AWS Cloud Training

The Amazon Web Services (AWS) certification is a globally recognized credential that proves your technical skills in cloud computing. Becoming AWS Certified allows you to demonstrate your knowledge of the AWS platform and helps establish credibility.

There are three certification levels:

- Foundational level

Proves you understand the basics of AWS cloud and core AWS services

- Associate level

Proves you have basic knowledge of AWS services and can use them to create simple cloud infrastructures.

- Professional level

Proves you have advanced knowledge of AWS services and can create complex cloud infrastructures.

How much AWS training will cost you depends on the path you choose

You can lean on mentors, online communities and free training materials provided by AWS and on the internet to train yourself—which costs nothing. You’ll only pay for the exam which costs up to $300.

To increase the chance of passing an exam the first time, many people turn to formal programs that specialize in AWS certification training.

Some programs offer training for a one-time cost ranging from $10 for no-frills self-paced training on the low end to several thousand dollars for live classes led by expert instructors on the high end.

Other programs are subscription-based and cost anywhere from $19 to $99 per month, or $249 to over $1,500 per year. Subscriptions typically include access to a large training library and you can pick and choose which courses to take.

The short answer is yes, it’s worth it

With the use of cloud computing increasing, the need for specialists who can work with it is also growing. This is why AWS certification is in high demand among IT companies.

An AWS certification is a great way for cloud pros to advance their career and increase salary. In fact, one survey found 70% of AWS professionals increased their salary up to 20% after passing their certification.

Earning an AWS certification is a straightforward process:

- Prepare for the exam You can learn on your own or enroll in an AWS certification training program. Whichever path you choose, hands-on experience is key to learning new technologies, so you’ll need to practice relevant scenarios in real-world environments and take practice exams.

- Sign up for the exam. AWS certification exams are delivered by Pearson VUE and PSI. You can search for upcoming dates and sign up here.

- Take the exam. Tests consist of multiple choice questions and are timed and proctored, ranging from 90-minutes for the Cloud Practitioner exam to 180-minutes for the Solutions Architect - Professional exam.

If you fail the exam, you’ll need to wait 14 days to retake it and must pay the full exam fee again. 

- Recertify after 3 years. To maintain your AWS Certified status, you’ll need to demonstrate your continued expertise through recertification every 3 years.

AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner is the first step towards AWS certifications. It’s intended for anyone looking to gain an understanding of how AWS can benefit their organization. Neither deep technical experience nor development skills are needed to become a certified cloud practitioner.

The exam tests your ability to:

- Explain the purpose and basic components of AWS;

- Use AWS tools and features to launch and manage EC2 instances, including security best practices;

- Use AWS data storage options such as Amazon S3, Amazon RDS, and Amazon DynamoDB; and

- Implement high availability using Amazon ELB, Amazon RDS, Elastic Load Balancing.

We won’t sugar-coat it—AWS certification exams can be very tough depending on your current knowledge and experience working with the platform.

One thing that makes the AWS certification exam more difficult than some other exams is how many different areas of the AWS platform are tested. It isn’t that one AWS service is covered more than others; it’s that several services overlap with one another in terms of functions and features.

But don’t be deterred! With a quality training program, hands-on practice and certification coaching, you can learn what’s needed to confidently pass the exam.