Introduction:
Amazon Web Services, or AWS, is part of a Cloud Computing golden age pushing the world into the newest frontier of technology. With the IDC revealing its numbers on increasing Cloud Computing adoption and widespread growth, Cloud Computing pushes on to become one of the most important factors in world business and trade.
Furthermore, when it comes to AWS, as compared to Microsoft and Google, AWS is the largest cloud infrastructure service in the world, and not by a small margin either. Amazon Web Services comprises Migration, Database, AI, Big Data Management, Mobile Development, Notification, Computing, and Storage, just to name a few.
The industry leader’s sheer size compared to Microsoft and Google means AWS skills are highly in demand for many large and small organizations, and with whole megacorporations like Apple, Lyft, and Pinterest running their entire services on AWS, there’s no doubt that Amazon Web Services will be the dominating platform for the foreseeable future. This article will be talking about AWS Certifications, aws courses, what they are, and what value they can bring to you and your organization.
AWS Certifications: Is it worth it for you?
An AWS Certification, usually given out by Amazon themselves or their learning partners, is a valuable certification that enables you to work on projects that heavily involve services for AWS, become consultants on AWS core functions, and give you greater upward mobility.
You should think about an AWS certification, as with any other certification, as a tool to add to your arsenal. Having an AWS certification isn’t as powerful as a university degree or work experience, and certainly is far from mastery, but having a few AWS certifications can show co-workers and employers that you’re familiar with the basics of the Amazon Web Service ecosystem.
Now, when it comes to whether it is a worthwhile investment, that’s a very personal question and will be highly reliant on your personal circumstances and goals. Now, there are a total of 11 AWS certificates, and you might look upon those certificates as a sort of thing to collect, but it’s important to shift away from that mentality and focus on the skills you will need in your line of work.
Building on what we just said, you should ask if going for certification is worth it for you, especially if you are not sure about what you’re going to do with said cert. I’m not saying that not knowing is bad, it’s just that before committing to learning AWS as opposed to other key skill sets, you should always do your own research and only commit when you’re sure.
Reasons to get AWS Certifications:
- It’s in demand
In a report published by Open Source Jobs just last year, hiring managers who were asked answered resoundingly that certification matters. In fact, 88% of them responded that they consider certifications to be important when looking through resumes, an increase from 57% in 2020! That’s, all things considered, a large jump up that is possibly explained through a few factors.
Firstly, these certifications, now being surveyed and proliferated within companies, are becoming widely recognized for the level of proficiency they guarantee. With AWS showing no signs of slowing down in terms of market growth, companies are realizing the importance not just of having employees in technical roles be closely acquainted with AWS technologies, but people in all different fields and sectors having a common AWS language they can communicate through, as AWS is ultimately the delivery method for companies. Read more about Types of PMP certifications.
Put yourself apart from the sea of resumes in the job-finding game and look at getting an AWS certificate to set you apart and give you something unique to sell in the hiring interview. Just look at the statistics.
- A report found that cloud certification directly leads to higher salaries
- Slightly over half of respondents said that cloud certification increased their career opportunities.
- IT professionals, often working in the industry for years, according to another report, often reported annual salary increases averaging $12,500 after gaining new certifications and skills.
- Hiring managers interviewed also said that when it comes to hiring candidates, they looked at cloud certifications and hands-on experience over university degrees.
- The demand for cloud computing skill sets continues to grow with a 12% increase year by year. LinkedIn has listed cloud computing as the most in-demand skill for 6 years running already)
It pays well
Cloud computing pays well. In fact, most AWS certifications, combined with a relevant university degree or better yet, years of relevant hands-on experience, average in 6-figure annual salary. As far as certifications go, you will find that having an AWS certification is one of the best paying options there.
An average AWS Certified Solutions Architect associate is paid a median salary of $140,000, and cloud engineers earn a base salary of just over $117,000. Money talks.
The value you gain from such a certification, is of course, worth the price of the certification itself, especially if you can find a way to be sponsored by your organization for the duration of your study.
It’s valuable upskilling
Whether it’s upskilling in the language and competencies or having a beginning framework in understanding the AWS ecosystem, the certification not only gives you a good foundation but also gives you accurate industry terminology and best practices to demonstrate that you truly know your stuff in an interview.
The value of your AWS certification is also its definite nature of it. It’s a measurable document stating that you’ve spent this amount of time looking into these components of cloud computing and that you’ve passed certain qualifying tests. The certifications act as a form of validity to your prospective employer.
Conclusion
Let’s face it, AWS has taken over. Whether it’s security, governance, IoT, AI, machine learning, or any little thing from storage and cloud computing, cloud solutions now dominate not just the technological world, but the corporate world and the world as lived. Many people who start their AWS journey find that beyond hiring opportunities, they gain a higher appreciation for the foundation of how the future of the world’s operation and technologies lies on the back of Amazon Web Services.
