Amazon AWS Certifications: 12 Pillars of Your Success in 2021

With the increasing migration of workloads to public Cloud, it is becoming clear that Cloud computing is no longer a luxury. It has become a basic requirement in the enterprises. This means that there will be a need for new skill sets in order to be able to manage, design, and deploy applications in Cloud computing. AWS continues to lead the way in public Cloud adoption. To provide the professionals with the right skills, Amazon offers platforms that enable them to develop competencies and validate their expertise.

The potential candidates can explore twelve Amazon AWS certifications covering different skills and experience levels. These levels are Foundation, Associate, Professional, and Specialty. This means that you can explore the options based on your career goals and specialization. In this post, we will observe the highlights of these certificates and what the specialists need to pursue them.

Foundation Level

Amazon AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner

This is an entry-level certification that shows one’s general understanding of Amazon Web Services Cloud. The AWS Cloud Practitioner certificate evaluates the candidates’ skills in the basic architectural principles and value proposition of AWS Cloud services. This AWS certification does not have any prerequisite, but it is recommended that the students have a minimum of six months of work experience in any job role, including sales, managerial, or technical roles, among others. It is also important to participate in the AWS trainingcourses to improve the performance in the qualifying exam. The fee for taking the CLF-C01 test is $100, and you will have 90 minutes to complete all the questions. There are two types of questions: multiple choice and multiple response. Unanswered questions are scored as incorrect. The minimum passing score is 700.

Associate Level

The prerequisite exams for the associate-level certifications have something in common. They cost $150 and last 130 minutes. Their questions are presented in two formats: multiple choice and multiple response. The pass mark is 720 points.

Amazon AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate

This certification is aimed at the professionals with practical experience in the design of distributed applications. The candidates must have competence in designing, implementing, and managing apps with the services and tools on the AWS platform. To obtain the AWS Certified Solutions Architect certificate, you must pass the SAA-C02 exam. This test will measure your understanding of network technologies, the ways of building reliable and secure applications of the AWS platform, and the processes of deploying hybrid systems.

Amazon AWS Certified Developer – Associate

This certificate is designed to validate the individuals’ skills in developing and maintaining AWS-based applications. The potential candidates for this certification must have practical skills in writing code, which utilizes AWS software for accessing the AWS apps. There is a single qualifying exam that the students must pass to get this certificate. This test evaluates the knowledge of the professionals in the core AWS services and fundamental AWS architecture. You will also need to demonstrate your practical expertise in developing, designing, maintaining, and deploying apps. Your working knowledge of apps that use the core AWS services, including notifications, databases, services, and workflow services for change management and storage service, will also be measured in the DVA-C01 exam.

Amazon AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate

This is the only certification that is intended for system administrators. This certificate requires a single exam, and the individuals will be measured based on their conceptual knowledge and technical expertise necessary for the operational components of the AWS platforms. Those with experience in Windows or Linux will be at an advantage during the delivery of the SOA-C01 test. It includes the processes of securing, managing, and provisioning systems in the AWS environments and choosing the relevant AWS services to fulfill the enterprise’s needs.

Professional Level

To take the qualifying tests for the professional-level certifications, the students need to pay the fee of $300. The exams last 180 minutes and have two types of questions. The minimum passing score is 750.

Amazon AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional

The target audience for this certification is those specialists who have competence in evaluating the requirements of an organization and are able to make the appropriate recommendations for deploying and implementing apps on AWS. The candidates for this certificate must have a high level of technical experience and skills in designing the AWS-based applications. To become a certified AWS Solution Architect, one should first possess at least two years of practical experience in the design and deployment of Cloud architecture on Amazon Web Services and achieve the passing status of the SAP-C01 certification test.

Amazon AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional

This certification is designed to evaluate the applicants’ skills in managing, operating, and provisioning apps on the AWS platforms. To pursue this certificate, you must hold Amazon AWS Certified Developer – Associate. There is one prerequisite exam for the certification, which is known as DOP-C01. You have to understand the fundamentals of modern CD methodologies to pass this test.

Specialty Level

The specialty-level certification exams take 180 minutes (Advanced Networking and Alexa Skill Builder – 170 minutes) to complete all the questions. Each test cost $300.

Amazon AWS Certified Data Analytics – Specialty

This certification is aimed at the professionals with a background experience in data analytics and requires their skills in using AWS for architecting and designing big data solutions. It validates their knowledge and skills in utilizing AWS services to extract value from data. There is a single qualifying exam for this certificate, which is DAS-C01.

Amazon AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty

This certification validates the knowledge and skills of the learners in performing specific complex networking projects on the hybrid IT networking architecture and AWS at scale. The applicants should possess a background experience in implementing and architecting network solutions. They should also have an advanced networking expertise on AWS and pass the ANS-C00 test. It is recommended to hold the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner or any current associate-level certificate.

Amazon AWS Certified Security – Specialty

The AWS Certified Security is aimed at security teams and professionals. It evaluates the skills required to gain competence in security fundamentals, develop extensive knowledge in core service areas that are specific to the AWS platform, and follow best practices. The certificate validates one’s knowledge across different security topics, including encryption and data protection, incident response, infrastructure security, and access management. The exam that you need to pass is SCS-C01.

Amazon AWS Certified Alexa Skill Builder – Specialty

This certificate is created to certify the technical experience of the individuals in creating, deploying, and testing the Amazon Alexa skills. The potential candidates for this certification perform the job roles of a Alexa Skill Builder. It is recommended that you have a minimum of six months of practical experience in building Alexa with the Alexa Skills Kit. You should also have competence in at least one programming language and be able to deal with the AXS-C01 exam.

Amazon AWS Certified Machine Learning – Specialty

This certification validates the students’ skills in creating, maintaining, and implementing machine learning solutions for different business concerns. The applicants must pass one prerequisite test, which is known as MLS-C01. It is recommended that the candidates have a minimum of two years of practical experience in using deep learning or machine learning on the AWS Cloud platform.

Amazon AWS Certified Database – Specialty

As for this certification, it is aimed at those professionals who want to validate their comprehensive understanding of all AWS database services that are available. It also certifies their ability to provide value for their business enterprises through the optimization of database architecting and integration. There is a single qualifying exam that the learners must complete to earn this certificate, and this is DBS-C01.

Conclusion

Amazon offers a really wide range of opportunities for any specialist. The AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner certificate is your starting point towards the AWS certification journey if you are new to the industry. Other options can validate the professional-level skills of those who have some knowledge of the sector. All in all, the individuals can explore any of these certificates to boost their career opportunities in the Cloud domain.