaryandhelpyouadvanceyourcloudcareer.Onaverage,AWScertificationsearnasalaryofmorethan$100,000USD.Whilecertificationsdon’talwaysequatetocompetence,thetrainingyougetonthewaytobecomingcertifiedisinvaluable.You’lllearnnewskills,understandtheplatforminsideoutanddiscoverbestpractices.Formoreinformation,checkoutthisarticle“AreAWSCertificationsworthitin?” HowtoGetStarted:AWSTrainingResources TherearemanyresourcesavailabletohelpyouonyourwaytobecomingAWScertifiedandfulfillingyourcareergoals.Hereareourrecommendedtrainingresourcestogetyoustarted:FreeAWSResourcesAWSWebsite –UsethedocumentationontheAWSwebsitetogetup-to-dateanddetailedfacts.Thisincludesthedeveloperguides,userguides,andFAQsforeachAWSservice.AWS.Training –SignupontheAWS.TrainingwebsitetogetaccesstofreevideotrainingformanyAWSservices.Thisalsoincludessomelearningpaths.It’srelativelybasicintermsofdepth,butagoodstartingpoint.FreeCheatSheets,videotutorialsandPracticetests –Checkoutthe FREEAWSResources fromDigitalCloudTrainingandour YouTube channeltofindlotsofvalue-packedtrainingresourcesforAWSCertifications.RecommendedAWSTrainingAsaproviderofhigh-quality video-basedtraining andexamdifficulty practiceexams,DigitalCloudTrainingofferseverythingyouneedtopassyourexamforseveralAWScertificationsataffordableprices. HowtobestprepareforAWSexam Here’sanoutlineoftherecommendedlearningpaththatwillhelpyouprepareforyourAWScertificationexam.Followingthesestepswillmaximizeyourchancesofpassingyourexamfirsttimewithagreatscore. EnrollinVideoCourse FamiliarizeyourselfwiththeAWSplatform TakeourAWSPracticeExams Identifyyourstrengthsandweaknesses Studytrainingnotes Fast-trackyourexamsuccesswithourcheatsheets GetAWSCertified PassyourAWSexam1sttimewithconfidence MembershipPROGRAM Forthosereadytotakeyourcloudjourneytothenextlevel,werecommendour Membershipprogram.GainunlimitedaccesstoALLofouron-demandAWScourses–currentandfuture. You’llbeinthebestpositiontoearnyourAWScertificationswhilebuildinguppracticalcloudskills learnmore WhichAWSCertificationshouldIget? Clear ClearAll X 🌟End-of-YearSALE🌟CheckouttheSpecialDealsandgetupto50%OFF🚀