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AWS Certification – All you need to know

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Anand (https://www.edureka.co/blog/author/vishnu/) Oct 6, 2016
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Each of the 5 AWS certifications come with salaries in excess of $100,000 – Forbes

Over the last one year or so, I’ve met a lot of people who have varying degrees of ambiguity around
AWS certifications and which certification to choose for their specific nature of work or towards their
career goals. This blog aims to demystify these ambiguities and provide clarity on what each AWS
certification entails. For starters, let’s understand what AWS is and what certifications it provides:

Amazon Web Services (AWS), the popular cloud (https://www.edureka.co/blog/what-is-cloud-

computing/) platform, houses a collection of cloud computing services, that have opened up hot career
prospects in the world of cloud computing. AWS has more than 70 services, spanning a wide range,
including compute, storage, networking, database, analytics, application services, deployment,
management, mobile, developer tools and Internet of things. AWS also offers cloud certifications that
assert your ability to operate on the cloud. There are five different certifications and each of them open
the floodgates to enhanced career opportunities. Depending on your interest and career goals, you can
choose to engage yourself in any of the two certification tracks prescribed by AWS. Let me now break
them down for you, one by one.

AWS Certifications in 15 Minutes | Prepare for AWS Certifications | AWS Training

| Edureka

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Get Certified with our AWS Experts!

(https://www.edureka.co/cloudcomputing)

AWS suite of certifications

AWS certifications are aligned to two broad streams – Solutions Architect and DevOps Engineer.
The Solutions Architect stream is well defined; you should first bag the Solutions Architect – Associate
certification followed by the Solutions Architect – Professional certification. But if you choose to certify
yourself as an AWS DevOps Engineer, you have to either clear the Developer – Associate certification or
the System Operations (SysOps) Administrator – Associate certifications. Of course, you should choose
based on your current job or the stream of specialization you aspire for.

Alternatively, AWS allows you to containerize its suite of certifications into three blocks – Solutions
Architect, Developer and SysOps. While Solutions Architect is an independent stream in itself, a
Developer and/or SysOps Associate certification can lead you to a DevOps Engineer certification.

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2/16/2018 AWS certification - All you need to know | Edureka Blog

I have good news for you. The associate certifications of Solutions Architect and Developer share 50%
content between them. So if you prepare for one, you’ve pretty much prepared half of the other as
well. While most people I’ve met feel that Developer is the easiest to crack, Solutions Architect makes
you a master of almost all of AWS’ services and helps you understand all key concepts. SysOps, on the
other hand, is an ideal starting point if you are currently working as an infrastructure/system admin
and/or are managing VMs, storage or networking in your current job.

AWS Certification Job Prospects

According to Forbes, AWS Certified Solution Architect – Associate is the number 1 certification program
of 2016. In its global survey of top 15 certifications in 2016, Solutions Architect, with a median salary
of $125,871, is the highest paying certification. Additionally, all of AWS’ certifications will help you earn
salaries in excess of $100,000. Specific Solution Architect skills that recruiters look for include
designing on AWS, selecting the appropriate AWS services for your business, ingress and egress of data
to and from the AWS, estimating AWS costs and identifying cost-control measures for your
organization.

Globally, there are more than 380,000 cloud computing jobs in the IT industry itself. With cloud
computing pervading into almost every business vertical, the need for qualified and certified cloud
professionals is ever-growing. AWS is currently leading the pack with most companies having invested
in or planning to invest in AWS tools and services. This is a clear sign that good times are in store for
you if you commit yourself to AWS.

Crack the AWS Exam!

(https://www.edureka.co/cloudcomputing/)

Which AWS Certification should you choose?

Depending on your interest, career goal and experience, you can decide which certification to go for. It
is important to note that the Associate-level certifications do not require to have any prior AWS
experience. However, experts believe around 1 year of experience with any of the AWS tools will be a
great help in cracking the exams faster. The three Professional exams mandate 2 or more years of
hands-on experience on AWS, but Amazon takes your word for it and does not require you to furnish
any proof of experience. Let me now explain what you will achieve with each of these certifications:

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Do you wish to get certified as an AWS Solutions Architect already? Our live, instructor-led course will
help you prepare for the exam by mastering concepts around EC2, EIP, ELB, EBS, S3, and lots more.
Check out full details here (https://www.edureka.co/cloudcomputing/).

The Edureka course AWS Development Certification Training is specially curated to help you crack the
AWS exam and become a certified developer. This live, instructor-led course helps you master concepts
like cloud essentials, models, services and mastering AWS services and much more. Click here to know
more (https://www.edureka.co/aws-development/).

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Edureka tips and recommendations for AWS Certification

Now, here’s that part of the blog where I provide you a cheat sheet to ace your AWS certification. While
each AWS certification has a different level of complexity, there are certain common tips that can help
you become battle-ready.

Do remember that you need to pay a fees of $150 to enroll for the Associate exams and $300 to
enroll for the Professional exams.
Questions are usually in multiple choice format with the pass percentage changing with every
exam, based on statistical analysis by Amazon.
An average Associate-level exam lasts for about 80 minutes with around 60 minutes, with a pass
percentage of 60%.
For effective practice prior to taking the exam, we recommend you sign up with Amazon and
activate the AWS Free Tier, which includes 750 hours of both Linux and Windows instances with
30 GB of EBS storage each month for one year for new AWS customers.
Utilize this space and time to get hands-on experience on AWS tools and operations. This is the
most important aspect of the certifications, and the easiest ways to understand core concepts.
Additionally, you can check out the Exam Blueprint mentioned in the AWS website for detailed
information on specific exam modules.

I hope I’ve been able to help you de-clutter your head about AWS certifications. If you have attempted
any of these exams in the recent past, I need to hear from you! Place your comments below and let’s
connect.

Enroll Now!

(https://www.edureka.co/cloudcomputing/)

If you have decided to prepare for an AWS certification, you should check out our courses on AWS
Architect (https://www.edureka.co/cloudcomputing/)and AWS Development
(https://www.edureka.co/aws-development/). Each of these courses is specially curated by industry
experts, and come with live, real-life project experience and 24/7 technical support.

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About Vishnu Anand (24 Posts (https://www.edureka.co/blog/author/vishnu/))

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juhi jain • a month ago

i am a third year b.tech student. should i do this certification i have no prior knowledge about cloud
computing.
1△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

EdurekaSupport Mod > juhi jain • 23 days ago

Hey Juhi, being a fresher you can thik about taking up the developer associate certification.
This will help you in understanding the basics of development in the cloud space and also
help you in getting a job in this field. Cheers :)
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

mcm • 2 months ago

HI Could you please guide me which is best certification for me as a IT -System Engineer total 10
years overall exp and zero experience in AWS platform ?
1△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

EdurekaSupport Mod > mcm • 23 days ago

Greetings, with your experience you can definitely think about taking up the AWS Solutions
Architect Certification. With a good job market and lucrative offers this can be really
beneficial for you. Check out our AWS Solutions Architect course here:
www.edureka.co/cloudcomputing
Hope this helps :)
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

PARTHIBAN • 3 months ago

I am working in telecom domain, which AWS module is suitable for myself
1△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

EdurekaSupport Mod > PARTHIBAN • 3 months ago

Hey Parthiban! AWS has recently launched specialty certifications for Networking, Security
and Big Data. Networking in AWS is a very exhaustive coverage and let’s you know all the
details to migrate on premise network setups to AWS or to have a hybrid setup. This is
something that you could look into. Hope this helps. Thanks :)
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Rakesh Kavadiki • 10 days ago

Hi, I am working in VOIP domain for 5+ years, Could you please suggest which course should i do
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2/16/2018 AWS certification - All you need to know | Edureka Blog
and why
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Waqas Rana • 13 days ago

I am Java spring developer . I know AWS beanstalk and deployment of web app on aws . I have
exp of linux too . which aws certificate will be better for me
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

EdurekaSupport Mod > Waqas Rana • 11 days ago

You can either look to opt for AWS Developer Certification or the AWS Architect Solution
Certification as well. Depending on your interest and career aspirations, you can decide to
go for either one. Here is a link to our AWS course: www.edureka.co/cloudcomputing
Cheers :)
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Andrew • 17 days ago

Hi, I am currently in to software testing domain and have 5 years of experience.
Which certification of AWS would be suitable for me ?
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

EdurekaSupport Mod > Andrew • 11 days ago

Hey Andrew, you can look to opt for AWS Architect Solution training. The market stats for
this specific job profile is really good. So, opportunity wise you will have a lot of flexibility. We
provide complete training for AWS Certification Exam, check out our AWS course here:
www.edureka.co/cloudcomputing
Hope this helps :)
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

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