AWS Certification Path, Job Description, and Salary

Typical Certification Path

1. Foundational — AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner (optional starting point).
2. Associate — Solutions Architect, Developer, or SysOps Administrator Associate.
3. Professional — Solutions Architect or DevOps Engineer Professional.
4. Specialty — Security, Networking, Machine Learning, Database, and other specialized certifications.

Common Job Roles

• Cloud Engineer — builds and maintains cloud infrastructure.
• Solutions Architect — designs cloud architectures for business requirements.
• DevOps Engineer — automates deployment pipelines and infrastructure.
• Cloud Security Engineer — focuses on securing cloud environments.

Salary Overview

Salaries vary widely by role, experience, and location, but AWS-certified professionals generally earn a premium compared to non-certified peers — checking current data on sites like Glassdoor or PayScale for your region gives the most accurate figures.