Here is the current list of AWS certifications

AWS Certifications List

Amazon Web Service's core certifications span three key knowledge areas: architecture, development, and operations, and come in 2 skill levels - associate and professional. AWS also offers specialty certifications that prove advanced expertise in targeted IT domains, such as big data and networking.

The cloud services market is hyper-competitive and evolving rapidly, and AWS is continually launching new products and services to stay on the cutting-edge. With new solutions comes new certifications to validate IT professionals' skills in their use; this page will continuously be updated as new AWS certifications are released.

Here is the current list of AWS certifications:

AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate

Amazon’s most popular AWS certificate, and a common entry-point for those entering the cloud architecting space, this credential demonstrates your ability to design and deploy effective solutions on the Amazon Web Services platform. This certification is intended for individuals who can design distributed applications in AWS.

AWS Certified Developer - Associate

This AWS development certification validates your ability to design and maintain AWS applications. It is intended for software developers with one or more years experience designing and sustaining an application on the AWS platform. Candidates should also possess a deep working knowledge of at least one high-level programming language.

AWS Certified SysOps Administrator - Associate

This Amazon Web Services administration credential demonstrates expertise in deploying, scaling, migrating and managing AWS systems. SysOps certification exam candidates are recommended to have at least one year of hands-on experience managing cloud applications on the AWS platform.

AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional

This certification demonstrates advanced expertise in the design of distributed systems and applications on the AWS platform. Candidates for this certificate are required to hold the AWS Solutions Architect Associate cert, and are recommended to have 2+ years of experience in the design and deployment of cloud architecture on Amazon Web Services.

AWS Certified DevOps Engineer - Professional

This advanced AWS certificate validates knowledge in provisioning, management, security and operations of AWS solutions. Candidates are required to have either the AWS Certified Developer OR AWS Certified SysOps Administrator associate credentials before sitting for this exam. 2+ years of experience provisioning and managing AWS environments is also recommended.

AWS Certified Big Data – Specialty

This certification demonstrates the skills to design and manage AWS solutions that can help organizations extract valuable insights and actionable intelligence from their business data. Exam candidates must have at least one of the 3 AWS Associate certs listed above, and are recommended to have 5+ years experience in data analytics.

AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty

This AWS specialty certificate validates the skills to design and deploy AWS as part of a hybrid IT network architecture, to scale. Candidates need to possess one or more of the AWS Associate credentials listed above, and should have 5+ years of hands-on experience architecting and managing enterprise network solutions.

AWS Certification Salaries

In the short time since the Amazon Web Services certification program launched in 2013, AWS certified pros already rank among the highest paid IT certification holders. According to the latest salary survey from Global Knowledge, the average wage for AWS certified individuals is $113,932.

Here is a breakdown of average salary by AWS certificate (U.S. and Canada only):

• AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate: $119,233
• AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional: $116,838
• AWS Certified Developer – Associate: $116,456
• AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional: $108,315
• AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate: $111,966

AWS Lifecycle & Recertification

To keep your AWS credentials current, recertification is required every two years. This is a brief period compared to many other certifications - even in the fast-paced world of tech – as Amazon is constantly adding features and services to AWS to stay ahead of the rapidly evolving cloud market. AWS recertification consists of either advancing to the next level of your AWS certificate, i.e., Associate to Professional, or taking a recertification exam for your current credential at a reduced cost.

Who are AWS’s Competitors?

While Amazon Web Services offers the most comprehensive and popular service suite - accounting for about half of all public cloud solutions currently deployed – there are some other cloud service providers (or CSPs) effectively vying for a slice of this pie. The most prolific AWS competitors include Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform, IBM Cloud, and OpenStack.

Which Cloud Platform Should You Learn?

If you know that the company you work for (or want to work for) uses an AWS competitor like those listed above, then train and certify in that cloud platform. Everyone else: Amazon Web Services training and certification is the way to go.

About Amazon Web Services

Launched by Amazon in 2006, AWS is now the world’s leading provider of public cloud computing solutions. AWS offers a wide range of cloud services that help businesses succeed in today’s web-based marketplace. Its certification program helps IT professionals prove they have the skills to design and manage these in-demand solutions.