Top AWS Certification for Developers

Amazon Web Services (AWS) training and certification help candidates to validate and build their cloud skills. Allowing them to contribute to the transformation of businesses who are overwhelmingly migrating to cloud computing For those that want a career path in AWS, there are many questions about the AWS certification for developers, including how many certifications there are, what is the cost of exam and training, how long it takes to be certified, what kind of jobs are available, etc.

To help you navigate the options AWS affords the information enclosed in this article with aid you in understanding the general principles of AWS, what certifications are available, and the best path for most aspiring AWS developers.

AWS Certifications

AWS certifications are officially divided into four categories, with each category having a specific area of expertise. There are 10 different AWS certifications (as of writing this article) as shown below.

• AWS FOUNDATIONAL LEVEL CERTIFICATIONS

Includes one certification:

AWS Cloud Practitioner - Foundational 

Scope: A basic understanding of AWS and the services it offers 

Prerequisites: None

• AWS ASSOCIATE LEVEL CERTIFICATIONS

Includes three certifications:

1. AWS Solutions Architect – Associate,
2. AWS SysOps Administrator – Associate, and
3. AWS Certified Developer – Associate

Scope: Gets a little bit deeper about specific areas but still at a basic level

• AWS PROFESSIONAL LEVEL CERTIFICATIONS

Includes two certifications:

1. AWS Solutions Architect - Professional
2. AWS DevOps Engineer - Professional

Scope: A more detailed understanding of each of the different facets of AWS

• AWS SPECIALTY CERTIFICATIONS

Includes four certifications:

1. Advanced Networking – Specialty
2. Security - Specialty
3. Big Data - Specialty
4. Machine Learning - Specialty

Scope: A detailed understanding of one specific area of expertise in AWS

From foundational to the professional level, all of these certifications offered by AWS are role-based and are designed specifically for developers, solution architects, and system operations administrators.

Importance of AWS Certifications

If you were to ask about the status of AWS certifications back when it was launched in 2013, most people would give you a conservative forecast about its popularity in 2019. In just six years, AWS certifications have garnered significant support and demand. The support and demand are indicated by the high number of testing centers around the globe, as well as the multiple languages that offer an AWS course.

Today, the growth and support are predicted to continue for the foreseeable future as more and more enterprise and SMBs (small and medium businesses) continue to adopt cloud computing and the public cloud as a core part of their technology stack. In fact, most professionals and organizations alike see AWS as a thought leader and a point of reference in the cloud computing space because they are the most mature and reliable provider.  

Further evidence of the importance of AWS is what employers are willing to pay AWS professionals. In short, within a relatively short time, AWS certifications have managed to command top salaries when compared to other IT skills.

According to the 2018 IT salary skills report, conducted by Global Knowledge, the highest average IT salaries globally, are as follows:

1. Business Architecture (e.g., TOGAF) Av. Salary $87,863
2. Governance (e.g., COBIT, CGEIT) Av. Salary $84,420
3. Amazon Web Services (AWS) Av. Salary $84,108
4. Knowledge Management (e.g. KCSF, KCSP) Av. Salary $82,823
5. Security and Privacy (e.g., CEH, CISA, CIPM, CISSP) Av. Salary $82,652

If you are interested in obtaining an AWS certification, below is some useful information that will help you understand the different paths you can follow.

AWS Developer

AWS developer certifications ensure that candidates can create and maintain applications running on AWS.

• AWS Certified Developer- Associate
• AWS Certified DevOps Engineer-Professional

Solutions Architect

AWS Solutions Architect certifications ensure that candidates can design distributed applications and systems on AWS.

• AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate
• AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional

SysOps Administrator

AWS SysOps Administrator certifications ensure that candidates can provide, operate, and manage distributed application systems on AWS.

• AWS Certified SysOps Administrator - Associate
• AWS Certified DevOps Engineer - Professional

Specialty Certifications

AWS specialty certifications ensure that candidates have unique skill and expertise in specific IT areas while working in AWS.

• AWS Certified Big Data - Specialty
• AWS Certified Security - Specialty
• AWS Certified Advanced Networking - Specialty
• AWS Certified Machine Learning - Specialty

Below is detailed information for those that are inclined to pursue AWS certification for developers.

AWS Certifications for Developers

Let us discuss what certifications are ideal for developers and details regarding them.  

AWS Certified Developer – Associate

Description

The AWS Developer Associate certification is meant for software developers with at least one year of experience in the design and maintenance of applications on the AWS platform. Candidates must have an in-depth working knowledge of one or more high-level programming languages.

What are the important areas covered in the certification?

• Writing code that interacts with AWS services by using APIs, SDKs & AWS CLI.
• Write code for serverless applications
• Choosing the right AWS services for migrating an existing application or optimizing application by using AWS services & features.
• Code-level application security (including encryption, IAM roles, credentials, etc.)
• Deploy code/application using CI/CD services

Prerequisites

The skills and knowledge required before undertaking this certification include:

• 1+ years of hands-on experience in the development and maintenance of AWS-based applications
• Comprehensive knowledge of more than one high-level programming language
• An understanding of foundational AWS services including, use and best practices
• Proficiency in development and deployment of AWS cloud-based solutions
• Practical experience and knowledge in developing and maintaining applications programmed for Amazon DynamoDB, Amazon Simple Queue Service, Amazon Simple Storage Service, Amazon Simple Notification Service, AWS CloudFormation and AWS Elastic Beanstalk
• Hands-on coding experience with AWS APIs
• Understand AWS deployment tools and automation
• Understand of storage options and consistency models
• In-depth knowledge of one or more AWS SDKs

General IT Knowledge 

• Understand stateless and loosely coupled distributed applications
• Basic understanding of RESTful API interfaces
• Basic knowledge of databases (relational and non-relational)
• Basic understanding of messaging and queuing services
• Knowledge of RESTful Web Services, XML, and JSON
• Basic understanding of the software development lifecycle
• Practical experience with application security (including X.509 certificates, public key encryption, access credentials, and SSH)

Recommended professional course including the cost of training

AWS Developer Associate Certification Training Course    

Key features

• $299
• 28 hrs. of instructor-led training
• Three simulation exams and 16 live demos of AWS services
• Three hands-on practice projects using AWS console
• Practice assignment after every lesson

Exam fee and recertification

• Exam Registration Fee: $150
• Recertification is required every two years (email notification is sent to the candidate 6 months before the expiry of the certification credential)
• Recertification is done either by taking another exam  or by passing a professional-level exam (AWS Solutions Architect – Professional/AWS DevOps Engineer - Professional)

Exam duration and structure

• 80 min.
• Multiple choice questions

AWS Certified DevOps Engineer

Description

The certification covers a deep understanding of both static systems and systems that change over time. It also delves deeper into the design, provisioning, and maintenance of distributed systems and applications on the AWS platform as well as the life cycles of applications in general. The AWS Certified DevOps Engineer certification is a valuable progression between associate-level certifications and the Solutions Architect Professional certification.  

What are the important areas covered in the certification?

• Implementation and management of continuous delivery systems and methodologies on AWS
• Understand, implement and automate governance processes, security controls, and compliance validation
• Define and deploy systems on AWS (metrics monitoring, and logging systems)
• Systems implementation on the AWS platform.
• Design, management, and maintenance of tools used to automate operational processes

Prerequisites

The skills and knowledge required before undertaking this certification include:

• AWS SysOps Administrator - Associate certification or AWS Certified Developer – Associate certification. This is not mandatory but our recommendation based on the vast experience of training conducted for learners across the industry.
• 2+ years of practical experience on AWS systems (production)
• In-depth knowledge of AWS services
• Efficient use of  Automation for infrastructure 
• Strategies and techniques for modern development & maintenance of processes & methodologies.

Recommended Professional Course Including the Cost of Training

AWS SysOps Associate Certification Training Course

Key features

• $359
• 28 hrs. of instructor-led training and in-depth blended learning
• Lifetime access to on-demand video and course material
• Three real Industry projects with integrated labs  
• Full-time dedicated support with projects

Exam fee and recertification

• Exam Registration Fee: $300
• Recertification is required every two years (email notification is sent to the candidate 6 months before the expiry of the certification credential)

Exam duration and structure

• 170 min.
• Multiple choice questions



AWS Stats and Salary Trends

Below are some useful statistics on AWS developer certifications. The first image shows AWS certifications among other IT certifications in the global landscape. The rest of the information shows AWS developer courses in two countries, the USA and India.

Figure 1: Top 20 global IT skills salaries

AWS Certified Developer – Associate

Figure 2: AWS Certified Developer – Associate professionals by country

Figure 3: AWS Certified Developer – Associate top companies hiring

AWS Developer Course in USA

Average AWS Certified Developer - Associate salary in the US: $96K

Average salary by skill/specialty

Top employers/companies hiring

• Amazon.com Inc $111,573 - $161,171
• Capital One Financial Corp $70,957 - $128,108
• Booz, Allen, and Hamilton $67,708 - $96,650
• Slalom Consulting $75,000 - $127,500
• Accenture $102,500 - $131,984

Other stats:

Years of Experience

• Less than 1 year 1%
• 1-4 years 48%
• 5-9 years 22%
• 10-19 years 21%
• 20 years or more 7%

Gender

• Female: 11 % $66,040 - $110,141
• Male:  89% $64,884 - $123,568

AWS Developer Course in INDIA

Average AWS Certified Developer - Associate salary in India: Rs 690K

Average salary by skill/specialty

Top employers/companies hiring

• Tata Consultancy Services Limited Rs 378,000 - Rs 489,250
• Wipro Technologies Ltd. Rs 997,000
• Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp Rs 550,000
• Accenture Technology Solutions Rs 800,000
• Mindtree Consulting Rs 499,001

Other stats

Years of Experience

• Less than 1 year 3%
• 1-4 years 56%
• 5-9 years 28%
• 10-19 years 13%

Gender

• Female:  9% Rs Rs 550,000 - Rs 859,884
• Male:  91% RsRs 335,481 - Rs 1,435,723

AWS DevOps Engineer – Professional

Figure 4: AWS DevOps Engineer – Professionals by country

Figure 5: AWS DevOps Engineer – top companies hiring

AWS DevOps Engineer Professional Course in USA

Average AWS DevOps Engineer salary in USA: $118K

Average salary by skill/specialty

Top employers/companies hiring

• Amazon.com Inc $110,000 - $160,000

Other stats

Years of Experience

• Less than 1 year 4%
• 1-4 years 30%
• 5-9 years 30%
• 10-19 years 25%
• 20 years or more 11%

Gender

• Female: 2% Salary Data Not Available
• Male: 98% $67,871 - $139,249

AWS DevOps Engineer Professional Course in INDIA

Average AWS DevOps Engineer salary in India: Rs 1M

Average salary by skill/specialty

Top cities hiring

• Bangalore, Karnataka Rs 650,000 - Rs 2,300,000

Other stats:

Years of Experience

• Less than 1 year 4%
• 1-4 years 30%
• 5-9 years 39%
• 10-19 years 26%

Gender

• Female:  Data Not Available
• Male:  Data Not Available

Conclusion

The information mentioned above clearly shows that Amazon Web Services certifications can open the doors to many challenging job opportunities in your IT career. So, what are you waiting for? Gain expertise in AWS with Simplilearn’s AWS training programs. You can also leave a comment for any issues related to AWS certifications.