AWS certification Courses allow IT professionals to demonstrate and certify their technical cloud expertise. AWS offers exams for cloud engineers, administrators, and architects. AWS certification is valid for two years and can be renewed by IT professionals. Many testing centers worldwide are available for candidates to sit for the tests. As a result of passing one or more AWS examinations, an IT professional is considered an AWS Certified Professional.
AWS (Amazon Web Services) is the market leader in cloud computing services. Businesses embrace cloud-based solutions to reduce costs and increase scalability at a fraction of the cost. Cloud computing makes it possible to instantly access all of your files, programs, and images from anywhere, at any time. For the record, Amazon Web Services (AWS) holds a sizable share of the public cloud market (41.5 percent) compared to the combined offerings of IBM, Google, Microsoft, and Rackspace.
Know about AWS Certification
There has been a rise in the demand for AWS certification among businesses of all sizes, as it aids in the search for employees with cloud computing experience. AWS certification is highly regarded as an indicator of a person’s expertise.
Architect, Cloud Practitioner, and Developer are just a few of the several IT professions for which Amazon offers certificates in the IT business. In addition to the basic and associate certificates, Amazon offers a number of specialist certifications for professionals who want to demonstrate their advanced talents.
The first step to obtaining an AWS certification is passing an exam. These certification examinations are meant to assess your understanding of AWS services and how they may be applied in solving real-world business challenges. Customers of Amazon Web Services (AWS) will recognize many of the scenarios used in the exam.
Why is AWS Certification Necessary?
Amazon Web Services is a collection of over 100 cloud services that help businesses compute and secure their databases, storage, and other services.
Amazon Web Services, the world leader in cloud infrastructure, is still miles ahead of the pack. If you’re an AWS Developer, an AWS solution architect, or a DevOps Master, there’s a good chance you’ll get to the top of an organization in this competitive world.
Before we go into the reasons for getting an AWS certification, let’s clear up some misconceptions and get the lay of the land on AWS for newcomers, readers, and students alike.
We will also discuss whether or not you need an AWS certification. Let us first look at the list of AWS certifications before looking at the AWS certification cost.
Types of AWS Certifications
Core certifications and specialty certifications are the two major types of Amazon Web Services credentials.
There are three levels of AWS core certifications: fundamental, associate, and professional, covering architecture, development, and operations. Security, big data, and networking are just a few topics covered by AWS specialty certificates.
- AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner
- AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate
- AWS Certified Developer – Associate
- AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate
- AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional
- AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional
- AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty
- AWS Certified Data Analytics – Specialty
- AWS Certified Database – Specialty
- AWS Certified Machine Learning – Specialty
- AWS Certified Security – Specialty
- AWS Certified: SAP on AWS – Specialty
AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner
In the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner course, candidates will learn about various cloud technologies and how they can use them in the workplace. Basic knowledge of AWS cloud services is required for this certification.
At least six months of AWS cloud experience is required for any position. With a time limit of 90 minutes, the exam features a set number of multiple-choice question options. The exam is currently available in Simplified Chinese, Korean, Japanese, and English. It costs 100 USD to become an AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner.
AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate
In the architecting cloud field, this is the most common AWS certification that is used as an entry point for everyone. This credential is required to demonstrate their ability to design and implement effective solutions on the AWS platform. The AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional certification is also available after completing the Associate-level certification.
The ideal candidate will have some prior experience creating distributed applications to be considered for this position. Exam questions include multiple-choice answers and must be completed in 130 minutes. It costs 150 USD to become an AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate.
AWS Certified Developer – Associate
This certification verifies the candidate’s ability to design and maintain AWS applications. Those who have worked on AWS-based applications for several years will benefit most from earning this credential.
One or more years of practical experience with the AWS platform and a working knowledge of a high-level programming language are prerequisites for this position. Applicants are given 130 minutes to answer multiple-choice questions in the exam. It costs 150 USD to become an AWS Certified Developer – Associate.
AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate
Deployment, scaling, migration, and management of AWS systems are all covered by this AWS certification. The ultimate goal of this certification is to prepare system administrators for working on the AWS platform. The candidate needs to attain both conceptual understanding and technical expertise to pass this examination.
Administrator experience, whether in Windows or Linux, is considered a plus for job candidates. 130 multiple-choice questions must be answered within the time limit of the exam’s format. The certification cost for becoming an AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate is 300 USD.
AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional
AWS Certified Solutions Architect is one of the most sought-after certifications in the cloud computing industry. Anyone who wants to learn the fundamentals of Amazon Web Services can benefit from our cloud architect certification training (AWS). After completing this course, you can pass the associate-level AWS Certified Solutions Architect Certification Exam.
AWS Certified Solutions Architect Course is the most common AWS certification that is used as a starting point for every architecting cloud candidate. The candidate’s ability to design and deploy efficient and effective solutions on the AWS platform will be demonstrated by this credential. Following the Associate certification, one can also pursue the AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional certificate.
The ideal candidate will have some prior experience creating distributed applications to be considered for this position. 130 minutes are allotted for the exam, consisting of multiple-choice questions and answers. It costs 300 USD to become an AWS Certified Solutions Architect.
AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional
Advanced AWS training validates the candidate’s ability to provision, secure, manage, and operate various AWS services. While working with AWS, the candidate learns about an organization’s needs and implements architectural recommendations to meet those needs, along with the ability to deploy applications.
To sit for this test, candidates must be AWS Certified SysOps Administrators or AWS Certified Developer Associates. Candidates must also have at least two or more years of hands-on experience designing and deploying AWS applications and their credentials. There will be 170 minutes to complete the exam, which will consist of multiple-choice questions and answers. It costs 300USD to become an AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional.
AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty
As a part of a hybrid IT network architecture, you will learn how to design and deploy AWS in an AWS Certified Advanced Networking course. Before taking this course, you must have one or more AWS Associate credentials. In addition, five years of relevant work experience is necessary.
Combining practical courses, labs, and quizzes deepens your knowledge and expertise in building and connecting AWS services and solutions. The AWS exam guide divides exam content into six sections, each of which we cover in detail. The AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty Exam study guide helps you prepare for the exam.
AWS Certified Data Analytics – Specialty
The AWS Certified Database – Specialty certification is for those who have worked with relational and non-relational databases on-premises and on the AWS Cloud.
Organizations can use this certificate to find and develop employees who have the necessary abilities to implement cloud initiatives. Expertise in AWS database solutions can be demonstrated by earning AWS Certified Database–Specialty certification.
AWS Certified Machine Learning – Specialty
Certification for AWS Certified Machine Learning – Specialties should only be taken by persons with over a year of expertise in designing, architecting, or running machine learning/deep learning workloads in the AWS Cloud. Individuals who want to work as data scientists should take this course. Cost-effective and trustworthy Machine Learning solutions can be developed in this course.
AWS Certified Security – Specialty
People who work in security roles and have at least two years of experience safeguarding AWS workloads are eligible to take the AWS Certified Security – Specialty exam. This course teaches you about specialized data classifications, data encryption technologies, and safe internet protocols. Before taking this course, you must have at least five years of IT security experience.
AWS Certified: SAP on AWS – Specialty
Individuals in employment that necessitate knowledge of both SAP and AWS should pursue the SAP on AWS – Specialty certification. Validates knowledge of implementing, moving, and running SAP workloads on Amazon Web Services (AWS). As a result, businesses can now find and train employees who have the necessary skills and experience to optimize their SAP workloads on Amazon Web Services (AWS).
How much does an AWS Certification exam cost?
When we hear or plan for certification, we always wonder about the total cost of AWS certification and the cost of AWS certification in the United States. Are there any additional fees? How much does it cost to become an AWS Associate? Do you have access to any practice exams? How long will the certification be valid? Is it going to affect my job? Etc. Allow us to answer any questions you may have about the cost of the AWS exam.
AWS Certification exam costs 100 USD for the AWS Cloud Practitioner exam, 150 USD for the AWS Associate exam, and 300 USD for the AWS Professional and Specialty exams.
The AWS cloud practitioner exam cost is listed below. Prices are valid for one exam attempt only, and applicable taxes may apply.
Exam Type |
Price in USD |
Foundational (Cloud Practitioner) | $100 |
Associate | $150 |
Professional | $300 |
Specialty | $300 |
Average Salaries for AWS Certified Professionals
Security in the cloud follows closely behind, with the most significant shortage of professionals with the necessary skills to do the job. According to the IT Skills and Salary Report, information technology decision-makers believe that cloud computing is the second most challenging area to find employees for, according to the IT Skills and Salary Report (cybersecurity is no. 1).
Adding insult to injury, as the need for cloud computing services grows, many organizations find themselves in an increasingly difficult position to find and retain qualified personnel.
Because of this, AWS certifications are linked to some of the industry’s highest salaries. The AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate, for example, comes in at number 15 on our list of the best-paying certifications. Professionals who hold this credential are expected to earn an average salary of $159,033 in 2022, making them one of the highest-paid groups.
As we discovered while compiling this list, AWS certifications are held by hundreds of survey respondents in the United States and Canada. We dug into the data to learn more about the people who have these credentials, how much money they make on average, and what makes them so successful.
These professionals earn an average annual salary of $141,540, making them one of the highest-paid certification categories in North America.
However, how does a salary like that come to be? These levels of expertise require what kinds of skills and knowledge? We dissect every aspect of the situation.
Top-Paying AWS Certifications
Certification | Average Salary |
AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional | $161,409 |
AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional | $154,548 |
AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate | $159,033 |
AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate | $158,777 |
AWS Certified Developer – Associate | $159,767 |
Conclusion
The best time to learn about cloud computing and earn an AWS certification is now that you are aware of the various AWS certification levels and the associated AWS certification fees. Check out our AWS training courses for help if you’re unsure of where to begin your preparation. Review the frequently asked AWS interview questions if you want to ace your following interview on the first try.
It is essential to learn and practice the skills and concepts to succeed. Preparation for the certification exam includes hands-on practice labs and quests.