AWS Certification Path: Learn AWS Certification Hierarchy 2024

Being AWS certified shows that you have the most industry-centric knowledge that is validated by the world leader in the Cloud Computing stream. AWS certifications assist IT workers in developing technical skills and learning the best practices for building and deploying cloud-based applications. A cloud certification will demonstrate that you are well-trained, giving you confidence in your talents. It may lead to you working on a variety of firm projects. Furthermore, because cloud certification is globally recognized, it is quite easy to apply for jobs anywhere in the world.

The table shows the benefits of AWS Certifications: 

Read AWS Free Tier: Create Account (Learn AWS)

AWS Certifications Path 2024

Let’s start with a 30,000-foot view of the big picture: AWS currently offers 13* certifications, including seven core certifications and five specialty certificates. AWS organizes its core certificates into three parts: starting with Foundational, and then you can advance to Associate and Professional certifications.

How to Get AWS Certified – AWS Cloud Certification Hierarchy

What Experience do I need?

These are the most frequently asked questions that I’ll try to answer for you. Every person comes from different starting points, so the answers to the above questions will depend on your current skills and experience and what your career objectives are. Therefore, I’d like to start with an overview of the different levels of certification offered by us and how they relate to your background and career aspirations.

In 2019, AWS removed the prerequisites from all AWS certifications, so this means you can now take ANY AWS certification at any time; you don’t need to complete other certifications first. Now you’ll learn that there is a structure to the AWS certification learning paths, and it is wise to follow that structure to maximize your chance of success in your exams and, most importantly, to ensure you have a good skill set to take into your working life.

Read: AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate SAA-C03 Exam

“CERTIFICATE ACCOLADES KNOWLEDGE WHILE KNOWLEDGE PROMISES CERTIFICATE.”

Types of AWS Cloud Certifications Based on Job Role

AWS, for now, provides seven core certifications and five specialty certifications. All these AWS certifications are grouped into 4 main paths based on job role: – Foundational, Architect, Operations, and Developer.

Here are a few more amazing advantages of having an AWS certification:

• It enables you to use digital badges, certificates, and other items to demonstrate your Cloud Expertise to a global audience.
• When compared to others, an individual with an AWS Certification is paid more and has access to valuable career opportunities.
• Also, the AWS Certified community allows you to network with other bright minds.

FOUNDATION LEVEL CERTIFICATION

1. AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner

This is a basic or entry-level certification that is designed for people who want to build and validate their overall understanding of the AWS cloud. This path is beneficial for those who are more in managerial, sales, technical, finance, and purchasing roles working with the AWS cloud. There is only one exam on this path, which is the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner exam.

You can start your AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner with us, which is the best place to start for anyone who’s new to cloud computing. This will help you build your core strength—the foundation you’ll need as you dive deeper into the inner workings of AWS.

So, if you are ready to fly with us on the AWS Cloud journey, then take the first step on your AWS learning path and begin your cloud quest with our AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner course.

• Who Should Take It: Beginners with no prior AWS experience.
• What You’ll Learn: Fundamentals of AWS cloud services, architecture, pricing, and basic security.
• Recommended Experience: None required.
• Why Start Here? The AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner exam provides a solid foundation for understanding AWS concepts.
• AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02): Foundational-level certification with 65 questions in 90 minutes, passing score 700, cost $100; ideal for beginners to validate cloud concepts and basic AWS knowledge.

2. AWS Certified AI Practitioner

AWS Certified AI Practitioner covers the breadth of AI frameworks, concepts, and associated AWS technologies, with an emphasis on generative AI entire exam content outline for AWS Certified AI Practitioner focuses on AI, ML, and generative AI. You should take the exam that best aligns with your interests and needs. You also have the option to earn both certifications if you want to demonstrate a strong grasp of both AWS cloud and AI/ML.

More info will be updated by 13th August Link

• Who Should Take It: Ideal for professionals in business, IT, marketing, project management, and sales roles familiar with AWS AI/ML.
• What You’ll Learn: Covers AI, ML, and generative AI concepts, including design, training, evaluation, responsible AI, and security on AWS.
• Recommended Experience: Requires familiarity with AWS AI/ML; newcomers can begin with AWS Cloud Essentials; no mandatory AWS training is needed.
• Why Start Here? The AWS Certified AI Practitioner exam provides a solid foundation for understanding AWS concepts.
• AWS Certified AI Practitioner – Foundational (AIF-C01): Foundational-level certification with 65 questions in 90 minutes, passing score 700, cost $100; focuses on AI/ML fundamentals for AWS applications.

ASSOCIATE LEVEL CERTIFICATION

1. AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate

This path provides a single certification, though the DevOps Engineer Professional in the Developer path also sits across this route. It provides knowledge of the operations and deployment of different AWS services and architectures, including data migration and application deployment.

• Who Should Take It: System administrators, operations professionals, and those responsible for deploying and managing AWS systems.
• What You’ll Learn: System operations on AWS, including deploying, managing, and monitoring applications.
• Recommended Experience: At least one year of AWS experience.
• Why It Matters: This certification validates your ability to handle operations tasks on the AWS platform.
• AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate (SOA-C02): Associate-level certification with 65 questions in 130 minutes, passing score 720, cost $150; designed for system administrators managing and deploying AWS infrastructure.

2. AWS Certified Developer – Associate

This certification provides you with code-level knowledge and understanding of AWS application design, development, and maintenance. It is highly recommended and not mandatory again! that you possess a minimum of one year of experience maintaining AWS applications before taking this certification.
Start your cloud journey with us for an exam with our AWS Certified Developer – Associate course.

• Who Should Take It: Developers and software engineers working with AWS.
• What You’ll Learn: Developing applications on AWS, integrating AWS services, and optimizing applications for best performance.
• Recommended Experience: At least one year of AWS experience.
• Why Consider It: The developer certification focuses on building applications on the AWS platform, a crucial skill in cloud development.
• AWS Certified Developer – Associate (DVA-C02): Associate-level certification with 65 questions in 130 minutes, passing score 720, cost $150; focuses on developing and deploying AWS-based applications.

3. AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate

The AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate designation highlights expertise in a variety of AWS services and technology. This certification emphasizes the creation of performance- and cost-optimized systems, showcasing a deep comprehension of the AWS Well-Architected Framework. In addition to improving a person’s job profile and income, this certification can boost your confidence and credibility while interacting with stakeholders and customers.
Start your cloud journey with us for an exam with our AWS Certified Solutions Architect –Associate course.

• Who Should Take It: Those aiming for roles like Cloud Solutions Architect or Cloud Engineer.
• What You’ll Learn: Architecting secure and scalable AWS solutions, understanding core AWS services, and best practices.
• Recommended Experience: At least one year of hands-on AWS experience.
• Why Pursue It: This is one of the most popular and in-demand AWS certifications, opening doors to a wide range of job opportunities.
• AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate (SAA-C03): Associate-level certification with 65 questions in 130 minutes, passing score 720, cost $150; for designing scalable and cost-effective solutions on AWS.

4. AWS Certified Data Engineer – Associate

The AWS Certified Data Engineer – Associate credential verifies an individual’s proficiency in fundamental data-related AWS services, as well as their aptitude for setting up data pipelines, keeping an eye on problems, troubleshooting them, and using best practices to optimize performance and cost. This beta exam gives you the chance to become one of the first people to obtain this new certification if you’re interested in leveraging AWS technology to transform data for analysis and actionable insights.

• Who Should Take It: Data engineers with AWS pipeline experience, data scientists eager for AWS data expertise, and professionals seeking data engineering validation.
• What You’ll Learn: Build & maintain AWS data pipelines, master data modeling & schema design, automate data operations & security, and apply programming concepts in data engineering.
• Recommended Experience: 2-3 years data engineering & 1-2 years AWS data services, familiarity with scripting & SQL.
• Why It Matters: Industry-recognized validation, higher earning potential, stand out in the job market, future-proof your data engineering career.
• AWS Certified Data Engineer – Associate (DEA-C01): Associate-level certification with 65 questions in 30 minutes, passing score 720, cost $150; targeted at data professionals handling analytics and big data services in AWS.

5. AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer- Associate

AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer – Associate positions professionals for technical ML roles, validating expertise in implementing and operationalizing ML workloads on AWS. It will offer a path to boost career credibility in high-demand fields like backend development, DevOps, data engineering, MLOps, and data science.

More info will be updated by 13th August

• Who Should Take It: Backend software developers, DevOps engineers, data engineers, MLOps engineers, and data scientists with 1+ years of experience using Amazon SageMaker and AWS ML services.
• What You’ll Learn: Validate technical ability to implement ML workloads, covering data prep, feature engineering, model training, metrics, integration, deployment, optimization, and security on AWS.
• Recommended Experience: You Should have at least 1 year of hands-on experience in machine learning engineering or related fields, including practical use of Amazon SageMaker and other AWS ML services.
• Why It Matters:  This certification validates your practical expertise in implementing machine learning solutions on AWS, which is crucial for advancing in high-demand technical roles.
• AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer – Associate (MLA-C01): Associate-level certification with 65 questions in 130 minutes, passing score 720, cost $150; focuses on building, training, and deploying ML workflows on AWS.

PROFESSIONAL LEVEL CERTIFICATION

1. AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional

Now here comes the Boss of the Associate, the Professional, to undertake this certification. It is recommended (not required) to take the Associate-level AWS Certified Solutions Architect exam and have at least two years of hands-on experience designing and deploying AWS systems (not mandatory at all). In this certification, you are required to showcase knowledge of complex AWS applications, including how to apply application design best practices in an optimized manner and how to move applications to AWS.
Ready to take down one of the toughest certs in the cloud? Prepare for AWS glory with our AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional course.

• Who Should Take It: Experienced Solutions Architects.
• What You’ll Learn: Advanced architectural skills, including multi-tier applications, high availability, and disaster recovery.
• Recommended Experience: Two years of comprehensive AWS experience.
• Why Aim for It: The Professional level showcases your deep expertise in AWS architecture.
• AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional (SAP-C02): Professional-level certification with 75 questions in 180 minutes, passing score 750, cost $300; advanced skills for designing complex cloud solutions on AWS.

2. AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional

This path is specifically designed for software developers who are interested in learning how to create cloud applications on AWS and how they work. It has two sub-paths that include:

For this certification, it is recommended to have at least two years of hands-on experience provisioning and managing AWS. Professionals learn various concepts involving continuous deployment and automation of AWS processes as well as how to implement them into the AWS architecture.
Master the ultimate skills needed to ace the exam and grow in your career with our AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional course.

• Who Should Take It: DevOps engineers, system administrators, and those focused on continuous delivery and automation.
• What You’ll Learn: Advanced DevOps practices, including automation, security, and optimization.
• Recommended Experience: Two years of comprehensive AWS experience.
• Why It’s Valuable: This certification emphasizes the DevOps culture and practices in an AWS environment.
• AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional (DOP-C02): Professional-level certification with 75 questions in 180 minutes, passing score 750, cost $300; emphasizes automation, CI/CD, and operational excellence on AWS.

SPECIALITY LEVEL CERTIFICATION

Deepen Your Expertise

• Who Should Take Them: Experts in specific AWS domains.
• What You’ll Learn: Specialized skills in networking, data analytics, security, machine learning, or database management.
• Recommended Experience: Two to five years of hands-on experience in the respective specialty area.
• Why Specialize: These certifications allow you to dive deep into specific AWS domains and showcase your expertise.

Specialty AWS certifications that are more specialized focus on specific AWS services, but the level of technical expertise required is very deep. You need to be an expert in your chosen specialty before taking these exams.

1. AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty

This Certification is designed to validate the candidate’s skills and experience in performing complex networking tasks on AWS and hybrid IT networking architectures at scale. A person should possess a background in architecting and implementing network solutions and advanced knowledge of networking on AWS.

AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty (ANS-C01): Specialty-level certification with 65 questions in 170 minutes, passing score 750, cost $300; for professionals managing complex networking on AWS.

2. AWS Certified Machine Learning – Speciality

This certification is intended for those who perform a development or data science role. It primarily validates a candidate’s ability to design, implement, deploy, and maintain machine learning (ML) solutions for particular problems. Machines can adapt and learn, and so can you. Start learning and preparing for your exam with our AWS Certified Machine Learning – Specialty course

AWS Certified Machine Learning – Specialty (MLS-C01): Specialty-level certification with 65 questions in 170 minutes with a passing score 750. Cost $300; focuses on advanced ML workflows and real-world applications on AWS.

3. AWS Certified Security – Specialty

The certification covers major topics such as security pros and teams’ need to master security fundamentals, follow best practices, and build deep knowledge of key services unique to the AWS platform.

AWS Certified Security – Specialty (SCS-C02): Specialty-level certification with 65 questions in 170 minutes, passing score 750, cost $300; covers advanced security practices and compliance on AWS.

This AWS certification roadmap provides a clear path to help you achieve your career goals in the cloud computing industry. Choose certifications that align with your interests and expertise, and continue to expand your AWS knowledge as the cloud landscape evolves.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Links/References

• AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate SAA-C03 Exam
• Overview of Amazon Web Services & Concepts
• AWS Certifications
• AWS Management Console Walkthrough
• AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional DOP-C02
• AWS Certified Machine Learning – Specialty: All You Need to Know About

Next Task For You

Begin your journey towards an AWS Cloud by joining our FREE Informative Class on Amazon Cloud Free Class by clicking on the below image.