It is not easy to find the perfect certification that can help you develop your career in AWS. However, the comprehensive options available can make it difficult to choose an appropriate one. Some available courses include AWS Developer Associate certification, Solutions Architect Associate certification, and AWS Cloud Practitioner certificate. These certifications range from the least complex, which takes a few months, to the most complex one requiring years of study to master them. As a result, it is important to have an in-depth understanding of what each one of them entails.
Key Factors to Consider when Selecting the Ideal Certification
The first key factor to consider when selecting an AWS certification program is what you want to do after completing your course. This means thinking about how many certifications you will need and which industry you would like to work in.
You should also consider your budget and how much time you have to dedicate to studying. The third factor you should consider is understanding the different types of available certifications and what they all entail. The available certifications are explained in detail below.
The AWS Cloud Practitioner certificate
This AWS certification path is non-technical. If you want basic knowledge of cloud computing concepts, this would be an ideal place to start. Such concepts entail the ability to explain Cloud Services compliance clearly. In the long run, you must have a good understanding of these additional concepts:
• An overview of AWS services and their most typical applications.
• An understanding of the fundamentals of AWS Cloud architecture.
• Provision of an overview of AWS services and their most typical applications.
Provided above are just some of the areas that the exam covers.
The AWS Developer Associate certification
This certification covers developing several different parts of Amazon Web Services. It entails some of the following details:
• Introduction to Cloud Development with Amazon Web Services (AWM)
• Developing Scalable Applications Using Microservices Architecture on AWS
• Writing codes for Serverless Applications.
Enrolling for this certification might be a good place to start if you are primarily looking to develop applications on top of AWS.
Solutions Architect Associate Certification
The AWS Solutions Architect Associate certification is designed to validate that you have the knowledge and skills needed to design and implement scalable AWS solutions. The exam covers a broad range of topics, including:
• Designing fault-tolerant systems with high availability requirements
• Deployment of applications on AWS
• Operations in an enterprise environment running primarily on AWS
• Working with various kinds of storage
• Using Amazon Machine Learning for batch processing of data or real-time recommendations.
Passing this certification level involves several steps, including working with an approved AWS team. This includes working with an institution that offers effective guidance throughout the learning process. The main requirement is a degree (associate) or a higher degree from an institution with accreditation. The applicant must also have educational or work experience relating to IT.
The AWS Certified Developer-Associate Certification
Associate certification is designed to validate the developer’s ability to maintain applications on AWS. This certification covers fundamental concepts of:
• Cloud computing.
• Managing storage using Amazon S3 and Glacier.
• Working with virtualization technologies like EC2, RDS, Elastic Beanstalk, and EBS volumes.
• Creating high availability within an application architecture by building failover capabilities into both web servers and database servers.
The exam questions are both in multiple-choice and multiple response forms.
Qualifications for this Exam
Any person who wants to partake in this exam must have met the following requirements:
• Must understand the basic aspects of AWS.
• Must be familiar with AWS code modules, including debugging and authoring.
• Familiarity and ability to use APIs and SDKs during the application writing process.
The AWS Certified SyOps Administrator-Associate
The CSA certification is an advanced level certification that requires at least two years of hands-on experience working with AWS components. You must also show your expertise in architecting and deploying cloud infrastructure on the AWS platform, including ECN (Elastic Compute Cloud), SAN (Storage Area Network) and RDS (Relational Database Service). The training process involves the use of videos in addition to hands-on guidance for a better understanding.
This credential will not certify you as a full-stack engineer or developer. Its specific targets include system administrators looking for an edge when applying for positions involving large scale deployments hosted by Amazon Web Services.
AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty
Specialty certification is an advanced level of the standard AWS Certified Networking. It requires a deep understanding of networking protocols, network design, and security concepts. The exam emphasizes the different services that are offered by Amazon Web Services (AWS). Key areas include VPCs, VPNs, Direct Connect to AWS Cloud Services through AWS Partner Network (APN) Partners, ECMP Routing with BGP, NAT Gateways and VPNs.
AWS Certified Machine Learning – Specialty
Specialty is an exam offered by AWS to validate your knowledge of machine learning. It will help you understand the different aspects of data science and machine learning. This includes understanding topics like regression analysis, neural networks, random forests, support vector machines and more. If you are interested in applying for the exam, you must pass a proficiency test before registering for the certification course.
Other certifications available include AWS Certified Database – Specialty (DBS-C01), AWS Certified Data Analytics – Specialty (DAS-C01), AWS Certified Security – Specialty, and AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional. It is one of the fast-growing sectors; hence there’s job safety assurance.