Are AWS Cloud Engineering Certifications Worth It?

Is the AWS Developer Certification Worth it for a software engineer in 2022? Lets explore how I studied, what the test is like, and whether or not its worth it for YOU to pursue the same certification.
Cloud computing is an increasingly large part of any software engineers job. Cloud services like AWS have become ubiquitous in our profession, and AWS is the largest, controlling 33% of the total market share for web hosting. The AWS Cloud Developer Associate Certification is mostly focused on the larger AWS services like AWS Lambda, AWS S3, AWS S2, AWS Dynamo DB, and Route53. It also deals with authentication systems and Amazon IAM.
The Cloud Academy Learning Path I Took: cloudacademy.c...
Quizlet Flashcards Link: quizlet.com/41...
#amazonwebservices #aws #cloudcertification #clouddeveloper #awsdeveloper #awsdevelopment #clouddevelopment #cloudengineering #awsdeveloperassociate
Sources:
"Cloud Market Share 2020: Amazon AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google, IBM": www.channele2e...
"Infographic: Amazon Leads $100 Billion Cloud Market": www.statista.c...
aws developer associate | aws developer associate certification | how to become a cloud engineer | cloud engineer job description

[@Geomaverick124]

Thanks for making a vid on this. The AWS Developer Associate was one of the AWS certs I wanted to go for. Most people go for the Solutions Architect and SysOps and there are tons of vids on those.

[@EthicalTechie]

I’m so glad it helps! Part of the reason I jumped right on it when I started my channel was I ran into the same thing, so I definitely get that!

[@generisarts]

Dude you the only person so far in my 12 months of trying to study the developer Associate exam, who clear inform the viewers that this in the a light/easy exam. Big ups to that !!!

[@amazekhashaa7309]

the final point is yes.

[@kladdkakaor]

Great video. I think you answered all my questions. Gave me a clearer expectation of what I will learn and how much effort I'll have to put in. All I needed to know.

[@dmitrikonnov922]

Hi everyone! I’ve just read a lot of arguments about certs are useless and there are lots of people out there with these certs. Well, it’s true. But keep in mind, that most of those people are in the US. I work in the Middle East and having a cert let’s you stand out a bit more for HR and come through their filters. Moreover, AWS employees from Europe who I sometimes communicate with have only associate certs. A cert doesn’t get you a job, experience and expertise are valued much, much more. But outside of the US, they give you some credits.

[@blackmantravel6954]

I found the SA alot harder then the developer. But then again 60% of SA is in the developer.

[@EthicalTechie]

This is good info! I could definitely see that, I've heard the cost optimization stuff is quite challenging. Thank you for sharing!

[@Kxneki2433]

I took the Developer Exam first, and then the SA Exam. I found the Developer Exam to be harder. However, I found the SA Exam to be easy due to the lot of overlapping content between the two exams. One may find it difficult to take their first Associate Level Certification.

[@dwayne5864]

Great video, thank you.

[@xX_dash_Xx]

Do u know how long these certs last? I would hate learning this stuff for it to be useless on my resume in like 2 years

[@caeduob]

It lasts for 3 years

[@xX_dash_Xx]

@@caeduob thx

[@FlexCrush1981]

I'm currently developing a web application at work on a local system. It involves users logging into a website and accessing information from a SQL database, with the logic implemented in Python. I plan to deploy it to AWS. Would this course be suitable for me, or would another be more appropriate? Thanks

[@ikilledthemoon]

You shouldn't need a certification to do that. Just know how to use EC2, make environment variables for your instance(so you don't deploy private keys with code) and just deploy it.

[@chrisx1197]

Thanks

[@wurf5336]

You need to learn CSS, your mustage is off center xD

[@echoic-yl5wj]

lol

[@ojalara3937]

I’m an It recruiter. Looking to make the transition… will this cert help me land an entry level position??

[@EthicalTechie]

I think it definitely won't hurt! But the most important things to getting in the door are networking and your fundamental skills. Make sure you know your way around an object oriented language, some form of database system, and at least a little front end stuff with javascript and that will set you up well! If you're just starting out I highly recommend following an online guide to build a basic app like a todo list or a flashcard app, you will learn a ton. If you already have some solid coding skills cloud development is very in demand right now so go for it!

[@godblessyou7962]

AWS Associate was a bit like the PMP 20 years ago (and arrived same spot. too many have it now using brain dumps). Wow. But now reality. This cert now is owned by 500% more people than 3 years ago, AWS entry level certs are not worth a lot. If you not earn a Pro cert, you waste your time. noone will hire you. and even you make it to an interview your brain dumps will not help you. there is only one teacher out there selling his courses for 40$ which will take you 6 months but you not only pass an cert but you understand it actually

[@chinito1724]

Why not drop the name or the course?

[@EthicalTechie]

You are certainly entitled to your opinion! I know where I work the associate certs are in very high demand still as there are still a lot of developers with very little AWS experience, and so going through the learning process to get one and demonstrate a reasonable level of proficiency is definitely a good thing. As for the pro certs, I’m sure it’s more appealing, but it’s still a multiple choice tests, and I think the reality still is you’ll need some experience actually working in the platform (personal projects or otherwise) to get hired most places as a cloud engineer, otherwise this is mostly for people who work as developers who interact with the cloud, rather than setting up an entire platform for development inside AWS.

[@EthicalTechie]

I’m not sure which course they are referring to, but I just added the one I went through to the description, but also for convenience: cloudacademy.com/learning-paths/aws-developer-associate-dva-c01-certification-preparation-4364/

[@chinito1724]

@@EthicalTechie thank you so much for that!

[@The169f]

Good Insights!

[@chenathy_5293]

are you planning to pass professional exam in the future ?

[@EthicalTechie]

I think so! Right now I’m actually studying a similar deck of solutions architect questions, I may knock that one out as well since there is a lot of overlap in the material. After that, and continuing to learn a lot more via working on projects, I’ll pursue one of the professional certs. I’m in no rush though as I’ve heard they can be quite challenging!

[@therealhassan0]

Thanks for the information, but can we get a job with this certification?

[@EthicalTechie]

Great question! I think it definitely makes you a more appealing candidate for a lot of companies, there aren't a ton of AWS developers compared with something like a Solutions Architect, but I do think you still need to have your code fundamentals down, and having a project to point to is really important too. At the end of the day all a certification shows is that you can pass the multiple choice test, so you still need the code skills to go with it.

[@rakoon6198]

@@EthicalTechie coding skills as in? Meaning any specific language?

[@EthicalTechie]

Great question! No specific language as most of the time you will still be deploying your code into aws, not writing directly into the aws platform. I generally would recommend JavaScript as you can work in back end and front end with it, but I’m also a JS developer mostly, I’m sure a Python or Java developer would say those are the best. The most important thing is to be good enough in your chosen domain to build something as an example of your skills, and to be able to get through a technical interview with it! I’m currently working on a video about technical interviews but there’s also a ton out there about them. As for the fundamentals piece, I would make sure you understand REST calls, tokens and basic authentication, and probably get familiar with SQL or no sql databases, but it would be hard to get through the material without that anyways. It’s less about having a huge level of technical depth, and more about understanding how the different pieces are working together and how to fix problems in those systems, or make them more efficient. A great way to learn some of that is setting up a really basic middleware api that takes in a request, does some type of transformation on it, then passes the transformed request on to a third party service, you’ll learn a ton trying to get that to work!

[@Ashis_Kumar90]

​@@EthicalTechie as a freshers how many opportunities for this

[@Canda-fh4xc]

In general. AWS certifications are useless if you don't have at least 2 years of hands-on experience and network relationships. Good luck finding a job with only certifications. There are thousands of people who have AWS certifications.

[@Ari-pb4uo]

That’s not true at all. I had zero cloud experience and certs prior to becoming a cloud engineer. There are quite a few companies that are hiring for completely entry level cloud engineer roles where they will train you on everything you need to know. Just have to do your research!

[@Canda-fh4xc]

@Ari in the US ? Do you know anyone in that company who helped you to get in?

[@Ari-pb4uo]

@@Canda-fh4xc yes in the u.s! No I did not know anyone at the company. Don’t feel discouraged or think it’s impossible because it’s definitely possible. You just have to do deep research!

[@Canda-fh4xc]

@@Ari-pb4uo Maybe you got lucky. Google has announced that it is laying off 12,000 employees .

[@Ari-pb4uo]

@@Canda-fh4xc no what’s meant for you will be. Just continue applying. The big tech companies are the ones that are doing massive layoffs. There are more companies out there besides google , Amazon and Microsoft etc.

[@lukamilicevic712]

How much do you make and Whats your job title?

[@EthicalTechie]

Right now, I'm not sharing my current salary as there have been a few high profile cases of people getting fired for sharing too much detail about their jobs in tech, and I'm new at this and have no idea where that line is (I also haven't been through a comp cycle since getting the cert). But if you're curious about tech salaries levels.fyi is a phenomenal resource! There's also a new law in NYC requiring companies to list min and max salary for a given position on job postings, adoption is lagging a bit but there are lots of posts on LinkedIn that can give you an idea too! As for title though I'm an Associate Software Engineer!

[@sergior.m.5694]

I got my AWS Solution Architect about a month ago, now working on the AWS Developer since there is a lot of overlap so, why not get both Also for me as a recent cloud developer these certifications courses and exams have helped me a TON providing a path to really understand what the cloud offers, If I was recruiting, I would definitely look for certification not only experience, because experience alone to me does not equal to quality experience

[@EthicalTechie]

Haha I’m in the reverse position studying for the SA currently! I had the same thought! I think that’s a great point as well, my org has been pushing us all to get it for that exact reason I think, it’s nice to have a third party assessing skills and knowledge, because there is a huge gap between A WAY to do it and doing something the right way.

[@shantanunarwade]

I recently passed this certification exam