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IT Certification Profile: AWS Certified Solutions Architect- Associate

March 08, 2016

Ranked as number one on the list of the 15 Top Paying IT Certifications for 2016 by Global Knowledge at $125,871, investing in your professional development to obtain the AWS Certified Solutions Architect credential seems to be worth it! Even if the financial side of things is not a top priority for you, earning this IT certification will definitely enhance your credibility in the job marketplace as more companies move to the cloud and the AWS platform. This month we took a deeper look into understanding the significance of this credential in our IT certification profile.

What is the AWS Certified Solutions Architect- Associate Certification?

According to Global Knowledge, “This certification is intended for IT professionals with experience designing distributed applications and systems on the AWS platform.” The certification exam addresses a variety of topics, including designing on AWS, selecting the appropriate AWS services for your situation, ingress and egress of data to and from the AWS, as well as estimating AWS costs and identifying cost-control measures.

As with all of the current AWS certification paths, the AWS Certification Solutions Architect features two levels – Associate and Professional with the Associate-level certification being a requirement for the Professional-level exam. This can be compared to having an undergraduate degree prior to pursuing a Master’s level degree.

Based off of the criteria on the Amazon Web Services website, eligible candidates for this exam possess:

  • One or more years of hands-on experience designing available, cost efficient, fault tolerant, and scalable distributed systems on AWS
  • In-depth knowledge of at least one high-level programming language
  • The ability to identify and define requirements for an AWS-based application
  • Experience with deploying hybrid systems with on-premises and AWS components
  • Ability to provide best practices for building secure and reliable applications on the AWS platform

What is the Certification Process?

There are four sections of the Amazon Web Services Certification exam.

  1. Designing highly available, cost efficient, fault tolerant, scalable systems (60%)
  2. Implementation/ Deployment (10%)
  3. Data Security (20%)
  4. Troubleshooting (10%)

The registration fee is $150 USD for the Associate exam; however, exam fees may be eligible for reimbursement for US Veterans covered under a GI Bill with an education provision. Credential holders are also required to re-certify every two years. This can involve retaking the associate exam or taking the exam for the Professional-level certification. You can view the AWS certification guide to prepare for the certification by clicking here.  Use this as a helpful guide for exam and training inquiries, whitepapers, FAQs, and practice exams offered.  Also, you can download the AWS Training and Certification Associate Level Exam Blueprint here for more details about general knowledge and skills required at this level and an exam breakdown for each of the four sections.

Check out our other certification profiles here! 

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Posted By: Anastasia Hoosman

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