Which AWS certification is right for me? - A Cloud Guru

An AWS certification is an industry-recognized credential. It helps learners build credibility by validating a level of Amazon Web Services ... Shareonfacebook Shareontwitter ShareonlinkedinHomeEngineeringWhichAWScertificationisrightforme?AWS,Certification MattiasAnderssonMar23,202140MinuteReadSoyou’rethinkingaboutgettingAmazonWebServices(AWS)certified.That’sgreat!Cloudcomputingskillsareinhugedemand.63%ofITleaderssayit’shardertofindqualifiedengineersthanBigfoot.(Which—biggernews—maybeimpliesthat37%ofITleadershavefoundBigfoot?)Whetheryou’relookingtotakeyourcareertothenextlevelorjumpintoanewfield,developingcloudskillsandgettingtherightAmazonWebServicescertificationcanhelpopenthedoortosomelife-changingcareerpaths.AccelerateyourcareerGetstartedwithACG andtransformyourcareerwithcoursesandrealhands-onlabsinAWS,MicrosoftAzure,GoogleCloud,andbeyond.StartaFreeTrialButwheredoyoubegin?WhatisAWS?WhichAWScloudcertificationlearningpathisrightforyou?Andwhichcertificationsdoyouneedforwhatjobs?Ifyou’relookingforatrueTL:DRastowhatAmazonWebServicescertificationsyouneedtoget:optionallystartwiththeAWSCertifiedCloudPractitionerExam(CCP)andthendefinitelygettheAWSCertifiedSolutionsArchitectAssociate(CSAA).Wantmore?Thenreadon!WhatareAWScertificationsandwhyaretheyimportant?AnAWScertificationisanindustry-recognizedcredential.IthelpslearnersbuildcredibilitybyvalidatingalevelofAmazonWebServicescloudexpertiseandithelpsorganizationsidentifyskilledprofessionalstoleadcloudinitiativesusingAWS.AprofessionalobtainsanAWScertificationafterpassingoneormoreexamsthatAWSoffers.AWSCertificationsarevalidforthreeyears.TomaintainanAWSCertifiedstatus,AWSrequiresyoutoperiodicallydemonstrateyourcontinuedexpertisethroughaprocesscalledrecertification.Let’stakeamomenttoexplorewhatcertificationsareandwhattheyarenot.CertificationsAREaproofofknowledge–Theyprovethatyouareproficientenoughtopasstheexam.CertificationsareNOTaproofofexperience–Thereisnosubstituteforactuallyworkinginthecloud.However,therearemanywaystogethands-onAWScloudtrainingoutsideoftheworkforceandtojump-startyourcloudcareerwithminimalexperience.CertificationsAREdoor-openers–Theycangetyouintotheinterview,ortheconsiderationsetforpromotion.CertificationsareNOTgoldentickets–Theydonotensureajob.Theycanteeyouupforsuccess,butyouhavetoearnitfromthere.CertificationsARErathervaluable–TheaveragesalariesforAWScertholdersarewellover$100,000peryear.AWScertificationsaresomeofthehighestsalarycloudcertificationsoutthere.CertificationsareNOTjustaboutearningpower–Theyalsovalidateyourknowledgeandhelpensurethatteamspossessacommoncloud“language”—oftencalled“cloudfluency.”WhenthinkingaboutyourAWScareerpath,itcanhelptothinkofacertificationlikeasteppingstone.Itcanbeinstrumentalinhelpingyoureachthatnextlevel,buttheactualreachingisstilluptoyou.Whicheverrouteyoupick,it’sneverbeeneasiertogetAWScertified.Amazonnowoffersallitscertificationexamsonline,meaningyoucantestwithjustalittlenoticefromhome,theoffice,orwhereveryouare—notriptoatestingcenterrequired.AreAWScertificationsworthitin2021?TheanswerdependsonwhyyouwanttogetAWScertified.Areyouhopingacertificationwilllandyouanintervieworajob?Didyourbosstellyouyouneedtogetcertified?Doyouthinkgettingasinglecertificationisgoingtoearnyouasix-figuresalary?(Theanswerstothose,inorder,are:itcould,youshouldlistentoyourboss,andthat’sprobablynotgoingtohappen.)Thewhymatters.Certificationsaretools.They’renottheendgoal;they’remilestonesalongtheway.Let’sbreakthatdownmore.AsofApril2021,AmazonWebServicesoffers11individualcertifications,spreadacrossfourdifferentlevels.FiguringoutwheretostartandwhichisthebestAWScertificateforyouandyourcareergoalscanseemsuperintimidatingatfirst.Fortunately,onceyoufigureoutwhat’swhat,thepathusuallybecomesprettyclear.DownloadACloudGuru’sAWSCertificationGuidePDF.PlottingyourAWScloudcertificationlearningpathReadytocuttothechase?ClickthelinksbelowtojumptomoreinfoaboutAmazonwebservicescertifications,whattheymean,whatittakestoearnthem,andwhattheymightmeanforyourcloudcareer.Whichcertificationisrightforyou?AreAWScertificationsworthitin2021?WhatareAWScertificationsandwhyaretheyimportant?WhatarethedifferentAWScertifications?WhichAWScertificationiseasiest?Whatarethecore5AWScertifications?Foundational-levelcertificationsAWSCertifiedCloudPractitionerAssociate-levelcertificationsAWSCertifiedSolutionsArchitect–AssociateAWSCertifiedDeveloper–AssociateAWSCertifiedSysOpsAdministrator–AssociateProfessional-levelcertificationsAWSCertifiedSolutionsArchitect–ProfessionalAWSCertifiedDevOpsEngineer–ProfessionalSpecialtycertificationsAWSCertifiedAdvancedNetworking–SpecialtyAWSCertifiedDataAnalytics–SpecialtyAWSCertifiedSecurity–SpecialtyAWSCertifiedMachineLearning–SpecialtyAWSCertifiedDatabase–SpecialtyACloudGuruAWSLearningPathsAWSArchitectLearningPathAWSDeveloperLearningPathAWSDevOpsLearningPathAWSDataLearningPathAWSSecurityLearningPathAWSMachineLearningLet’sstartyourAWSjourneyACloudGurucoursesaretheperfectwaytoprepareforyourexams.CheckoutACG’scurrent freecloudcourses ortestyourknowledgewithourcloudskillsassessment.StartAFreeTrialWhatarethedifferentlevelsofAWScertification?“What’sthebestAWScertificateforme?”youmightask.Yourcareergoalscanhelpdirectyoudowntherightcertificationlearningpath.Let’stakealookatthedifferentcertificationsofferedbyAmazonWebServices. Therearecurrently11distinctcertifications,spreadacrossfourexperiencelevels:Foundational,Associate,Professional,andSpecialty.WhichAWScertificationiseasiest?AWSCertifiedCloudPractitioner(CCP)istheeasiestAmazonWebServicescertification.It’sacloudbeginner-friendlycertificationthatcoversthebasicsofAWSandthecloudandrequiresnotechnicalexperienceasaprerequisite.(Though,unlessyouhavesomeexperiencewithAWS,you’llstillneedtostudytoaceit.It’snotthateasy.)AWSFoundational-LevelCertificationsCertifications:AWSCloudPractitioner–FoundationalScope:10Depth:2Prerequisites:NoneRecommendedExperience:6monthsofAWSandindustryknowledgeSkillscovered: BasicAWSarchitecturalfoundationsKeyAWSservicesAWSsecurityandcompliance It’sprobablyforyouif:Youneedtoknowfoundationalcloudconcepts—likewhatiscloud,whatiscloudmigration,andhowdoesAWSworksatahighlevel—butwon’tbegettingyourhandsdirtywithimplementation.Everyjourneystartssomewhere.ForAWS,thatstartingpointisaFoundationalcertification.Lookingtostartyourcloudarchitectjourney?CheckoutourAWSArchitectLearningPaths!AWSCertifiedCloudPractitioner–FoundationalTheAWSCloudPractitionerexamcertificationgivesyouahigh-levelintroductiontoAWS.Itdoesn’tgodeeponanyparticularservices.Instead,itprovidesageneraloverviewofhowAWSisstructured.WerecommendourAWSCertifiedCloudPractitionercourseasthebestplacetostartforanyonewho’snewtocloudcomputing.Thiswillhelpyoubuildthe,er,foundationyou’llneedasyoudelvedeeperintotheinnerworkingsofAWS.ReadytogetstartedwithunderstandingAWS?TakethefirststeponyourAWSlearningpathandbeginyourcloudquestwithourAWSCertifiedCloudPractitionercourse.AWSAssociate-LevelCertificationsCertifications: AWSCertifiedSolutionsArchitect–AssociateAWSCertifiedDeveloper–AssociateAWSCertifiedSysOpsAdministrator–AssociateScope:8Depth:4RecommendedExperience:OneyearofexperienceworkinginAWStosolveproblemsandimplementsolutions.Skillscovered: HowAWS-basedapplicationsworkBuildsecureapplicationsonAWSplatformLearnhowtodeployhybridAWSsystemsHands-onAWSapplicationdesignAwsapplicationdevelopment SecureenvironmentsinAWSenvironment It’sprobablyforyouif:You’regoingtobeworkinginAWSinanycapacityandneedafirmgroundingforactuallyworkinginthecloud.Ifyou’regoingtobeworkinginAWSinanyhands-oncapacity,theassociate-levelcertificationsshouldmarkthepointwhereyourjourneytrulybegins.AWSCloudPractitionerprovidesasolidconceptualfooting,buttheAWSAssociate-levelcertificationsarewheretherubberreallymeetstheroadintermsofday-to-dayimplementation.AWSCertifiedSolutionsArchitect–AssociateTheAWSCertifiedSolutionsArchitect–AssociatecertificationgivesyouabroadoverviewofAWS,andformsavaluablefoundationonwhichyoucanbuildeverythingelseyou’lllearnmovingforward.There’sareasonit’sbeenthe#1cloudcertificationforyearsrunning.TheCSA–AssociatecertificationfocusesonthecoreAWSservices,likeIdentityandAccessManagement(IAM),VirtualPrivateCloud(VPC),S3,andEC2.StudyingthesecoreserviceswillgiveyouagoodunderstandingofhowAWSapproachessecurity,networking,datastorage,andcomputecapability.Foranyonenewtocloudcomputing,werecommendourAWSSolutionsArchitect–Associatecourseasthenextbeststepafteryou’vegainedyourAWSCloudPractitionercertification.Andsinceyouideallywanttonotjustpickupenoughinfotoscrapebyonyourcertificationexambuttosetyourselfupforfuturecloudcareersuccess,wehaveasix-courseAWSCertifiedSolutionsArchitect–Associatecertificationtrack.GoingbeyondpassingyourexamtobuildinguprealAWSskillswillhelpyounotonlyacetheSAA-C02andgetcertifiedbutwillensureyou’rereadyforacareerasasolutionsarchitect.YoudevelopersandsysadminsmightbetemptedtogostraightattheDeveloper–AssociateorSysOpsAdmin–Associatecerts,andmorepowertoyou,butwe’dstillrecommendgoingthroughSolutionsArchitect–Associatefirst.Readytoearnoneofthetopcertificationsincloud?LevelupyourAWSskillswithourAWSCertifiedSolutionsArchitectAssociatecourse.AWSCertifiedDeveloper–AssociateYoumightthinktheAWSCertifiedDeveloper–Associatecertisfordevelopers.Afterallitsaysdeveloperrightthere,butit’sreallyforanyonewhousesAWS.Intermsoffocus,theAWSCertifiedDeveloper–AssociatecertificationtakesyoudeeperintoserviceslikeDynamoDB,ElasticBeanstalk,SQS,andSNS—butnottoodeep.Italsoexpectsyoutoknowabitmoreabouthowyouwouldusetheseservices,aswellashowtheypresentthemselvestotheoutsideworldthroughAPIsandSDKs.Topicssuchas,DataPersistenceandCRUDOperationsusingDynamoDBinAlexaSDK!Thisisanothercertificationthatwerecommendtoeveryone.Infact,werecommendthatyoumoveontoitimmediatelyafteryoufinishtheAWSCertifiedSolutionsArchitect–Associateexam.There’salotofoverlapbetweenthecerts,andtakingthemclosetogethermakesthisonemucheasiertofinishoffquickly.Readytogetcertified?PrepareforyourexamwithourAWSCertifiedDeveloper–Associatecourse.AWSCertifiedSysOpsAdministrator–AssociateThiscertificationisalsosomewhatmisleading.It’snotonlyforSysOpsAdmins.It’sforanyonewhorunsthingsonAWS.Thisexamgoesratherin-depthonCloudWatch,amongotherthings.Goingthroughthiscertificationgivesyouamuchstrongergraspofwhat’sactuallygoingoninyourAWSarchitecture.Awordtothewise!TheSysOpsAdminiswidelyregardedasthehardestAWSAssociatecertification.Butit’sreallyvaluabletofinishoffalloftheAssociatesbeforetakingonthemuchharderProfessionalexams.TheProfessionalsexpectyouknoweverythingabouttheAssociate-levelexamslikethebackofyourhand,soskippingone–particularlythehardestone–couldcomebacktobiteyou.Readytogetcertified?PrepareforyourexamwithourAWSCertifiedSysOpsAdmin–Associatecourse.WanttogetAWSCertified?GetaccesstoallofACloudGuru’sAWScertificationcourses,hands-onlabs,quizzes,practiceexams,originalseries,andsomuchmore!StartaFreeTrialAWSProfessional-LevelCertificationsCertificationsAWSCertifiedSolutionsArchitect–ProfessionalAWSCertifiedDevOpsEngineer–ProfessionalScope:10Depth:8RecommendedExperience:TwoyearsofcomprehensiveexperienceusingAWS,withcomprehensiveexperiencedesigning,operating,andtroubleshootingsolutions.Skillscovered:DeploycomplexAWSmigration Learncost-optimizationstrategiesImplementCDstrategiesMonitorandlogAWSsystemsImplementscalablesystemsonAWSIt’sprobablyforyouif:You’realreadyexperiencedworkinginAWS,havemasteredyourAWSAssociate-Levelcertifications,andarereadytotakethenextstep.Ifyou’renotsureifyou’rereadytopursueanAWSProfessional-Levelcertification,you’reprobablynot!Theseexamsarenojoke.TheyrepresentthepinnacleofAmazonWebServices’scertificationandarebothbroadinscopeanddeepinfocus.Youhavetoknowawholelotaboutawholelot!AWSCertifiedSolutionsArchitect–ProfessionalAWSCertifiedSolutionsArchitect–ProfessionalisthepinnacleofgeneralAWSexpertise.WithaCSA–Procert,youshouldbeequippedtotakeanyAWSfeatureorserviceandmakegooduseofit.Also,becauseyouunderstandtheecosystematadeeplevel,it’llbemucheasiertostayuptodateasAWSkeepschanging.FortheSolutionsArchitect–Pro,everysingleserviceintheentireAWSecosystemisinplay,andquiteabitofdepthisrequiredinspecificareaslikesecurityandDirectConnect.Snaggingthiscertificationisnotforthefaintofheart—youprettymuchhavetoknowallthethingsaboutallthethingsAWShastooffer.Readytotakedownoneofthetoughestcertsincloud?PrepareforAWSglorywithourAWSCertifiedSolutionsArchitect–Professionalcourse.AWSCertifiedDevOpsEngineer–ProfessionalDevOpsisallaboutcombiningdevelopment,operations,andaqualitymindsettoshepherdsystemsthroughtime.Thisexamreflectsthat,andreallyrequiresyoutothinkaboutnotjuststaticsystemsthataredeployedonce,butsystemsthatchangeandevolveovertime.WhileCSA–Proisanall-encompassingelephantofacertification,theAWSCertifiedDevOpsEngineer–Professionalactuallygoesdeeperintospecificareaslikedeploymentsandlifecycles(andserviceslikeCloudFormationandOpsWorks).Onthewhole,though,ithasarathernarrowerscope.Gurutip:There’ssomewiggleroomastoorderhere.DevOps–ProisavaluablesteppingstonebetweentheassociatelevelcertsandtheSolutionsArchitect–Professionalcertification,soononehand,it’sagoodideatopassthisfirst(wedothinkitmakesitmucheasiertopasstheCSA–Proexam).Ontheother,there’squiteabitofoverlapbetweenDevOps–ProandCSA–Pro,andplentyofpeoplefinditvaluabletostudyforthemtogether.DothedangDevOpsthing!MastertheskillsneededtoacetheexamandmoveupinyourcareerwithourAWSCertifiedDevOpsEngineer–Professionalcourse.AWSSpecialtyCertificationsCertificationsAWSCertifiedAdvancedNetworking–SpecialtyAWSCertifiedDataAnalytics–SpecialtyAWSCertifiedSecurity–SpecialtyAWSCertifiedMachineLearning–SpecialtyAWSCertifiedDatabase–SpecialtyScope:3Depth:10RecommendedExperience:Twotofiveyearsofhands-onexperienceandadvancedknowledgeofAWSinthespecificspecialtyarea.Skillscovered:DesignandmaintainBigDataUseAWStoautomatedataanalysisAutomateAWSsystemsfornetworkdeploymentsKinesis,Athena,Quicksight,andRekognitionAWSforMLsolutionsDesignsecureMLsolutionsIt’sprobablyforyouif:You’realreadyhighlyexperiencedinaspecificareaofAWS,andarereadytovalidatethatexperienceandtakethenextstepinyourcareer.AWSSpecialtycertificationsdiveextremelydeeponnarrowfocusareas—specificallynetworking,dataanalytics,databases,security,andmachinelearning.Likethepro-levelcerts,theyarenottobeapproachedlightly,andmultipleyearsofhands-onprofessionalexperienceineachspecialtydomainishighlyrecommendedforall.(Note:Somespecialtycertshavegonethewayofthedodo,liketheAWSCertifiedAlexaSkillBuilder–Specialtycertification.)AWSCertifiedAdvancedNetworking–SpecialtyTheAWSCertifiedAdvancedNetworking–SpecialtycertificationdigsintobothhybridandAWS-onlynetworksandincludesaspectssuchasmulti-regionsetupsandcostoptimization.It’snotanall-encompassingcert—therearesomeservicesthatyoudon’tneedtoknowanythingabout—butwhereitdoesfocus,itgoesverydeep.YouneedtoknowabsolutelyeverythingaboutcertainserviceslikeDirectConnect,BorderGatewayProtocol(BGP),androuting.Gurutip:IfyoudoAdvancedNetworking–SpecialtybeforetakingonSolutionsArchitect–Professional,it’llmakecertainaspectsoftheCSA–Proexammucheasierforyou.Readytogetcertified?TaketheworkoutofAWSnetworkingwithourAWSCertifiedAdvancedNetworking–Specialtycourse.AWSCertifiedDataAnalytics–Specialty TheAWSCertifiedDataAnalytics–SpecialtycertificationwaspreviouslytheAWSCertifiedBigData–Specialtycertification,whichwasretiredinmid2020.Therearesomecarryovertopics,butotherareasarebrandnewandmorein-depth.Itfocusesonallthedataservices,especiallyS3,RedShift,Kinesis,andElasticMapReduce.Datasecurityisalsocovered.EarningthiscertshowsyouhaveahandleontheservicesandtoolsthatyoucanuseinAWStobuilddataanalyticsapplications,aswellasbuildandmanagethelifecycleofcollecting,storing,processing,andvisualizingyourdata. Readytogetcertified?PrepareforyourexamwithourAWSCertifiedDataAnalytics–Specialtycourse.AWSCertifiedSecurity–SpecialtyOfthespecialtycertifications,theAWSCertifiedSecurity–Specialtyisthebroadest.Itonlymakessense—securitycutsacrossatonofotherdomains,sothiscertislessfocusedonspecificservices.Still,itdoesgointodepthonanumberofsecurity-specificservices,suchasIdentityandAccessManagement(IAM),VirtualPrivateCloud(VPC),KeyManagementService(KMS),CloudTrail,AWSConfig,andWebApplicationFirewall(WAF).Someofthemostcommonquestionsonthisexamhaveyoufiguringouthowdifferentsecuritysettingsinteractorconflict.Readytogetcertified?PrepareforyourexamwithourAWSCertifiedSecurity–Specialtycourse.AWSCertifiedMachineLearning–SpecialtyThecourseforAWSCertifiedMachineLearning–Specialityistheoneofthenewercertificationsandfocuseson,well,machinelearning.Imaginethat!Youwillbeexpectedtodemonstrateanunderstandingoftheunderlyingconceptsofmachinelearning,suchasdatacollectionandanalysis,modeling,andmachinelearningalgorithms,aswellasproficiencywithKinesisforstreamingdatacollectionandSageMakerforbuilding,training,tuning,anddeployingmachinelearningmodels.Machinescanlearn,andsocanyou.PrepareforyourexamwithourAWSCertifiedMachineLearning-Specialtycourse.AWSCertifiedDatabase–SpecialtyOneofthenewestAmazonWebServicecertifications,thiscertificationshowsyou’recapableofrecommending,designing,andmaintainingAWSdatabasesolutionsfororganizations’uniqueAWSdatabaseservicesneeds.You’llbeexpectedtounderstanddeploying,migrating,managing,monitoring,andtroubleshootingdatabases;workload-specificdatabasedesign;anddatabasesecurity.You’llideallywantfiveyearsexperiencewithcommondatabasetechnologies,acoupleyearshands-onexperiencewithAWS,andexpertiseworkingwithon-premandAWScloud-basedrelationalandNoSQLdatabases.WhichAWScertificationisrightforyou?Okay!Sowe’vegot11totalcertifications(fornow),spreadacrossmultiplelevelsanddisciplineareas.Ifyou’rethesortwhojusthastocollectthemall,morepowertoyou.Butwhatifyou’refollowingamorefocusedtrack,orponderingacareerchangeintocloudcomputing?Whatcertificationsshouldyougoafter?Itdepends.StartwithyourgoalinmindAuthorNapoleonHillwrotethat“knowledgeisonlypotentialpower.”Inasimilarvein,certificationsareonlypotentialcareerboosts.Theycanopendoors,butit’suptoyoutomakegoodontheawscareeropportunities.Tothatend,it’simportanttothinkofacertificationasameanstoanend.Andwhatthatendisultimatelydetermineswhichcertificationsarerightforyou.So…whatdoyouwanttodo?It’snotreallypossibletodiveintoeverypossiblecombinationofmotivationsandambitions,solet’sdivideitupintoafewgeneralcategories:Iwanttolearnenoughtokeepup—Ifyou’regoingtobeworkingamongthecloud,ratherthanspecificallyinthecloud,sayinanexecutiveoramarketingcapacity,youshouldconsideranAWSCloudPractitionercertification.Upongainingthiscertification,you’llbeabletokeepupwithyourITteamsandunderstandcloudconceptssufficientlyenoughtothinkabouthowtheycanapplytoyourcompanyorindustry’scloudinnovation.Iwanttopursueacareerincloudcomputing—Ifyou’relookingtomakeacareerofcloudcomputing,youshoulddefinitelybegoingaftertheAWSCertifiedSolutionsArchitect–Associatecertification.TheCSA–Associateisthejumping-offpointforalltheotherAWScertificationsandisnotonlythemostpopularcertification,butACG’smostpopularcourse,aswell.TheCSA–AssociatecertificationiswidelyregardedasoneofthemostvaluablecertificationsinallofIT,andcannotonlyhelpyougetstartedinacloudcareer,butalsoprovideyouasteppingoffpointtowardadditionalAWScertifications.Ialreadyworkinthecloudeveryday,andwanttomovetothenextlevel—Okay,soyou’realreadyworkinginthecloud.Maybeyou’vealreadygotyourAWSCertifiedSolutionsArchitect–Associatecertification(ifnot,youshould).You’rereadytostepituptothenextlevel,broadenyourhorizons,secureapromotion.AgoodplacetostartiswiththeremainingAssociate-levelcertifications:theAWSCertifiedDeveloperandAWSCertifiedSysOpsAdministrator.Fromthere,youcanpursuethetwoProfessional-levelcertificationsorconsidernabbingsomeofthespecialtycertifications.Ialreadyworkinthecloudeverydayinaspecializedrole,andwanttobecomemasterofmydomain—Ifyouworkinaspecificareaofthecloud,suchassecurityornetworking,theAWSSpecialtycertificationsareanaturalpathtotake.YouhavetohaveatleastoneAssociate-levelcertification(orAWSCertifiedCloudPractitioner)beforeyoucansnagaSpecialtycert,butonceyoumeettheprerequisites,youcanlevelupyourknowledgeinyourspecificareaofexpertise.CoveryourbasesEvenonecertificationhasthepotentialtobelife-changing.Itcanopenthedoortonewopportunities.Butit’suptoyoutotakethoseopportunitiesandrunwiththem.AndinthisincreasinglyDevOpsworld,youcan’treallyexpectthatsomeoneelsewillbetheretotakecareofallthedetailsyoudon’tunderstand.Specializationcanbeimportantandteamworkcanbecritical,butyoustillneedtobeabletohandlerunningsystemsyourself.Giventhat,it’sagoodideatogoforthethreeAWSAssociatecertificationstogainareallysolidfoundationforusingAWSeffectively,day-to-day.Withthese,you’llunderstandhowtodesign,build,configure,monitor,andmaintainsystemsbuiltonAWS.GoproAftersecuringthethreeAssociatecertifications,thenextlogicalpathistogoafterthetwoProfessionalcerts,andtheAWSCertifiedSolutionsArchitect–Professional,inparticular.CSA–ProistheabsolutepinnacleofAWSknowledge,andobtainingthiscertificationistheAWSequivalentofdefeatingavideogame’sfinalboss.Suggestedordertogetthe“Core5”certificationsTherearemanypathstogettingthe“core5”AWScertifications,butwefindthatdoingtheminthisorderprovidesyousomenicesteppingstonesalongtheway.AndifyoustartwiththeoptionalCertifiedCloudPractitionerbeforethis,youcanenjoyaneasierlearningcurveasyougetcomfortablewithkeyAWSservices.CertifiedSolutionsArchitect–AssociateCertifiedDeveloper–AssociateCertifiedSysOpsAdmin–AssociateCertifiedDevOps–ProfessionalCertifiedSolutionsArchitect–ProfessionalTL;DR?So,whichAWScertificationisrightforyou?Ifyou’rejustgettingstartedinthecloud,theAWSCertifiedCloudPractitionerandtheCertifiedSolutionsArchitect–Associatearedefinitelywhereyouwanttostart.Fromthere,it’spossibletopassalonginformationandmakesomegeneralrecommendations,butdeterminingtherightcertification(orcollectionofcertifications)andAWSlearningpathultimatelycomesdowntoyourcircumstancesandcareergoals.Rememberthatcertificationsarelikeasteppingstone.Theycanhelpyoureachthatnextlevel,buttakingtheleapisstilluptoyou.Justgettingstartedorneedtoknowthebasics?StartwiththetheAWSCertifiedCloudPractitioner.Ifyou’regoinganyfartherinthecloud,youprettymuchcan’tgowronggoingfortheAWSCertifiedSolutionsArchitect–Associate.Beyondthat,theAWSCertifiedSolutionsArchitect–ProfessionalisbasicallythepinnacleofAWSexpertise.AWScloudcertificationsincludeseveralSpecialty-levelcertifications,includingsecurity,dataanalytics,andadvancednetworking.Let’sstartyourAWSjourneyACloudGurucoursesaretheperfectwaytoprepareforyourexams.Startyourfreetrialtoday,orbrowseallofourAmazonWebServicescourseofferings!StartaFreeTrialRecommendedGetmoreinsights,news,andassortedawesomenessaroundallthingscloudlearning.EngineeringClouddevelopertoolingcompared:AWSvs.Azurevs.GCP LarsKlint Dec23,2021 15MinuteRead EngineeringCloudsecuritycomparison:AWSvs.Azurevs.GCP ACGTechnicalEditorsTeam Dec22,2021 17MinuteRead SignInWelcomeBack!Psst…thisoneifyou’vebeenmovedtoACG!ACloudGuruLinuxAcademyDon'thaveanaccount?GetStartedWho’sgoingtobelearning?MyselfMyOrganization