A Guide to AWS Certification Career Path and Its Progression

Whether you are planning a career transition or want to scale in your cloud computing field, AWS certifications can help. Countless enterprises and renowned companies use AWS, and it has a direct impact on the demand for qualified professionals. If you can prove your worth and provide quality management, you can enjoy a fruitful and secure career. All you need to know is the right AWS certification career path and the Amazon AWS partner program that can help you move on that path successfully. 

In this article, you will learn more about the career path in AWS and the different roles you will come across on this journey. 

AWS Certification Career Path 

You should know about the benefits of AWS certifications before learning about the professional journey you would have to follow. Some of the perks professionals can enjoy after completing a relevant certification are listed below.

• AWS has the highest share in the cloud market, which means the certification holds a lot of credibility.
• AWS skills are in demand, and the best part is that the opportunities are ever-increasing.
• Certified professionals get a higher pay scale and a secure professional career. 
• Only certified professionals can explore the data roles related to the cloud market. 

There are countless benefits that a professional can enjoy after completing the certification. As per a report, the salary of an AWS certified expert is 30% more than the professionals who do not have any certification listed on their resume. 

1. Cloud Architect (Career Path & Progression) 

Companies that plan to pivot to cloud platforms or intend to make their computing strategies more fruitful often hire a cloud architect. These experts create a cloud environment and help companies make a smoother shift.

a. Roles of Cloud Architects

Some of the fundamental roles and responsibilities of a cloud architect are:

• Build a system design to meet business objectives.
• Evaluate the current cloud applications and maintain them.
• Create new cloud applications that align with the company goals
• Translating the project requirements into practical cloud architecture. 

b. Salary 

The average salary of a cloud architect is $128,418. Beginners earn around $80k per year, but after a few years, the professionals can get up to $167k annually. 

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c. How to become 

To become a cloud architect is the first step of the AWS career roadmap. You should have a complete knowledge of operating systems like Windows, Unix and more. Along with that, a basic understanding of Python and Java is beneficial. On the personal front, you should have excellent communication skills. You can explore the Amazon AWS partner program to find a course of your choice and kickstart your career as a cloud architect. 

2. Cloud Network Engineer (Career Path & Progression) 

The job of a cloud network engineer is to manage day-to-day support and maintain the core services under a cloud environment. Their detailed roles and responsibilities are listed below.

a. Roles 

The roles of a network engineer can vary for different projects or from enterprise to enterprise. However, the fundamental responsibilities remain the same. 

• Create requirement-specific cloud solutions for the clients and oversee their implementation.
• Monitor to ensure the network responds well to the end-user expectations.
• Be in touch with the stakeholders to discover new growth strategies.
• Implement fruitful cloud network security methods.
• Use the AWS storage services in their routine tasks. 

b. Salary 

The average salary of the cloud architect is $83,000. Beginners earn around $62k annually, but after a few years, the professionals can get up to $111k annually. 

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c. How to become 

To become a cloud network engineer, you must have knowledge of programming languages like Python, Ruby and Pearl. Along with that, your familiarity with the network protocols is a must-have skill. Understand that you might face a lot of network vulnerabilities in this domain. So, you should have relevant skills to handle them well. It is advisable to look for an apt certification. Completing it will make your AWS solutions architect career path clearer and smoother. 

3. Cloud Developer (Career Path & Progression) 

As the name clearly indicates, a cloud developer is the professional responsible for building cloud infrastructure. Their primary job is to design, develop, and maintain the company cloud systems. 

a. Roles 

Some of the fundamental roles and responsibilities of a cloud developer are:

• Design, develop, and test cloud solutions.
• Develop cost-effective programs which are scalable and easy to migrate.
• Suggest new ideas and areas of improvement in the current application architecture.
• Work closely with the IT teams to switch web applications into AWS. 

b. Salary 

The average salary of a cloud developer is $122,799. Beginners earn around $92k annually, but after a few years, the professionals can get up to $158k annually. 

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c. How to become 

To become a successful cloud developer, you should have an expert understanding of programming languages like Java, C# and Python. You should understand the core AWS services and the fundamentals of AWS architecture. Furthermore, your ability to write codes for serverless applications should be unmatchable. To ensure you grab the best job opportunities in this domain, you can opt for an AWS certification program that prepares you to become a qualified cloud developer. 

4. Cloud Security Engineer (Career Path & Progression) 

These professionals work solely on making the cloud networks safe for everyone to work. They analyse the potential threats and find appropriate solutions for them. Furthermore, they work constantly to upgrade the existing cloud system. 

a. Roles 

Some of the fundamental roles and responsibilities of a cloud security engineer are:

• Create fruitful cloud-based applications. 
• Learn and interact with Elastic Compute Cloud. 
• Manage data encryption and cloud cryptography.
• Create and manage access management services.
• Build a secured virtual private cloud with public and private subnets. 

b. Salary 

The average salary of the cloud security engineer is $99k. Beginners earn around $75k annually, but after a few years, the professionals can get up to $131k annually.

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c. How to become 

To become a successful cloud security engineer, you should have excellent communication and troubleshooting skills. Furthermore, your hold on programming languages like Python, C# and Java should be exceptionally great. It is fruitful to enroll into a certification program offered by a trusted course provider to get a better understanding of the market. 

5. Cloud DevOps Engineer (Career Path & Progression) 

These professionals use the cloud to deliver pipelines, deploy services and address the issues arising in the network. These experts have a significant role in expediting the delivery process and keeping the product quality top-notch. 

a. Roles 

Some of the fundamental roles and responsibilities of a cloud DevOps engineer are:

• Write feature documentation for the server side.
• Performance evaluation and recommendations to plan improvement.
• Infrastructure management.
• Implement and manage CI/CD.

b. Salary 

The average salary of the cloud DevOps engineer is $103K. Beginners earn around $72k annually, but after a few years, the professionals can get up to $128k annually. 

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c. How to become 

You should start by getting hold of the programming languages, like Python, Java and Node.js and move ahead to gain knowledge of DevOps tools. Make sure you have a complete understanding of how to perform tests, deploy and release the code. Along with these technical skills, you should sharpen your interpersonal skills and improve your communication and problem-solving abilities. It is advisable that you explore and find a certification program that can help you on this journey and give you a secure and monetarily profitable career. 

How Does AWS Certified Get Promoted? 

Before the certification, the employers are always doubtful about your skills and abilities. So, they might hire you, but there will be a sense of uncertainty. However, after you have completed a relevant certification program, they get an assurance that you can handle the job well. It means they won’t refrain from offering the best salary packages and a secure job role. 

Tips and Tricks

A few tricks that can help you on the AWS cloud career path are:

• Take notes of all the technical and interpersonal skills you require to increase your chances of getting a promotion. When you have a list of things, you know what parameters to work on to inch closer to your goals. 
• Explore the KnowledgeHut Cloud Computing courses for beginners and decide which certification program would suit your requirements. Plan on completing that certification course, as it will significantly improve your chances of getting a promotion.
• To save time, effort and resources, you should enroll into a training program before sitting for the certification program. It will ensure you are ready to pass the exam and explore the opportunities ahead.
• Plan to improve your interpersonal skills along with the technicalities. It is as significant as your knowledge of the domain because your employer will definitely consider it as a parameter for promotion. 

The fundamental idea is to focus on brushing up your skills and making yourself capable of handling the challenges that the promotion and added responsibilities bring. Make your employer believe you are the right pick, and there is nothing stopping you from availing yourself of better opportunities.

Skills Required for AWS Certification

One needs various soft and hard skills to move on the AWS cloud practitioner career path. Let us discuss a few soft and hard skills you would need to help you plan your journey well. 

1. Soft Skills

Soft skills refer to the interpersonal characteristics a professional should have that make it easier for them to work and deliver the best results. Some of the skills are listed below.

• Communication
• Critical Thinking
• Time Management
• Decision Making
• Problem-Solving
• Collaboration

2. Hard Skills 

Hard skills refer to the technical knowledge of a person. It includes understanding programming languages, databases, operating systems and more, which they can use to get the best results. Some of the hard skills for AWS-certified professionals are:

• Java, Python or C#
• Networking
• AWS Service Selection
• Rock AWS cloud architecture
• Security Foundations

Once you have worked thoroughly on all these skills, rest assured that you are on the right AWS certification career path and success awaits you. 

How Long Does It Take to Get Promoted to Senior Level? 

It takes as long as you spend to acquire all the skills required to become a successful AWS professional. Start by putting your focus on gaining hands-on knowledge of the domain. Along with that, enroll in a certification program that helps you level up, and once you are ready, you can start applying for the relevant senior-level positions. Thus, the time that goes into getting a promotion is directly proportional to the time you take to make yourself capable of the new job role. 

Conclusion 

AWS professionals have fruitful careers if only they walk on the right path and make honest efforts to brush up on their skills. One should plan an achievable AWS solution architect career path that leads you to your goal and follow it religiously. The AWS certification programs and the Cloud Engineer Bootcamp courses can contribute to your journey. Find the right certification program that trains you in the tools and techniques that are fruitful to give a push to your professional journey. As you get more familiar with the domain, you will keep levelling up and enjoy a safe and monetarily secure career.