As an IT professional, you understand the importance of continuous learning and skill development to advance your career. One of the most valuable certifications you can earn is from Amazon Web Services (AWS). AWS is the world's leading cloud platform, and their certifications are in high demand. Whether you have minimal technical experience or years of hands-on cloud expertise, AWS offers a certification path for you.

Why AWS Certification Is Important for Your IT Career?

As an IT professional, obtaining AWS training and certification can benefit your career in several ways:

Validate your technical skills and expertise in AWS cloud services. AWS certification shows employers you have the knowledge and competency to design, deploy, and operate applications and infrastructure on AWS.

Advance your career with AWS training that can help you land a new job or promotion. According to the 2020 AWS Salary Survey, certified professionals earn a higher median salary than those without certification.

Stay up-to-date with new services and best practices. Preparing for an AWS exam is an effective way to gain knowledge of new AWS services and enhance your understanding of AWS best practices.

Join an elite community of AWS cloud professionals. Becoming AWS certified allows you to join a growing community of over 200,000 certified individuals worldwide. You can connect, share knowledge, and advance cloud skills together.

Meet partner requirements. If you work with an AWS Partner Network (APN) Consulting Partner, AWS cloud training may be required to sell or support certain AWS services. Certification can expand your opportunities within APN partner organizations.

AWS Cloud Practitioner vs Solutions Architect: Which Is Right for You?

To determine which AWS training certification is right for you, consider your current technical background and career goals.

The AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner exam is ideal if you have limited technical experience but want to demonstrate your knowledge of the AWS platform. Earning this certification validates a foundational understanding of AWS services and use cases. It can be useful for those in non-technical roles, such as sales or procurement.

The AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate exam assesses your ability to design distributed applications and systems on AWS. It requires hands-on experience with AWS services and a technical background. This certification is suited for solutions architects and engineers. It can help advance your career by validating your technical skills.

The Cloud Practitioner certification provides an overall understanding of the AWS platform, while the Solutions Architect certification demonstrates technical proficiency in designing AWS-based systems. The exam you choose depends on your level of experience and career objectives. With the proper preparation, either certification can be an asset for your professional development. Consider starting with the Cloud Practitioner and advancing to the Solutions Architect as your skills grow.

How to Prepare for AWS Certification

To prepare for AWS cloud training, you should take the following steps:

Review the Exam Guide

Carefully review the exam guide to understand the scope of the exam, topics covered, and percentage of questions for each domain. Focus your studies on areas with a higher percentage of questions.

Take AWS Training

AWS offers free digital training and paid instructor-led training to help you prepare. The AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate course covers all exam objectives.

Gain Hands-On Experience

While studying AWS services, gain practical experience by spinning up resources in your own AWS account. Follow step-by-step tutorials to deploy systems and applications.

Use Practice Exams

Take practice exams from AWS or a third party to identify knowledge gaps and get familiar with the actual exam format and experience. Review explanations for any incorrect answers.

Preparation and continuous learning are keys to success with AWS certification. With diligent study of AWS services and real-world experience, you will build the knowledge and skills to pass your AWS certification exam. Best of luck!

To advance your IT career through AWS training and certification, the optimal path forward is to pursue relevant AWS training. CloudThat, a premier cloud computing training institute, offers comprehensive courses and bootcamps to prepare you for AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner, Solutions Architect, and other role-based certifications.

Their instructors are highly-qualified AWS experts with real-world experience implementing cloud solutions. Coursework covers AWS fundamentals and all services in depth through interactive lectures and hands-on labs. CloudThat is an AWS Authorized Instructor and offers exam vouchers for their students.

With the right preparation and dedication, you can achieve AWS course through CloudThat's premier training courses. Their highly-rated programs will equip you with the skills and confidence to advance your career as an AWS cloud professional. AWS certification, combined with hands-on experience, can open up more job opportunities and higher salary potential.