AWS, introduced by Amazon. is used by businesses to store their critical information on their cloud computing platform. On top of that, AWS provides high-end functions such as content delivery, compute power, and web applications.
Being one of the most preferred cloud services, it is natural for individuals to take an interest in AWS courses. Certification from these training courses opens up a plethora of job opportunities for them. As such, many might be sceptical as to whether these courses are worth investing time and money in.
In this article, we will be discussing everything you need to know about AWS courses 2021.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a cloud computing platform that is a subsidiary of the world-renowned Amazon. The platform provides more than 170 high-end AWS services to developers.
This includes infrastructure technologies like computing power and databases to up-and-coming technologies such as data lakes and analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence, and more.
Other key AWS services offered are network and delivery of content, developer tools, security tools, and management tools. No wonder AWS is such a sought-after choice among customers!
This cost-effective service is available worldwide with millions of users across 190 countries. You can access it from anywhere at any time. Their customers include industries of every size, from start-up businesses to large enterprises and public organizations. Some of the notable companies that use AWS include Netflix, Adobe, Hitachi, Airbnb, Johnson & Johnson, Coinbase, Capital One, AOL, Intuit, and more.
In 2021, almost everything can be done online. In that context, AWS courses 2021 can also be completed online. Certain online course-providing platforms such as Udemy, Coursera, Linkedin Learning, Linux Learning, Cloud Academy, and Pluralsight all offer a great variety of AWS course options on their site.
It is important that you pick a well-reputed source to take these courses to ensure their legibility. The lessons need to be accurate, and you will need plenty of practice to prepare yourself well for the exams. Read ahead as we list down some of the best AWS courses that are available online on the mentioned platforms.
To get an AWS certificate, you will need to take some training courses to pass their exams and get a certification. Here is a list of some of the best AWS training courses you can take online that are divided depending on the difficulty levels.
This AWS course found on Udemy is a beginner-level course and has a whopping 4.4 stars review from its students. This course will give you an extensive and thorough overview of the AWS cloud and what it entails. With a compilation of more than 170 practice tests and videos from certified tutors, this course will prepare you for the AWS Cloud Practitioner certification exam.
Completing this course should take you about 16.5 hours according to the site. This is a relatively affordable course priced at $29.99. You can reduce the price by using frequent discount coupons provided by Udemy.
Yet another beginner course, the AWS Certified Solutions Architect is available on Udemy as well. This course will train the learner to master AWS core services, NAT gateway and instance, security groups, bastion hosts, direct connect, enhanced networking, VPN, EC2, and much more.
According to the website, completing the course should take 14.5 hours approximately and will cost you $59.99. The learner should be able to clear AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate exams and AWS Certified Developer Associate exams upon the completion of this course.
This beginner AWS course 2021 is to introduce learners to AWS serverless architecture. Available on Coursera, the course will cover topics such as Amazon API Gateway, Amazon Dynamodb, Amazon Lex, AWS Lambda, and Serverless Architecture Solutions.
The course is designed in such a way that it allows learners to interact with expert AWS trainers in real-time. The tutorials provided and real examples of serverless websites and chatbots make this a great learning opportunity. With a high rating of 4.7 stars on the website from previous learners, it will take you approximately 8 hours to complete this course.
This is an intermediate-level AWS course 2021 that will give the learners in-depth knowledge on how to use cloud infrastructure for cost reduction and scaling operations of the business.
Available on LinkedIn Learning, this course focuses on topics like network architecture, creating AWS accounts, cloud development, EC2, and Elastic IP, Serverless Architectures, Automate infrastructure, and more. Aside from covering different architecture-related principles, you will get real-life examples and a hands-on approach. With a rating of 4.5 stars out of five, this is a relatively short course that will only take you about five hours to complete.
To learn more about services such as API Gateway and AWS Lambda, this Udemy course is created by one of the most popular website development instructors Maximilian Schwarzmuller.
The course will cover topics like serverless development, body mapping templates, dynamodb, scanning and creating items, AWS S3, web app deployment, serverless app security, advanced development workflows, and more. Being an intermediate to advanced level course, it will take you roughly 7.5 hours to complete this course.
This is a rigorous course offered by Cloud Academy that has a duration of 54 hours and 17 minutes. Meant for intermediate-level learners, you will be able to learn about DevOps, optimising applications, and other techniques like CI/CD. You get to learn to write code that is meant to take your AWS performance to the next level.
This course has a rating of 4.8 stars and by the end, you should be well prepared to take the Certified Developer Associate exam to gain the certificate.
This advanced-level AWS course 2021 from Pluralsight will require learners to be familiar with AWS operations or development. The course will include core topics that are related to AWS DevOps like the introduction to DevOps, deployment, delivery, and integration, configuration management and automation, application lifecycle management, cloud formation and automating infrastructure, building images, and bootstrapping elastic beanstalk, and more.
Ideal for operations engineers or developers, learners are also taught about application source code, application stacks automation with CloudFormation, and have an in-depth knowledge of operational tasks automation using AWS CLI.
Another course by LinkedIn Learning is a short one hour and seven minute long course for advanced-level learners. This course is for those who already have an AWS Certified Solutions Architect- Associate certificate.
If you want to widen your knowledge on design and deploy cloud architecture on AWS then this is the right course for you. The resources shared by the instructor are quite helpful in acquiring information on data security and preparing for the exam. Learners will need to pay $34.99 to take part in this course.
This is a professional-level course by Linux Academy that requires you to already have associate-level certificates. The course will cover topics like using IAM Roles with EC2, ELB logging, auto-scaling, and more.
By the end of this 31-hour long course, learners should be able to have a thorough understanding of the operation and management of distributed application systems on AWS, how to provision, and more. In order to prepare you better for the exam, you will have access to 10 quizzes and 16 labs. Linux Academy offers annual pricing plans, and you will need to pay $450 per year to avail of this course.
As of 2021, AWS offers 12 certifications divided into four levels. There is one foundational certificate, three associate-level certificates, two professional-level certificates, and six specialty certificates.
The foundational level certification is called AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner, and is used to validate the candidate’s understanding of the AWS cloud. This is an optional level that many candidates opt for before getting associate-level certifications. It is advised to have at least six months of experience in any AWS cloud role.
Associate-level certifications are a higher level than the Practitioner and require more hands-on experience in AWS. The three certificates under this level are AWS Certified Solutions Architect- Associate (SAA-CO2), AWS Certified Developer- Associate, and AWS Certified SysOps Administrator-Associate.
The two professional-level certifications are AWS Certified Solutions Architect- Professional, and AWS Certified DevOps Engineer- Professional. It is recommended to have at least an associate-level certification before getting a professional certificate. Although this is not necessary to do so, doing so will give you a better understanding of AWS spread across different attributes.
Specialty certificates, as the name suggests, are given to highlight expertise in one particular domain in AWS. As such, candidates will need to possess sound technical knowledge in that domain as well as years of experience to back that up. The difficulty level to attain this certificate can be compared to that of a professional level.
The six specialty certificates include AWS Certified Data Analytics, AWS Certified Security, AWS Certified Advanced Networking, AWS Certified Alexa Skill Builder, AWS Certified Machine Learning, and AWS Certified Database.
For a candidate to become AWS certified they will need to take an exam. Before that, it is advised to enrol in an AWS training class. The courses mentioned above are great options that will help increase your knowledge. On average with 80 hours of study material, it should take you about two months to prepare for the exams taking into consideration other commitments.
For candidates who are completely new to AWS, the preparation time will naturally be longer. With roughly 120 hours of study material, it should take 3 months or more. No matter the level of the certification, the exam format is multiple-choice questions and multi-answer. The time taken can be somewhere between 80 minutes to 3 hours.
The prices to take the exams also vary based on the levels with practitioner costing $100, associate $150, professional $300, and specialty also at a value of $300. All you need to do is schedule an exam once you have everything prepared, and hopefully, you should become AWS certified if successful.
Certifications are a legible document that validates your skills and knowledge about the topic. Getting an AWS certificate would endorse your technical skills in this cloud computing platform. The exams are designed in such a way that each candidate’s knowledge is thoroughly tested.
This ensures that whoever holds an AWS certification has a clear idea about key concepts and the likes. As such, this makes the candidate more valuable to recruiters as they now possess the skills to work with AWS services and provide solutions in the long run. This is a valuable asset to companies who want to expand their business and have it run smoothly.
AWS certificates are a guaranteed way to advance your career and earn more money. Not only that but it is highly recommended by people who want to pursue a career in cloud computing as this certificate opens up wide and flexible career options.
To summarise this article, AWS courses 2021 are crucial to those who are willing to attain an AWS certificate. The certificate holds great value in the job market and is highly recommended for those interested in cloud computing services.
You can find hundreds of AWS courses online that will provide learners with an array of resources and tools to strengthen their skills and knowledge. You will find that some of the best AWS course providers are online and have a variety of options for different difficulty levels. Ultimately, the decision of whether AWS courses are worth it or not is down to your personal preferences and needs. With that said, our AWS reviews have highlighted the best areas of the courses, and if that fits your aims & objectives, then you may want to head to AWS today!