Introducing the #AWSCertified Challenge: The Path to Your First AWS Certification (2023)

You may already know that Amazon Web Services (AWS) is the largest, oldest and most popular cloud service provider. But did you know they also offer professional certifications?

These AWS cloud certificates come directly from Amazon itself. The exams to pass them are quite challenging, but they will affect your resume and CV. They can help guide your career in a variety of new cloud roles such as DevOps or Site Reliability Engineering.

The big advantage of using the cloud (which is basically just a collection of other people's computers) is that you no longer have to buy your own servers and connect them to the Internet.

Instead, you can rent virtual cloud servers and run your applications on them. And as of 2020, most companies are doing it.

After completing this challenge, you will be a certified AWS Cloud Practitioner. You will also have at least an Associate-tier AWS certification. And if you're up for it, you can have one of the much-coveted professional-level certifications or a special certification.

There are at least 3 certifications - each with its own rigorous exam process.

First of all, you should know that AWS charges fees for taking exams and getting certified. (Costs from $100 to $300 per test. More details below.)

But apart from these exam fees, you won't have to spend a single dollar on exam preparation. How is this possible? Because freeCodeCamp has tens of hours of free AWS certification preparation courses on our YouTube channel. So.

My friend and fellow Star Trek fan Andrew Brown has created complete courses for each of these certifications. And his company, ExamPro, has graciously made them freely available to developers around the world.

I will link the videos below. But first, here are the rules for the challenge, should you decide to take it.

#AWSCertified Challenge Rules

1. Tweet a photo of yourself giving a thumbs up and announcing your commitment to the #AWSCertified challenge.
2. At least once every day, tweet about your progress and what you've learned or done using the hashtag #AWSCertified.
3. Respond each day by encouraging at least 2 other people who are also using the #AWSCertified hashtag.
4. Each time you earn a certificate, print it out, pose with it, and tweet a winning photo.

And that. Unlike #100DaysOfCode, there is no set end date for this challenge. It's done when it's done, which should only take a few months if you work every day to get certified.

Note that AWS has recommended work experience for each certification. Don't worry when you see AWS mention things like: "2 years of comprehensive experience designing, operating, and troubleshooting with the AWS cloud." These are recommendations only.

If you know enough to pass the test, you can become certified - even if you haven't done any professional projects using AWS yet.

What certifications does AWS offer?

AWS offers a total of 12 certifications. Here is an overview of the tests, how much they cost and how long the certificates are valid.

The rise of cloud services over the past decade has changed the way developers build and run web applications.

And since almost all applications in 2020 are either web applications or have a significant web application component, it could be argued that cloud computing has changed the nature of software development itself.

Most new companies are "cloud native" - ​​meaning they forgo data centers entirely and use only cloud services like AWS.

Some large companies and governments still run their own data centers. But most of them are also moving to a hybrid model where they connect their data centers to the cloud.

The rise of cloud computing has created a number of new technical functions called "cloud functions". These functions may rely less on traditional computer science fundamentals. Instead, they focus more on configuring, blending and maintaining cloud services to create cohesive products and services.

These new roles have created several new entry points into software development and systems administration careers.

In this article, I'll delve into the different cloud-focused developer roles so you can choose the one that best suits your experience and interests.

The functions I will cover here are:

• Solution architect
• cloud engineer
• SysOps administrator
• DevOps administrator
• Site Reliability Engineer (SRE)
• data scientist
• data engineer
• information analyst
• Safety engineer

I will also recommend a certification path for each of these roles. And I will explain the fees for each certification exam.

Also, since this is freeCodeCamp - where your glass of free learning resources runs over - I'm going to link you to a ton of free in-depth courses for each of these exams.

Let's begin.

As of 2020, AWS has more than 150 different cloud services – so many that even experienced developers don't know them all.

The job of a solution architect is to have a broad understanding of these core AWS services and to constantly understand new services as they emerge and how they can be used for business purposes.

The solution architect is not always responsible for implementing his own solutions. But they collect research and propose ideas to their team.

Of all the roles I will discuss here, the solution architect role requires the least programming knowledge.

If you love strategy, planning and problem solving, you'll love the role of solution architect.

And if you're not sure where to start your career, the Solutions Architect certification gives you the broadest exposure to cloud concepts so you can further specialize from there.

The recommended certification path to become an AWS Certified Solutions Architect

1. AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner ($100 exam)
2. AWS Solutions Architect Associate (ispit od 150 USD)
3. AWS Solutions Architect Professional (ispit od 300 USD)

Cloud Engineer is a more general role. It includes the same responsibilities as a web developer, but places more emphasis on using cloud services.

Cloud engineers focus more on the implementation details of development solutions than on infrastructure solutions. Cloud engineers are usually not tasked with configuring servers or networks. (This is handled by SysOps - a feature I'll explain below in a minute).

Of all the roles I'm going to talk about today, Cloud Engineer is the role that requires the most programming knowledge.

Recommended certification path to become an AWS Certified Cloud Engineer

1. AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner ($100 exam)
2. AWS Certified Associate Developer ($150 exam)

The SysOps (system operations) role involves maintaining the existing cloud infrastructure. SysOps administrators patch, monitor and test servers.

SysOps administrators are also responsible for responding to incidents that occur. So if a web server goes down in the middle of the night and you're the SysOps guy on call, you're the one who wakes up to fix it. :)

The SysOps role is often considered the first step towards becoming a full-fledged DevOps engineer (developer operations - I'll explain below).

A SysOps role requires you to have in-depth knowledge of infrastructure. You need to know how servers and networks work. And you need to be good with operating systems like Linux (and maybe Unix or Windows).

This feature does not require much scripting knowledge.

The recommended certification path to become an AWS Certified SysOps Administrator

1. AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner ($100 exam)
2. AWS SysOps administrator (150 USD ispit)

A DevOps (Developer Operations) role involves automating infrastructure using code. DevOps administrators help their organizations minimize infrastructure costs.

For example, a DevOps administrator can write a script that turns on additional servers during peak hours and then turns them off when business is slow to save money.

DevOps is a proactive function. They are actively trying to reduce the amount of work a SysOps administrator must do to maintain the infrastructure.

A DevOps role requires extensive infrastructure knowledge and extensive scripting knowledge.

Recommended certification path to become an AWS Certified DevOps:

1. AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner ($100 exam)
2. AWS SysOps administrator (150 USD ispit)
3. AWS DevOps Professional (300 USD ispit)
4. AWS Advanced Networking Specialty (300 USD ispit)

The Site Reliability Engineer (SRE) role focuses on implementing strategies for disaster recovery, fault tolerance, and high availability. SREs also work to increase the performance of developers on your team and the infrastructure itself.

SREs play a proactive role in making sure everything runs smoothly. It requires a wide range of knowledge.

The recommended certification path to become a Site Reliability Engineer

1. AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner ($100 exam)
2. AWS Developer Associate (ispit od 150 USD)
3. AWS Solutions Architect Associate (ispit od 150 USD)
4. AWS SysOps administrator (150 USD ispit)

The role of a Data Scientist involves trying to predict the future.

Data scientists use statistics, machine learning, and other academic expertise to help create automated, data-driven business solutions. This is a more reactive role.

It's true that data scientist roles traditionally require academic training, and many data scientists have PhDs and extensive training in mathematics.

However, the demand for data scientists is so high among many employers that just being able to use simple machine learning solutions is enough to help you land a job.

You can also find data science roles that use managed machine learning services.

If you're not afraid of math and want to work with big data, then this feature might be a good option for you.

Recommended certification path to become a data scientist

1. AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner ($100 exam)
2. AWS Solutions Architect Associate (ispit od 150 USD)
3. AWS Database Specialty ($300 exam)
4. AWS Analytics Specialty ($300 exam)

When a Data Scientist builds a data solution, they build a prototype that is not necessarily scaled. That's where the Data Engineer comes in.

The role of the data engineer is to wrap this solution around the infrastructure that runs at scale.

A data engineer must think about how to move and store data. They need detailed knowledge of how to configure and size databases and messaging systems. They also need to understand how to integrate different APIs.

A data engineer role is ideal if you want to work with big data and big infrastructure, but don't want to learn so much math and domain knowledge.

Recommended certification path to become a data engineer

1. AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner ($100 exam)
2. AWS Developer Associate (ispit od 150 USD)
3. AWS DevOps Professional (300 USD ispit)
4. AWS Database Specialty ($300 exam)

The role of a data analyst involves analyzing data and creating data visualizations.

Data analysts are curators of data. They are masters of complex SQL queries. They can use enterprise-level business intelligence tools. Or they can simply use out-of-the-box JavaScript frameworks to create their views.

If you don't have a solid foundation in mathematics, but you know something about web development and want to work with big data - a data analyst role could be a good fit for you.

Recommended certification path to become a data analyst

1. AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner ($100 exam)
2. AWS Developer Associate (ispit od 150 USD)
3. AWS Database Specialty ($300 exam)
4. AWS Analytics Specialty ($300 exam)

With the rise of mass data in the last decade, security breaches can have enormous consequences. It seems like every month we hear about a company being hacked and exposing millions of customer records to hackers.

Even smaller businesses and local non-profit organizations need to be concerned about security. Cloud computing introduces even more security considerations, so there are many new career opportunities in this field.

There is also a wide range of specializations in the field of cyber security. I could write a whole article just about these specializations, and it would be at least as long as this one.

But this is a good starting point if you want to become a security engineer working with cloud services.

The recommended certification path to become a security engineer

1. AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner ($100 exam)
2. AWS Solutions Architect Associate (ispit od 150 USD)
3. AWS Security Expertise (300 USD ispit)

10 years ago, most certifications in the tech industry weren't taken seriously. Part of this was due to confusion over what constitutes a "certificate" versus just a "certificate". (The difference - the instructor can give youconfirmationat the end of the weekend workshop, but you have to work hard and pass some sort of assessment to earncertification.)

AWS has raised the profile of developer certifications. They did this by directly certifying everyone and providing verified certificates on their own servers.

These AWS certifications are already notoriously challenging, and AWS updates their exams every quarter with new questions to keep developers on their toes. AWS also strictly monitors candidates through monitoring testing centers. (That's right - you must physically appear at the test center to take these exams.)

If you're learning about cloud services for the first time, you'll definitely want to start with the Certified Cloud Practitioner course. It teaches you all the basic knowledge you need and gives you hands-on experience with the AWS platform.

It is also great for boosting self-confidence. You can pass the exam after only 10 hours of study. So you can realistically become AWS certified in a week.

Here's the full course - free and ad-free - on the freeCodeCamp YouTube channel:

Also be sure to join freeCodeCampDiscord channel #AWSCertifiedask questions and get help along the way.

All of the "Big 3" cloud providers have similar offerings. You can easily transfer the concepts you learn on AWS to other platforms. (In case you were wondering, along with AWS, there's also Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud Platform.)

There are advantages to choosing AWS as your primary cloud provider when learning about the cloud.

AWS has been around the longest - since the early 2000s. They have the largest library of cloud service offerings with over 150 services. Therefore, learning AWS first will give you access to the widest range of cloud tools.

AWS advantage #2: Good student support

Like Amazon, AWS places a strong emphasis on customer support. You can pay AWS $30/month to get access to their support plan where you can email them with questions and they will help you sort it out. This can help you speed up your learning and avoid getting stuck for too long.

AWS also has extensive technical documentation - arguably more extensive than Google's or Microsoft's. In fact, you can pass many AWS certification exams just by reading official AWS documentation and technical white papers. (And again, we offer free in-depth courses for those exams, so you might not need to rely so much on that documentation.)

AWS advantage #3: More employers are using AWS for a larger job market

Perhaps the most important benefit of getting AWS certified first is that more than 50% of Fortune 500 companies—and many governments—use AWS. Until Microsoft and Google take over the market, AWS certifications offer the most potential job opportunities.

There are quite a few newcomers to the cloud provider space that you might encounter at work. I still wouldn't recommend studying specifically for certification, but it's good to be aware of them.

IBM launched its own broad range of cloud services a few years ago, but it may have stalled. They seem to be investing more in machine learning these days with Watson and other AI projects.

Alibaba Cloud is the AWS of Asia. It has a wide range of services, just like AWS. In theory, if you knew how to use AWS, you could also use Alibaba Cloud. If you're reading this from China, I encourage you to check out Alibaba Cloud Tools and Certifications. Otherwise, I recommend focusing on the big 3 as they are used more overseas.

Netlify is an abstraction layer on top of the Big 3 cloud providers. It's not really a cloud provider. But it has an easy-to-use interface that makes cloud hosting, deployment, and serverless easy.

Digital Ocean and Linode started out as hosting providers and each added a few extra services like load balancing and automatic backups. If you learn to use one of the Big 3, you can easily accept and run Linode and Digital Ocean. They are much easier to use.

Heroku is not a cloud service provider but a Platform as a Service (PaaS). Heroku abstracts your cloud infrastructure to make it easier to deploy your web application. If your goal is to become a full-stack developer, Heroku lets you focus on just the coding part. Most companies outgrow Heroku very quickly because it becomes too expensive to scale.

Each of the 11 certifications falls into one of four categories, with some being much more difficult than others.

• Basic - easy
• Co-workers - Difficult
• Profesionalac - Dark Souls Hard
• Specialty - varies

Basic level

There is only 1 AWS certification at the foundation level, which is the AWS Certification Cloud Practitioner (CCP).

This will give you a solid foundation in the main tools available on AWS. It will also teach you important concepts about security, using the AWS interface, and how your billing works.

Regardless of which way you want to specialize, your journey to the cloud should always start with acquiring a CCP.

Member level

There are 3 AWS certifications at membership level, they are:

• Partner Solution Architect
• Associate SysOps Administrator
• Associate Programmer

If you enjoy working with operating systems, infrastructure, and networking, you'll want to earn a SysOps Administrator Associate.

If you're more focused on product management, business, and problem solving, you'll want to get a solution architect associate.

And if you enjoy programming and have experience as a full-stack developer, you'll want to earn the title of Developer Associate.

Professional level

There are 2 professional level AWS certifications:

• Professional solution architect
• Professional DevOps engineer

If you're a developer ready to take on one of the toughest certification challenges of your life, get Solutions Architect Professional.

If you're less interested in software development and more interested in building infrastructure, get DevOps Engineer Professional.

Special certificates

There are 6 specialty-level AWS certifications:

• advanced network
• Security
• machine learning
• Analyze
• Database
• Alexa Skill Builder

All of these exams are quite difficult, with the exception of the Alexa Skill Builder.

The most difficult of these specialty certifications is the Machine Learning specialty, as it requires you to have a solid theoretical foundation in machine learning.

Instead of thinking of AWS certifications as a "guaranteed job," think about how they increase your chances. Here are two cases where they increase your chances of getting a job (and increase your earning potential):

Case 1: Certification requirements appear in job postings

In major tech hubs like San Francisco and Toronto, the "preferred requirements" sections of job postings increasingly mention cloud certifications. So one or more AWS certifications can really help you stand out from the crowd.

Case 2: APN encourages hiring of AWS certificate holders

The Amazon Partner Network (APN) is a global partner program run by AWS. Employers join APN to be able to:

• get more business opportunities with other APN members
• attend conferences and other marketing events (online and offline)
• get AWS credits
• get specialized training

In order to remain part of APN, a company must employ a certain number of AWS certified employees at various levels.

There are hundreds of companies that are part of APN, such as: Deloitte, Onica, DataDog, Citrix, Autodesk, TrendMicro, Atlassian, Github, Intel, VMWare, New Relic, Cisco, DataBricks, Akamai and Redhat.

You can increase your chances of being selected for jobs with these employers if you hold a combination of AWS certification levels (basic, associate, professional, specialized).

Don't disqualify yourself from a cloud role just because you're not AWS certified. For example, AWS itself often hires people who do not have any AWS certifications. Getting AWS certified and being able to do the job are two different things.

It can be difficult to pass professional or expert AWS certifications without hands-on experience. But if you can get these certifications, they are a strong indication to employers that you can succeed in this job.

Plus, even if you don't mind getting AWS certified, you'll still benefit from the free courses. Not that the cloud will go away. The genie is out of the bottle and every developer in 2020 should understand how it works - even at an abstract level.

This depends on several factors related to geopolitics, visa laws and local economies. But I can say this - getting AWS certified can increase your chances of getting hired abroad.

There are recruiting firms that specialize in filling cloud computing roles.

For example, Vanhack identifies talented developers around the world - such as India or Brazil - and helps them relocate to the US or Canada. For cloud roles, they specialize in placing DevOps Engineers and Site Reliability Engineers.

Jefferson Frank is an AWS Global Recruiting Specialist. If you have a professional level AWS certification - or a specialized certification - and have about 10 years of experience - then you have a good chance of being hired by them.

The DevOps Engineer and Site Reliability Engineer roles are the most common outsourced roles in the cloud. So if you want to work in your home country, you can focus on one of these roles.

Since the solution architect role requires a lot of face-to-face communication, it is usually an office-based or traveling role.

For each certification, AWS has a recommended amount of experience listed in its exam study guides. They'll say things like: "2 years of comprehensive experience designing, operating, and troubleshooting using the AWS cloud."

This is just a recommendation. In practice, many people pass these certification exams in a few months and without any professional experience.

Here's a summary of what we often hear from people who have just passed away:

How long does it take to become an AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner?

Some people pass after only 4-10 hours of study. Most people clear up within 1 week, but some take up to 3 weeks. A lot depends on how much prior technical experience you have.

How long does it take to earn AWS Associate certifications?

These associate level certifications generally require 1-3 months of study.

Solutions Architect Associate is the easiest to study because it requires the least practical knowledge. Most of the test is theoretical which you can learn from these free ExamPro courses on the freeCodeCamp YouTube channel.

If you move on to Developer Associate or SysOps Associate after earning the Solutions Architect Associate title, about 50% of the exam will be things you've learned before, saving you more time to study.

Developer Associate is currently the most difficult to pass because it deals with much more programming and practical knowledge.

It's not uncommon for people to pass all three associate exams within just a few weeks of each other.

Sometimes people will want to go through all the associates to prepare for a specialty.

If you can go straight to the professional level and pass it, there's no point in getting all the associate certifications. But remember: the expert level exams are at least 10 times more difficult than the professional level exams.

Instead, earning an associate-level certification can serve as a springboard to start your job search. You can always go back and get professional level certifications after you gain some work experience.

Professional level certificates

Professional level certifications are quite difficult. Most people run out of time before answering all the questions.

There are many correct answers in these exams, but you have to choose the optimal answer for each question.

If you're not already working at a company where you can get hands-on experience using AWS, you'll likely have about 6 months of learning before you're ready to take these professional-level exams.

Specialty certifications are not as difficult as professional-level certifications.

The Alexa Skill Builder is pretty simple, but it's a bit more expensive compared to other certifications when you factor it in. Many people do not get this confirmation.

Other specialist certificates may require 2-4 months of study.

AWS creates exam questions. Two partner networks of test centers (PSI and Pearson Vue) administer the test from one of their offices.

Taking certification exams costs money.

• The Certified Cloud Practitioner exam costs $100.
• Each of the Associate Level Certification exams costs $150 per exam you choose.
• And Professional and Specialty level certifications cost $150 each.

Yes. If you pass the exam, you will get half of the next exam. So if you pass the CCP and then complete the Solutions Architect Associate, it's only $75 instead of the usual $150.

Once you pass the AWS certification exam, it only lasts for 3 years before it becomes invalid.

When people earn professional level certifications, they rarely bother to renew their associate level certifications. This is because once you get your professional level certificate, you no longer have to prove that you can pass the easier exams.

Yes you are. You need a credit card to create an account. This is the case for all cloud service providers.

You also need a credit card to register for certification exams.

You may be able to use prepaid credits or a virtual credit card application to create your AWS account and pay for the exam.

Note that if you are from a US-sanctioned country, you may not be able to create an AWS account or take exams. If this situation applies to you, consider looking into Alibaba Cloud or other international service providers.

AWS can verify your card with a small one-time charge of less than a dollar, so beware of international transaction fees.

AWS comes with a free tier for a few months. As long as you don't exceed your limits or continue using it after the free period ends, you shouldn't see any charges on your AWS credit card.

It depends on which country you are in and how you specialize. Remote opportunities generally pay less. DevOps Engineer and Site Reliability Engineer roles are among the highest paying remote jobs.

Here's an example:

Daniel Vassallo has worked at AWS for 5 years and now earns an annual salary of $500,000.

Note that he worked for AWS from their headquarters in Seattle and already had years of experience prior to AWS. So your salary is certainly on the high side of what you might expect.

If you're just starting your tech career, you can earn anywhere from $50,000 to $150,000. It comes down to many factors, including your willingness to aggressively apply for jobs andsuccessfully negotiate a higher compensation.

The freeCodeCamp YouTube channel has full free multi-hour courses to help you prepare for these AWS certifications.

• About AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner(course of 4 hours)
• Associated AWS solution architect(course of 10 hours)

I will be adding more courses here as we post them over the next few days.

Again, these are the rules:

1. Tweet a photo of yourself giving a thumbs up and announcing your commitment to the #AWSCertified challenge.
2. At least once every day, tweet about your progress and what you've learned or done using the hashtag #AWSCertified.
3. Respond each day by encouraging at least 2 other people who are also using the #AWSCertified hashtag.
4. Each time you earn a certificate, print it out, pose with it, and tweet a winning photo.

I will update this article regularly. It will serve as the central document around which the #AWSCertified challenge is based.

In addition to the #AWSCertified hashtag community on Twitter, we also have a Discord chat room where you can chat with others preparing for these certifications and ask questions. You canjoin the Discord chat room here.

And that's it.

If you're up for the challenge, see you on Twitter and Discord.

As always, thanks for being part of the freeCodeCamp global developer community. Happy coding.

Appendix: Some additional free AWS learning resources

• AWS from A and Zis a curated list of terms needed to round out your cloud computing vocabulary. This is especially useful for the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner (first certification).
• CloudNewis a Discord support group where you chat with like-minded people who are self-studying and getting AWS certified. This is a nice addon for Discordo Discord #AWSCertified Officer.
• serverless stackis a free course on how to build a serverless web application on AWS. It touches many essential services. You can use it as a self-study guide to gain hands-on experience. It is particularly useful for the AWS Developer Associate and Solutions Architect Associate certifications.