As more and more businesses move to the cloud, the need for AWS professionals is growing fast.
Whether you’re in IT or looking for a senior role, choosing the right and most demanding AWS certification can get you noticed and open doors to amazing opportunities.
Choosing the right certification for your career can be tough depending on your goals.
This post will break down the most in-demand AWS certifications of 2024 so you can choose the most demanding AWS certification that matches your career goals and gets you seen by recruiters.
Let’s get started.
Most Popular AWS Certifications of 2024: Level Up Your Cloud Career
To help you navigate the growing world of AWS certifications, here’s a list of the most popular top AWS certifications in 2024 including key skills, salary, and who should consider each certification.
- AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner
- AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate (SAA-C03)
- AWS Certified Developer Associate (DVA-C02)
- AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate (SOA-C02)
- AWS Certified Security Specialty (SCS-C02)
- AWS Certified AI Practitioner ( Upcoming in August 2024)
1. AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner
The AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner (CCP) certification is an entry-level certification that provides a broad understanding of AWS cloud concepts, services, and terminology. It’s for individuals looking to start their cloud journey and build a foundation for more advanced certifications.
Key Skills and Knowledge Areas
This certification covers:
- AWS Cloud concepts and basic global infrastructure
- Key AWS services and their common use cases
- Basic security and compliance aspects of the AWS platform
- Billing, account management, and pricing models
Roles Suitable for AWS Certified Cloud Practitioners
The AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner certification opens doors to a variety of roles within the AWS cloud ecosystem. Here are some potential career paths for individuals who hold this certification:
Entry-Level Technical Roles:
- Junior Cloud Engineer
- Cloud Operations Associate
Business Roles:
- Cloud Business Analyst
- Cloud Project Manager
- Sales Representative (Cloud Solutions)
Support Roles:
- Cloud Support Specialist
- Cloud Migration Specialist
- Cloud Customer Success Manager
Average Salaries for AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner (AWS CCP)
- India: ₹ 3.6 Lakhs – ₹ 12.5 Lakhs per annum
- USA: $90,000 – $130,000 per year
- UK: £50,000 – £62,500 per annum
- UAE: AED 120,000 – AED 240,000 per year
Exam Details
| Exam Format | Multiple-choice questions |
| Number of Questions | 65 Questions |
| Exam Duration | 90 minutes |
| Passing Score | Scaled score of 700 or higher (out of 1000) |
| Cost | $100 USD |
| Languages Offered | English, French (France), German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), Simplified Chinese, Spanish (Latin America), Spanish (Spain), Traditional Chinese |
2. AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate
The AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate certification ( SAA-C03 ) is one of the most popular and demanding AWS certifications that validate your ability to design, deploy, and manage secure, reliable, and cost-effective solutions on the AWS cloud platform.
It’s popular because it covers a wide range of AWS services and it is for individuals who design distributed systems on AWS.
Key Skills and Knowledge Areas
This SAA-C03 certification key areas include:
- Designing resilient architectures
- High-performance architectures
- Secure applications and architectures
- Cost-optimized architectures
Roles suitable for AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate
- Cloud Architect
- Solutions Architect
- Associate Cloud Architect
- Cloud Engineer
- DevOps Engineer
- Cloud Security Architect (with additional Security certification preferred)
- Solution Designer
- Cloud Consultant
Average Salaries for AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate
- India: ₹12,00,000 – ₹18,00,000 per year
- USA: $120,000 – $140,000 per year
- UK: £60,000 – £80,000 per year
- UAE: AED 240,000 – AED 320,000 per year
Exam Detail
| Exam Format | Multiple-choice questions |
| Number of Questions | 65 questions |
| Exam Duration | 130 minutes |
| Passing Score | Scaled score of 720 or higher (out of 1000) |
| Cost | $150 USD |
| Languages Offered | English, Italian Japanese, French, German, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Spanish (Latin America), Spanish (Spain), Portuguese (Brazil) |
3. AWS Certified Developer Associate
For developers, the AWS Certified Developer Associate certification (DVA-C02) is a must demanding certification. It’s for those who want to demonstrate their ability to develop and maintain applications on the AWS platform.
Key Skills and Knowledge Areas
- Writing code for serverless applications
- Using AWS SDKs to interact with services
- Application deployment and debugging
Roles suitable for AWS Certified Developer Associate
- Cloud Developer
- Application Developer
- Cloud Solutions Architect
- Backend Developer
- DevOps Engineer (Development)
- Full-Stack Developer ( cloud specialization)
- Mobile Developer ( cloud backend)
Average Salaries for AWS Certified Developer Associate (DVA-C02)
- India: ₹10,00,000 – ₹16,00,000 per year
- USA: $110,000 – $130,000 per year
- UK: £55,000 – £70,000 per year
- UAE: AED 200,000 – AED 280,000 per year
Exam Detail
| Exam Format | Multiple-choice questions |
| Number of Questions | 65 questions |
| Exam Duration | 130 minutes |
| Passing Score | Scaled score of 720 or higher (out of 1000) |
| Cost | $150 USD |
| Languages Offered | English, Portuguese (Brazil), French (France), Italian, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, and Spanish (Latin America). |
4. AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate
The AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate certification (SOA-C02) is for those in system administrator roles. It validates expertise in deployment, management, and operations on AWS.
Key Skills and Knowledge Areas
Important skills for AWS sysops administrator associate certification include:
- Managing and operating scalable, highly available, and fault-tolerant systems
- Implementing and controlling the flow of data to and from AWS
- Selecting the appropriate AWS service based on compute, data, or security requirements
Roles suitable for AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate
- AWS SysOps Administrator
- Cloud Operations Engineer
- Network Administrator
- Security Analyst
- AWS System Engineer
- Infrastructure Engineer
- DevOps Engineer
- Site Reliability Engineer (SRE)
Average Salaries for AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate (SOA-C02)
- India: ₹10,00,000 – ₹15,00,000 per year
- USA: $110,000 – $130,000 per year
- UK: £55,000 – £75,000 per year
- UAE: AED 220,000 – AED 300,000 per year
Exam Detail
| Exam Format | Multiple-choice questions |
| Number of Questions | 65 questions |
| Exam Duration | 130 minutes |
| Passing Score | Scaled score of 720 or higher (out of 1000) |
| Cost | $150 USD |
| Languages Offered | English, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese |
5. AWS Certified Security Specialty
In this era of data breaches and cyber-attacks, the AWS Certified Security Specialty certification is gaining traction. It’s perfect for those who are experienced professionals focused on securing AWS workloads.
Key Skills and Knowledge Areas
This certification skills covers:
- Incident response
- Logging and monitoring
- Infrastructure security
- Identity and access management
- Data protection
Roles suitable for AWS Certified Security Specialty
- AWS Security Consultant
- Cloud Security Architect
- Cloud Security Engineer
- Compliance Manager
- AWS Security Analyst
- Security Operations Center (SOC) Analyst
- Security Compliance Auditor
- Risk Manager
- Penetration Tester
Average Salaries for AWS Certified Security Specialty
- India: ₹15,00,000 – ₹22,00,000 per year
- USA: $130,000 – $150,000 per year
- UK: £70,000 – £90,000 per year
- UAE: AED 280,000 – AED 360,000 per year
Exam Detail
| Exam Format | Multiple-choice questions |
| Number of Questions | 65 questions |
| Exam Duration | 170 minutes |
| Passing Score | Scaled score of 720 or higher (out of 1000) |
| Cost | $300 USD |
| Languages Offered | English, French (France), Italian, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, and Spanish (Latin America), Portuguese (Brazil) |
6. AWS Certified AI Practitioner (Beta)
This year 2024 sees a surge in demand for Artificial Intelligence (AI) expertise. Recognizing this trend, AWS launched the AWS Certified AI Practitioner certification, a foundational certification designed to validate your understanding of AI, machine learning (ML), and generative AI concepts on the AWS cloud platform.
Where this certification is in beta now & registration opens on August 13 2024.
Key Skills and Knowledge Areas:
- Understanding fundamental AI, ML, and generative AI concepts.
- Identifying business problems where AI can provide solutions.
- Recognizing various AWS services for AI and ML workloads.
- Evaluating and selecting appropriate AI models for specific tasks.
- Understanding the importance of responsible AI development and deployment.
Roles Suitable for AWS Certified AI Practitioners (AIF-C01):
- Business Analysts
- Project Managers
- Sales Representatives
- Sales Managers
- Marketing Professionals
- Product Owners
Exam Detail
| Number of Questions | 85 questions |
| Exam Duration | 120 minutes |
| Passing Score | Scaled score of 720 or higher (out of 1000) |
| Cost | $75 USD |
| Languages Offered | English, Japanese |
Choosing the Right AWS Certification
The right AWS certification for you depends on your current skill set, experience, and mainly your career objective.
- Are you new to AWS? Start with the Cloud Practitioner certification.
- Are you looking for an in-demand cloud role? Pursue an Associate-level certification (Solutions Architect, Developer, or SysOps Administrator) aligned with your desired career path.
- Are you an experienced cloud professional seeking career advancement? Consider Professional or Specialty certifications to showcase your advanced skills based on your job roles.
Conclusion
I hope this blog post has given you valuable insights into the current outlook of AWS certifications and their demand in 2024.
By aligning your certification choice with your career goals and staying updated with industry trends, you can effectively position yourself as a valuable asset in the evolving cloud technology industry.
Invest in continuous learning, practical experience like hands-on labs, and leveraging the resources available through AWS training to stay ahead in your AWS certification journey.
FAQs
1. What is the most demanding AWS certification in 2024?
The AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate is often considered the most valuable due to its broad coverage and high demand in the industry.
2. How long does it take to prepare for an AWS certification in 2024?
Preparation time varies for each, but on average, it takes about 3-6 months of dedicated study and practical hands-on practice.
3. Are AWS certifications worth it for beginners?
Yes, AWS certifications are valuable for beginners as they provide a structured learning path and validate your skills, making you more attractive to employers.
4. What resources are best for AWS certification preparation?
The best resources for AWS certification preparation include AWS training courses, self-paced video courses, practice exams & hands-on labs in platforms like Whizlabs, Pluralsight, etc.,
