In the current market, organizations in various industries have abandoned the on-site work environment and started shifting the public cloud workload. This transition has created a raging demand for professionals equipped with cloud computing skills as it has emerged as the core competence in a business team.
Amazon AWS leads public cloud adoption in Q2 2020 as it occupies 33% of the market share, followed by other cloud providers such as Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud Platform. Because of AWS’s rising popularity, Amazon offers various certifications which vary with role and speciality, that one can choose from.
An AWS certification course is a universally accepted standard for gaining relevant cloud computing skills. The time required to earn your AWS certification depends on your lifestyle and the certification level you hope to achieve.
As you move onto more complex AWS training and certification, you will deal with high-level concepts and services, and you will need to learn and reinforce before you can progress. It is best to start with the fundamentals to not encounter problems at higher-level certification training.
Types of Courses
You can choose from among the 12 certification options offered by Amazon:
- Foundational Certification: AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner
This certification requires the candidate to have six months of training in AWS Cloud and industry knowledge fundamentals.
- Associate-level Certifications
These certifications allow a certain level of specialization as it requires the candidate to have a year of experience solving problems and implementing solutions using the AWS Cloud Platform. The four domains under this certification are:
- AWS Cloud Developer
- AWS SysOps Administrator
- AWS Solutions Architect
- Professional-level Certifications
This certification prerequisite is that the candidate must have two years of comprehensive experience designing, operating, and troubleshooting solutions. Two specializations are offered under this certification: AWS DevOps Cloud Certification and AWS Solutions Architect.
- Speciality Certifications
To obtain these certifications, you have to have technical AWS Cloud experience in the Specialty domain of your preference.
- AWS Certified Advanced Networking -Specialty
- AWS Certified Security -Specialty
- AWS Certified Machine Learning – Specialty
- AWS Certified Database -Specialty
- AWS Certified Alexa Skill Builder – Specialty
Preparation
Although the preparation for the certification exam varies for each individual, a few of the following pointers might help in making the process easier:
- Download the Exam Guide and Sample Questions
This is the first step of your preparations as it gives a basic idea about where to start, the material covered by each certification and the areas you should focus on.
- Avail the Exam Readiness Training
These are free AWS certification training sessions that coach the user to interpret the exam questions and manage their time. Depending upon the certification, training is offered in face-to-face courses and online webinars where sample exam questions are reviewed, and their possible interpretations are discussed.
- Attempt Practice Exams
Practice exams are vital to master your time management and reduce all chances of jitters before the exam. It also helps you test your retention of the concepts.
AWS Certification Cost
The cost of appearing for each certification depends on the level you are at. These are the prices for the different certification level exams:
- Practitioner – 100 USD
- Associate – 150 USD
- Professional – 300 USD
- Speciality – 300 USD
Appearing and passing one examination makes you eligible for a 50% waiver on the next one.
Recertification and Staying Up-To-Date
Even after completing each certification, your endeavour to learn and develop your skillset does not end. With the development of a vast number of new features and services to the AWS platform every year, professionals must keep updating themselves with the latest additions in AWS’s cloud security and computing tools.
You have to continually live up to the industry standards and prove to your employers that you still possess the experience and knowledge necessary to handle AWS services. This is why certification holders are required to recertify every two years. You have the choice to recertify by attaining the professional level for the same certification or pass the recertification exam for your current certification.
Conclusion
Every organization needs individuals who are proficient in cloud skills to help transform their businesses. Attaining an AWS certification equips you with the necessary skills to add value to your organization by propelling the business proceedings with your cloud fluency.
Also Read: – A Complete Guide: How to Become an AWS Certified Developer
