The ever increasing rate at which incredible innovations, multiple features and offerings are being created by the top three cloud providers name, AWS(Amazon Web Services), Azure(Microsoft), GCP(Google Cloud Platform). It does take a lot of time and effort to keep up. Above all skills always matter whether you have certification or not, but going through the certification pathway with sincere quest to learn and harness the skills can make a profound impact and it can act as a catalyst to boost your career and also take your skills to the next level. In this article, we explore the current certifications offered and some of the places from where you learn from. We will aim to keep it simple and not dive deep into details yet.
To add on, the limitless power of the cloud requires strong cloud engineers who can harness its power and come up with ideas and designs that can make an incredible impact for the organizations they work for. Therefore, let’s explore the certification pathway from the perspective of what we can achieve beyond the certification during the journey.
Why must we obtain certifications?
The key idea we believe is to increase the breadth of your knowledge. For example if we know just one tool or feature, our scope of influence will always be limited. Going through the certification journey enhances our Peripheral vision and allows us to strongly contribute to continuous innovation and helps us to establish a stronger edge and greater personal branding. Seeing beyond the current problem and solution is what we would like to encourage. However, above all it’s the mindset that matters the most and we must understand it is not about passing certification but it’s about obtaining true credibility – so be honest with yourself 🙂 in your journey.
Below we highlight some overall advantages in brief:
- Industry Recognition: Achieving certifications demonstrates your expertise and proficiency in working with Cloud Technologies, which is highly valued by employers and clients alike.
- Validation of Skills: Certifications validate your skills and knowledge in various aspects of cloud computing, such as designing, deploying, and managing applications on the cloud platforms. This validation can boost your confidence and credibility in your field.
- Career Advancement: Holding Cloud certifications can open up new career opportunities and pathways for advancement. Many employers specifically seek candidates with cloud certification when hiring for cloud-related roles, and certification can often lead to higher-paying positions.
- Competitive Edge: In a competitive job market, having Cloud certifications can give you an edge over other candidates who may not have it. It demonstrates your commitment to staying current with the latest technologies and industry best practices.
- Access to Exclusive Resources: Cloud Providers offer various resources and benefits to certified individuals, such as access to their respective Certified Global Community, exclusive events, and additional training opportunities, which can further enhance your skills and network.
- Client Confidence: For consultants, freelancers, or service providers, Cloud certifications can instill confidence in clients regarding your ability to deliver high-quality solutions using Cloud services, leading to increased trust and potential for business growth.
- Continuous Learning: Cloud certifications require ongoing learning and recertification, encouraging professionals to stay updated with the latest advancements in cloud technology and expand their skill set throughout their careers.
We understand there are many other providers in the market , but in this article we choose to explore the following only.
- Amazon Web Services (AWS)
At the moment, AWS offers 12 certifications as follows:
- 1 x Foundational
- 4 x Associate
- 2 x Professional
- 5 x Speciality(one of them is subject to retiring soon- SAP on AWS)
Notes:
- Costs – Foundational: $100USD, Associate: $150USD, Professional: $300USD, Speciality: $300USD
- AWS Certified: SAP on AWS – Specialty – This certification will be retired on April 30, 2024. The last day to take this exam will be April 29, 2024. – FAQ
- AWS Certified Database – Specialty – This certification will be retired on April 30, 2024. The last day to take this exam is April 29, 2024 – FAQ
- Course links – Currently as per market trends AWS training portals, Udemy Courses, Acloud Guru are quite popular – but we also have many others which are very competent as follows, please feel free to explore. Goal is just to choose one good one and finish it.
- Microsoft Azure
At the moment Azure offers 18 x Certifications as follows:
- 3 x Beginner
- 10 x Associate/Intermediate
- 3 x Speciality
- 2 x Expert
Notes:
- Associate and Expert exams typically cost US$165 but are priced according to currency values in specific countries and regions
- For training options – you can refer to the same links above – with Microsoft based training.
- Other Options include Udemy & ACloud Guru
3. Google Cloud Platform(GCP)
At the moment, Google offers 11 x Certifications as follows:
- 1 x Foundational
- 1 x Associate
- 9 x Professional
| Certification Level | Certification Name | Recommended Courses Links |
| Foundational | Cloud Digital Leader | Google Cloud Skills Boost |
| Associate | Associate Cloud Engineer | Google Cloud Skills Boost |
| Professional | Professional Cloud Architect | Google Cloud Skills Boost |
| Professional | Professional Cloud Database Engineer | Google Cloud Skills Boost |
| Professional | Professional Cloud Developer | Google Cloud Skills Boost |
| Professional | Professional Data Engineer | Google Cloud Skills Boost |
| Professional | Professional Cloud DevOps Engineer | Google Cloud Skills Boost |
| Professional | Professional Cloud Security Engineer | Google Cloud Skills Boost |
| Professional | Professional Cloud Network Engineer | Google Cloud Skills Boost |
| Professional | Professional Google Workspace Administrator | Google Cloud Skills Boost |
| Professional | Professional Machine Learning Engineer | Google Cloud Skills Boost |
Notes:
- Cost of the exam is between $99 to $200 USD plus tax where applicable. Foundational – $99USD, Associate: $125 USD, Professional: $200 USD
- https://googlecloudcertified.credential.net/ – Once certified your profiled can be updated here with credentials
- For training google based training is quite good, but you can explore others like Udemy , ACloud Guru (Pluralsight Company) and Coursera