If you are new to AWS, choosing the right AWS certification may seem a little challenging. Candidates face difficulties because the AWS certifications are comprehensive, with different available pathways to secure them.
As a result, choosing the right program is highly important because it would impact which job roles you would be eligible for.
What are your options while looking for an AWS certification?
As mentioned earlier, there are multiple certifications that you may opt for while getting yourself AWS certified. AWS has divided the certifications into multiple tiers, depending on your extent of experience and expertise.
As a result, a candidate will have to progress through the different levels of certification to be eligible for one of the advanced certifications. The tiers in AWS certification are as follows:
- Foundational level
- Associate level
- Professional level
- Speciality level
If you are entirely new to AWS, it is advisable to opt for the foundational level certifications to get yourself started. Many of the other certifications, job roles, and AWS require it as a minimum prerequisite.
In addition, progressing through the associate and professional levels would make you eligible for more lucrative jobs. Furthermore, the speciality level certifications focus on specific AWS cloud products and services, like data analytics, machine learning, and Alexa.
What are the best certifications to pursue?
An in-depth study of skills development in the field of Information Technology will give you an insight into the role, significance and relevance of the Microsoft Certified Systems Expert. This program is aimed at rewarding an individual with the right set of skills for being in charge with designing, deploying and managing enterprise networks for medium or large sizes company. It also focuses on helping him in instilling best practices in IT service management and reducing the cost incurred by an organization on maintenance and support. Most of the certification levels except the foundational level consist of multiple programs. These are pretty valuable in developing the right skills and finding the job roles they help a candidate is ideal for.
Here is a comprehensive overview of some of the best AWS certifications that you may pursue:
AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner
This is the only AWS certification at the foundational level. As mentioned earlier, the certification is a prerequisite for different job roles and other certifications. Moreover, it helps the candidates build a strong foundation with fundamental skills and knowledge. It covers topics from multiple course pathways under AWS, making the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner certification suitable for professionals planning to pursue different fields of expertise in cloud infrastructure. Regardless of whether you aim to be an administrator, a developer, or a security expert, this certification would be a good start.
AWS Certified Developer – Associate
If you intend to be an AWS developer, this is one of your best options among the AWS associate courses. It covers the best practices, core services, and principles related to AWS services. To pass the examination and obtain the certification, one must understand code-level security practices. However, the fundamental goal of the course is to help a professional build the skills necessary for developing AWS Cloud applications.
AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional
The AWS cloud architect job role is highly coveted in nature due to the alluring prospects that it comes with. An ideal candidate would build enterprise-scale cloud solutions and deploy multi-tier applications to AWS Cloud. A solutions architect professional must also optimize the spending and ensure high availability and fault tolerance. The AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional certification validates a candidate’s skills in building and deploying AWS systems. But, you might want to complete the AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate certification first.
AWS Specialty Certifications
For this, apart from the relevant prerequisite certifications, you would also need plenty of experience with AWS. AWS has six key speciality certifications: Database, Security, Machine Learning, Alexa skill builder, Advanced Networking, and Data analytics. As these courses are highly specialized, the certifications are relatively harder to obtain. However, with only a limited number of candidates being successful, the demand for such specialists is relatively high. Completing AWS training and certification in one of the AWS certifications can guarantee you a successful and lucrative career.
To prepare for the AWS certification exams, it is advisable to enrol in one of the reputed institutes. IT institutions like Koenig offer superior training facilities and courseware. These help to build up all the skills correctly and become job-ready for leading organizations.