Amazon Web Services (AWS) certifications can open the door to many top-paying careers in IT. But once you’ve passed your AWS certification exam, exactly which AWS jobs are you qualified for? In this post, we’ll explore a few jobs you may be able to land with an AWS certification.

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But before we get started, a disclaimer: There’s real value in AWS certifications. But it’s important to be realistic about what certs are and aren’t.

• Certifications don’t guarantee you’ll get a cloud job. They’re proof of knowledge, not experience. (If you’re new to cloud and it’s experience you seek, you can start by getting hands-on with some fun AWS projects.)

• That said, certifications can open doors and help you jump-start your cloud career.

OK. With that out of the way…

What jobs can you get with AWS certifications?

There’s a wide range of job opportunities and career paths available to people with AWS expertise. Let’s take a look at some of them, along with U.S. salary estimates courtesy of ZipRecruiter and Glassdoor.

1. Cloud Architect

Average yearly salary: $140,000-$150,000 USD

What is a cloud architect? Just one of the hottest jobs in tech.

AWS solutions architects spend their time architecting, building, and maintaining highly available, cost-efficient, and scalable AWS cloud environments. They also make recommendations regarding AWS toolsets and keep up with the latest in cloud computing.

Professional AWS cloud architects deliver technical architectures and lead implementation efforts, ensuring new technologies are successfully integrated into customer environments. This role works directly with customers and engineers, providing both technical leadership and an interface with client-side stakeholders.

Check out our video “So You Want To Be a Cloud Architect” for more insight.

2. Cloud Developer

Average yearly salary: $115,000 USD

Cloud developers build software services and enterprise-level applications. Generally, previous experience working as a software developer and a working knowledge of the most common cloud orchestration tools is required to get and succeed at an AWS cloud developer job.

Check out our video “So You Want To Be a Cloud Developer” for more insight.

3. Cloud Systems Administrator

Average yearly salary: $96,000-$99,000 USD

AWS SysOps administrators are responsible for the effective provisioning, installation/configuration, operation, and maintenance of virtual systems, software, and related infrastructures. They also maintain analytics software and build dashboards for reporting.

4. Cloud DevOps Engineer

Average yearly salary: $114,000-$125,000 USD

DevOps engineers design AWS cloud solutions that impact and improve the business. They also perform server maintenance and implement any debugging or patching that may be necessary. Among other DevOps things!

Check out “So You Want To Be A DevOps Engineer” for more.

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5. Cloud Security Engineer

Average yearly salary: $117,000-$136,000 USD

Cloud security engineers provide security for AWS systems, protect sensitive and confidential data, and ensure regulatory compliance by designing and implementing security controls according to the latest security best practices.

Think you want to be a security engineer? Watch “So You Want To Be a Security Engineer” for more.

6. Cloud Network Specialist

Average yearly salary: $98,000-$117,000 USD

Cloud network specialists, engineers, and architects help organizations successfully design, build, and maintain cloud-native and hybrid networking infrastructures, including integrating existing networks with AWS cloud resources.

7. Cloud Data Architect

Average yearly salary: $140,000-$155,000 USD  

Cloud data architects and data engineers may be cloud database administrators or data analytics professionals who know how to leverage AWS database resources, technologies, and services to unlock the value of enterprise data.

Watch “So You Want To Be a Data Engineer” for more.

8. Cloud Consultant

Average yearly salary: $108,000-$117,000

Cloud consultants provide organizations with technical expertise and strategy in designing and deploying AWS cloud solutions or in consulting on specific issues such as performance, security, or data migration.

Getting a job after getting an AWS certification

The field of cloud computing will continue to grow and even more different types of jobs will surface in the future.

Through studying and practice, any of the listed jobs could becoming available to you if you pass your AWS certification exams. Educating yourself on AWS concepts plays a key role in furthering your career and receiving not only a higher salary, but a more engaging position.

Ready to begin your cloud career? Develop your cloud skills and take the next step with A Cloud Guru’s certification prep courses.

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