Are AWS Certifications worth it?

Why you need an AWS certification ASAP?

AWS is on the rise and nothing could be more evident.

Compared to its competitors, AWS has a lot more resources to offer for a company that needs to grow fast. It is more adaptable, its services more easily customisable for companies of all scales and sizes. Due to a host of many more reasons, more companies are choosing AWS over other available options. As more and more companies migrate to cloud and opt for AWS services, the need for a skilled IT workforce has risen dramatically in the past few years.

Surprised? This data proves just as much:

• A LinkedIn article published January 13, 2020, titled ‘Top 10 Skills Companies need’ saw Cloud Computing as the second most important skill required in the current IT industry.
• A Business Insider article, published sometime in November, 2020, titled ‘Top 20 Tech Skills Employers Want’ had AWS in 6th position.
• A Global Knowledge Report titled ‘Top 10 Most Important Skills for 2021’ has cloud computing at the first position.

Cloud computing has been one of the most phenomenal technological advancements in the UK. And with government’s support, AWS in the UK is rising almost at double or triple the global rate:

• A few months back, AWS commissioned a report to look at the impact of AWS and cloud in the UK. As per the report, of 2021, AWS is generating close to £8.7 billion in value for businesses across the country. This is equivalent to 0.4% of the UK’s total GDP.
• The same report also concluded that businesses running on the cloud will be nearly 3x more likely to grow at a rate of over 5% compared to those that are not.
• The report also pointed out that the impact of the cloud is distributed across a spectrum of UK businesses, both large and small.
• AWS adoption in the UK has been swift. By 2019 alone, 39 of the 50 fastest growing tech companies, and 16 of the country’s 17 private companies with a valuation of over $1 billion, were using AWS.
• Over the past two years, many of the country’s fast growing enterprises, from online food delivery service like Just Eat, to peer-to-peer lending platform like Funding Circle, have successfully built their whole businesses on the cloud.

Does an AWS certification guarantee a better future?

Do AWS certifications pay back? Can your career prospects truly change after making the shift? These are some questions that will haunt many of us who are testing the AWS waters. Here are some facts, which can help you conquer those doubts:

• As per a recent survey conducted in the UK, more than 80% people saw a raise in their salaries as a direct result of cloud certification, the average raise ranging from nothing less than £5k – £6k.
• According to LinkedIn, in March 2021, cloud engineers were reportedly earning an average base salary of £70k per annum.
• Due to more flexible work options and nature of work involved, retention rates have been found to be exceptionally high in AWS job roles.

Why are AWS certifications better than other certifications in cloud computing?

• The Demand

If there’s one thing that clearly defines the difference between AWS and its competitors, it is its popularity amongst potential clients. Time and again, since its launch, AWS takes the cake when it comes to consistently high demand for its cloud computing services:

• According to another McAfee report published in 2021, 41% of applications and services use AWS instead of any other cloud service, which directly translates to a proportionately higher number of job posts. On Indeed and LinkedIn, for every job post that requires an Azure certification, there are at least 5 that need an AWS certification.
• As a survey recently conducted in the UK established, 82% of hiring managers lay heavy weightage on AWS cloud certifications in a resume
• A Better Curriculum

Any course to do with cloud computing can seem hard and nearly impossible to someone coming from a non-IT background, but AWS goes out of its way to make learning a breeze Firstly, AWS provides a detailed map of courses on its websites, apart from providing n number of videos on the different objectives of each course etc. It has 3 times as many learning materials on its website as compared to Azure (123 e-learning items for AWS Cloud Practitioner course alone vs 78 total of all Azure paths)

This guidance does not end at the course selection stage.

Once you choose a course, you will be surprised at how easy-flowing, simplified and comprehensive the information will be. AWS has taken extra care to simplify and ease learning by also including hands-on skills that can help you learn faster and better. The course includes lab challenges that push you further in understanding whatever you are being taught. Exams are well structured and your progress is monitored in advance to ensure your success.

Another advantage of the curriculum is its scope. While AWS has software development kits (SDKs) for many popular programming languages, and closely follows trends to upgrade these SDKs, Azure and other cloud certifications restrict themselves to a very narrow set of languages.

The value of certification in your journey into AWS

While earning a certification guarantees exposure to knowledge about the concerned field, very few can help you learn industry-level skills through application. This is where AWS certifications have an edge over other courses you may come across. In a typical AWS certification course, not only do you get to acquire knowledge about a specific section of cloud computing but within the course itself, you get to reinforce these concepts with everyday tasks, hands-on lab and daily exercises. By constantly challenging yourself and training new practises and principles, you successfully prepare yourself for the industry.

This is in direct compliance with what your future employers look for in their prospective candidates. Almost 90% of hiring managers in the UK reportedly prefer hands-on skills over any certification or university degree.

So, while AWS certifications ensure your successful transition to the IT industry, continuous enhancement and sharpening of hands-on skills is a must, and will account for almost 40% of your credibility as a cloud professional.