How to Find the Right AWS Certification

Trends in AWS Deployment 

In 2019, Amazon announced a record-breaking year for its AWS offering, increasing profits by nearly 50% over the previous year in which it netted more than $25 billion. Indeed, AWS is capturing market share rapidly in IT circles. To accomplish this, Amazon made high-profile deals, brokered several new partnerships and deployed new offerings. 

Whether large or small, enterprises across a range of verticals deployed AWS offerings in increasing numbers in 2019, with significant growth in the deployment of AWS containerization, machine learning and serverless computing technologies. The top industries that deploy AWS services are the technology, media, public sector and academic verticals.

Now, a growing number of organizations are moving away from in-house architecture and stepping into the cloud. This growth is excellent news for IT professionals like you. With more and more companies deploying services in the AWS platform, there are plenty of opportunities to launch or expand your career in the IT field. 

What Is AWS Certification? 

Representing a level of AWS cloud expertise, an AWS certification demonstrates that you have valid technical cloud skills and expertise. There are various certification exams for administrators, architects and engineers. The credential is valid for three years, and you can re-certify each time it expires. To learn more about our AWS certification paths, click here. 

Is an AWS Certification Worth It? 

A growing number of companies are in search of AWS architects. As a result, there is a high demand for AWS experts. Additionally, Amazon controls a significant segment of the cloud computing market. Therefore, an AWS certification can help you earn a substantial increase in income. 

Is It Difficult to Get an AWS Certification? 

If you already have some IT expertise, a foundational or associate AWS certification test won’t prove too challenging in the beginning. If you’re new to IT, however, the learning curve may be steep. The more that you know about IT, the more knowledge you’ll have to build upon for your AWS certification. 

How Many AWS Certifications Are There? 

There are 12 AWS certifications: one foundational, three associate, two professional and six specialty. 

AWS Foundation-level Certifications

To earn the AWS foundational-level certification, you must demonstrate a high-level understanding of the various services that make up AWS. You’ll focus on AWS theory rather than the ability to deploy real-world solutions.  

AWS Associate-level Certifications

For AWS associate-level certifications, you must showcase your hands-on ability to work with AWS. By earning this certification, you’ll show employers that you’re capable of executing the tasks needed for daily AWS services implementation. 

AWS Professional-level Certifications

AWS professional-level certifications are both broad and deep in focus. For these certifications, you must demonstrate the ability to work with any AWS feature to help a company meet its objectives. This certification requires intimate knowledge of the AWS ecosystem. 

AWS Specialty Certifications

Finally, AWS specialty certifications require that you show a deep and centered understanding of specific focus areas, such as big data, networking, machine learning and security. 

What Is the Best AWS Certification? 

No matter which certification you earn, experience is still key — you likely can’t land a job with certification alone.

For instance, if you want to apply for the role of AWS certified architect, you should have at least four years of experience, and two of those years should include experience designing and architecting complex AWS systems. It’s also a good idea to learn about AWS features, architectural tradeoffs with different AWS options, data encryption and DevOps before pursuing AWS certification. 

How Long Does It Take to Get AWS Certification? 

The length of time that it takes to earn AWS certification depends on your abilities, experience and willpower. For someone completely new to IT with only general expertise, it may take 90 to 100 hours of dedicated study to pass the AWS certification test. 

How Do You Prepare for an AWS Certification Exam? 

There’s no single answer when it comes to preparing for AWS certification. Everyone learns differently. However, it’s helpful to follow a few basic steps. To begin with, enroll in an instructor-led AWS class. Read whitepapers and take our AWS exam workshops:

• AWS Certification Exam Readiness Workshop: AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate
  
• Aws Certification Exam Readiness Workshop: Aws Certified Solutions Architect – Professional
  

Subscribing to the AWS YouTube channel may also help prepare you for certification. 

We have new training bundles for three popular authorized AWS training courses and combined our award-winning instructor-led training — available both virtually and through our onsite training centers — with On-Demand Training.

How Much Does AWS Certification Cost? 

The fee to complete AWS certification varies depending on the exam. As of June 2020, the cloud practitioner exam costs $100; the associate-level exam costs $150; and the professional-level and specialty exams cost $300. 

For the most up-to-date information regarding costs, visit our AWS certification page.

How Do You Add Your AWS Certification to LinkedIn?

Once you’ve earned your certification, LinkedIn is a great way to show off your newly earned skills with an AWS certification digital badge. We share many helpful resources on our LinkedIn feed that are related to AWS training. 

Before you can showcase your badge, you’ll first need to log in to the AWS Certification account that you used to sign up for the exam. From there, you can navigate to Digital Badges and access your badges in Credly’s Acclaim platform, which allows you to share your badge through various social media accounts, including LinkedIn. Here's more information on how to show what you know and mean it with digital badges. 

How to Choose the Right AWS Certification 

It’s not always straightforward figuring out where to begin when pursuing your AWS certification, but there many ways to get started.

You can learn a lot about the vertical in AWS user groups, making them a great place to start. By collaborating with like-minded professionals, you can learn the real-life applications of AWS for various industries. You can also ask experienced AWS professionals questions and arrange one-on-one meetings.