AWS Career Growth: Experience or Certification – Which One Takes Center Stage?

What Are AWS Certifications?

AWS Certifications are industry-approved credentials that validate your cloud proficiency. They establish your ability to design, deploy, and manage AWS infrastructure effectively.

AWS offers 12 certifications, categorized into:

• Foundational (e.g., Cloud Practitioner)
• Associate (e.g., Solutions Architect, Developer, SysOps)
• Professional (e.g., Solutions Architect Professional, DevOps Engineer)
• Specialty (e.g., Security, Networking, Machine Learning)

What Is Experience in AWS?

Experience refers to your practical exposure and hands-on expertise working with AWS services. It's the real-world application of skills, such as:

• Launching elastic applications
• Configuring VPCs
• Deploying EC2 instances
• Managing IAM policies

Key Components of Experience:

• Hands-on projects
• Problem-solving in constraint-driven environments
• Team collaboration on cloud migrations or DevOps pipelines
• Exposure to production environments

Why AWS Certifications Matter:

Credibility & Trust

Certifications validate expertise, especially for beginners in AWS or cloud. Recruiters and employers favor certified professionals because they’ve been assessed against a global standard.

Resume Boost

AWS-certified professionals typically earn more. According to Global Knowledge, certified AWS professionals can earn up to $150,000/year in lead roles.

Structured Learning Path

AWS certifications offer a clear learning path, starting with the basics and progressing to advanced topics. This structured approach builds solid foundations.

Competitive Advantage

In a crowded job market, certifications help you stand out. Many employers view certifications as a minimum qualification for interviews.

Partner Requirements

AWS Partner Network (APN) organizations require staff certifications to retain their partner status and access AWS resources.

Why Experience Is So Important:

Hands-on Problem Solving

AWS environments are rarely textbook-perfect. Practical experience teaches you to overcome real-world challenges like network bottlenecks, scaling issues, and cost optimization.

Real-World Skills

Cloud environments are dynamic and constantly evolving. Experience builds your troubleshooting and adaptability skills.

Team Collaboration

Working on AWS projects in DevOps and Agile teams builds collaboration skills and exposes you to CI/CD pipelines.

Client Confidence

Clients and employers trust professionals who have proven success in real-world projects. Experience seals the deal after certifications open the door.

Advanced Architecture Understanding

Designing production-ready AWS solutions requires an understanding of compliance, security, and disaster recovery—skills honed through experience, not exams.

Who Should Get AWS Certification First?

New Graduates/Newbies to Cloud

Certifications help you break into the cloud job market. They provide employers with confidence in your foundational skills.

Career Switchers (Non-IT to IT)

If you’re shifting from a non-tech background, certifications offer credibility and help you establish yourself in the AWS ecosystem.

Freelancers & Consultants

Certifications build trust with clients and open contract opportunities for independent professionals.

Companies Pursuing AWS Partner Status

Organizations require certified staff to meet AWS Partner Network (APN) requirements and unlock partner benefits.

Who Should Emphasize More on Experience?

Certified But No Hands-On

If you’re already certified but lack project work, now’s the time to gain practical exposure.

Mid-Level Cloud Professionals

With 2+ years of experience, mid-level professionals benefit more from deepening expertise than pursuing additional certifications.

Professionals Seeking Senior Roles

AWS Architects, Cloud Engineers, and DevOps leads should focus on building strong portfolios rather than accumulating more certifications.

Where Certification Matters More:

Entry-Level Jobs (Cloud Support, Associate Roles)

Certifications like the AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate are often listed as job requirements for entry-level roles.

Regions With Skill Shortages

In areas with AWS talent gaps (Africa, parts of Asia, Eastern Europe), certifications can speed up hiring and provide immediate value.

Remote/Global Roles

Remote employers often rely on certifications for quick validation of skills, as testing hands-on capabilities remotely can be challenging.

Where Experience Weighs More:

Senior Cloud Architect Positions

Designing fault-tolerant and cost-optimized architectures requires years of experience.

DevOps & Site Reliability Engineering (SRE)

Managing CI/CD pipelines, EKS/ECS deployments, and Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools like Terraform requires hands-on expertise.

Cloud Security & Compliance

Experience with IAM, KMS, encryption, and regulatory frameworks (HIPAA, GDPR) is critical and comes from working in real-world scenarios.

Migration Projects & Multi-Cloud Environments

Migrating legacy systems to AWS or integrating AWS with Azure/GCP requires practical know-how beyond certifications.

When to Begin With Certification

Before Applying for Your First AWS Job

A certification such as AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner or Solutions Architect – Associate validates your knowledge and improves job prospects.

When You Need a Career Pivot

If you're stuck in legacy IT (e.g., network admin, sysadmin), AWS certification can open up cloud opportunities.

When Your Employer Demands It

Some organizations reward certifications with bonuses, promotions, or require them for team roles.

When to Put Effort into Getting Experience

After 1–2 Certifications

Once you’ve earned foundational certifications, focus on building project experience:
➤ Experiment with AWS Free Tier projects
➤ Work on GitHub portfolios
➤ Contribute to open-source cloud projects
➤ Freelance on Upwork/Fiverr for small cloud projects

When Looking for Senior-Level Positions

The choice depends on your career stage.

✅ If Just Beginning:

• Earn AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner
• Learn core services like EC2, S3, IAM, VPC
• Build small projects (personal websites, REST APIs)
• Network on LinkedIn with AWS professionals

✅ If You're Mid-Level:

• Pursue Professional or Specialty Certifications only if they align with your role
• Lead AWS migration or cost optimization projects
• Document experiences via blogs, GitHub repos, case studies
• Mentor junior team members to build leadership skills

✅ If You're a Senior/Architect:

• Prioritize enterprise cloud strategies over more certs
• Focus on multi-region deployments, security best practices, and disaster recovery
• Maintain certs only if needed for AWS Partner Network (APN) status or personal knowledge updates

✅ Step 1: Get Certified (Foundational & Associate Levels)

Certifications demonstrate that you have mastered AWS fundamentals and open the door to job interviews.

✅ Step 2: Build Projects (Hands-On Practice)

Start with AWS Free Tier projects, contribute to GitHub, join open-source initiatives, or freelance to gain experience.

✅ Step 3: Learn Beyond the Exam

Dive into CloudFormation, Terraform, and CI/CD tools (CodePipeline, Jenkins). Study AWS whitepapers and follow the AWS Well-Architected Framework.

✅ Step 4: Network & Showcase Work

Post your projects, case studies, and insights on LinkedIn, write blogs, or speak at AWS meetups.

✅ Step 5: Keep Growing!

Whether it's advanced certifications, skills in AI/ML, Security, or Data Analytics, or mentoring, staying updated is key in the rapidly evolving cloud space.

Both AWS certifications and experience are essential pieces of your cloud career journey.

✅ Certifications get you noticed.
✅ Experience gets you hired—and promoted.

The Secret to AWS Career Success?

🚀 Start with certification to open doors
🚀 Turbocharge with experience to grow and lead

In 2025 and beyond, the most successful AWS professionals are those who combine certifications with hands-on expertise, building resilient and future-proof careers.