AWS Certified Solutions Architect path: A step-by-step guide

It’s normal to feel uncertain about where to start your journey toward the AWS Solutions Architect certification path; if you’re here, you’re not alone. Many aspiring cloud enthusiasts face this challenge. The decision to pursue AWS certification is clear for most, given how critical cloud technology has become today. The real question is: Where do I begin?

As the leader in cloud computing, AWS offers a range of certifications tailored to different roles and expertise levels, and choosing the right path can feel overwhelming. Whether you’re an IT professional or just starting in cloud computing, understanding the certification roadmap can give you a solid foundation to achieve your goals.

This blog will help you navigate the AWS Solutions Architect certification path, clarifying where to start and how to become AWS-certified.

Understanding AWS Solutions Architect certifications#

The AWS Solutions Architect certification is one of the most sought-after credentials in cloud computing, signifying a deep understanding of the Amazon Web Services (AWS) platform. AWS offers two key certification levels for solutions architects:

AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate (SAA-C03): This is the foundational certification for individuals looking to demonstrate their expertise in designing and deploying scalable systems on AWS. It covers core services such as Amazon EC2, Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3), Amazon VPC, Amazon RDS, and IAM, making it a must for those in architect roles.

AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional (SAP-C02): This certification targets seasoned professionals and covers complex AWS architectures, best practices, and multitiered applications. It tests your ability to design dynamic and highly scalable solutions.

Understanding these certifications can help you decide which one to pursue based on your experience level and career goals.

Prerequisites for AWS Solutions Architect certification#

While AWS doesn’t mandate specific prerequisites to sit for the AWS Solutions Architect exams, there are recommended qualifications:

• Knowledge of cloud computing: It is beneficial to understand cloud concepts such as infrastructure as a service (IaaS) and software as a service (SaaS).

• Experience with AWS: At least one year of hands-on experience with AWS services is recommended for the associate-level certification. AWS suggests two or more years of extensive experience designing and managing AWS architectures for the professional-level exam.

• Programming and networking: Basic scripting skills and familiarity with networking fundamentals can help you better understand and configure AWS services. In my personal experience, knowledge and working experience with networking are more important than programming. After obtaining these certifications, most AWS roles don’t require you to do pure programming or develop full-fledged applications. However, you must have basic programming knowledge to deploy and manage applications easily.

With a solid foundation in these areas, you can increase your chances of success in your certification journey.

The path to become an AWS Certified Solutions Architect#

Becoming an AWS Certified Solutions Architect is a rewarding journey that enhances your cloud skills and helps you become proficient in designing cost-effective, scalable, and secure AWS cloud solutions. This certification path is structured around three key exams: the AWS Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02), the AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate (SAA-C03), and the AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional (SAP-C02). Each step brings you closer to mastering AWS’s tools and best practices.

As the Cloudlabs lead at Educative, I would like to discuss the exam guide, exam cost, and the roles you can land into.

Cloud Practitioner exam (CLF-C02)#

The AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02) certification is the entry-level exam for individuals new to cloud computing or AWS. It provides a solid foundation of cloud concepts and helps you understand how AWS works, making it an excellent starting point for the Solutions Architect path.

AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner exam guide#

The Cloud Practitioner exam focuses on four key areas:

• Cloud concepts: General understanding of cloud computing, including its benefits and the value it brings to businesses.

• Security and compliance: Understanding the responsibilities shared by the AWS and the user, key security services, and compliance frameworks.

• Technology: AWS global infrastructure, core services like EC2, S3, RDS, and VPCs.

• Billing and pricing: Knowledge of AWS’s pricing models and how to use tools like the AWS Cost Calculator and Cost Explorer.

The exam consists of multiple choice questions; the minimum passing score is 700 out of 1,000.

Exam cost#

As of now, the Cloud Practitioner exam costs $100. 

Job roles#

After getting the AWS Cloud Practitioner certification, you can join companies as an AWS cloud administrator.

AWS cloud administrator#

• Role focus: Maintaining and managing the onboarding cloud infrastructure.

• Responsibilities: The cloud administrator reports to the technical manager and manages cloud environments daily. This entails monitoring cloud infrastructure, user access control and security, setting up cloud services, backup, and generalizing systems’ performance. Some examples include allocating resources, administering accounts, and ensuring compliance with organizational policies.

• Key skills: Facilitating, supervising, managing, checking, overseeing, securing cloud services and troubleshooting

• Expected salary: The annual salary of the cloud administrator can range from $86,000 to $130,000.

• Qualification and experience requirements: Most companies require a bachelor’s degree in cloud computing, computer science, or information systems, but sometimes relevant certifications are also required.

Note: Having a hands-on experience with certification is always recommended. Sometimes, these certifications are the minimum requirements for the job.

AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate (SAA-C03)#

The AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate (SAA-C03) certification is the next step after becoming a cloud practitioner. This exam is designed for individuals with at least a year of hands-on experience with AWS and is one of the most popular certifications among IT professionals.

AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate exam guide#

The SAA-C03 exam covers four domains:

• Designing resilient architectures: Understanding how to design fault-tolerant, highly available systems using AWS services like EC2, ELB, and Auto Scaling.

• Designing high-performing architectures: Understanding how to optimize AWS architectures for performance, including using AWS caching services and load balancing.

• Designing secure architectures: Best practices for securing architectures, including VPCs, encryption, and IAM policies.

• Design cost-optimized architectures: Techniques for reducing AWS costs using reserved instances, spot instances, and efficient storage solutions.

The exam consists of multiple choice questions. The minimum passing score is 720 out of 1,000.

Exam cost#

The SAA-C03 exam currently costs $150. Explore the complete AWS Solutions Architect course and exam questions to prepare for the exam.

Job roles#

After passing the AWS Solutions Architect – Associate certification, you can become a cloud consultant or solutions architect.

AWS cloud consultant#

• Role focus: Offer consultation services on cloud computing approaches and services to facilitate effective cloud adoption.

• Responsibilities: The cloud consultant helps clients with cloud adoption, cost optimization, and migration. They perform audits, provide guidance on multiple solutions, and assist customers in developing proper cloud systems. Their work involves a mix of consulting, architecture, and hands-on implementation. The consultant aims to help organizations leverage cloud technology to achieve business goals efficiently and effectively.

• Key skills: Cloud strategy, client consultation, business analysis, solution design, and project delivery.

• Expected salary: $90,000–$170,000

• Qualification and experience requirements: Bachelor’s degree in computer science, information technology, or related field. Minimum of 3 years of experience in infrastructure consulting, administrating, architecting, or similar roles. Knowledge of server or desktop virtualization solutions.

AWS solutions architect#

• Role focus: Bridge the gap between business requirements and IT development.

• Responsibilities: The solutions architect is responsible for meeting with the stakeholders to understand and map the business needs into technical specifications. They may work with cloud technologies, but their job description is not just being cloud architects. They compare and select one of the technologies or a combination of a cloud, on-premises, or hybrid solution to create cohesive solutions that would work for the business. They are involved in the planning and implementation of projects.

• Key skills: Systems architecture, technology assessment, requirements assessment, engineering and interdisciplinary management, and project planning and control.

• Expected salary: The AWS solutions architect earns $120,000–$240,000 annually.

• Qualification and experience requirements: Bachelor’s in computer science or equivalent, 5–8 years experience in a relevant field, thorough understanding of architectural patterns, related technologies, and platforms, ability to work effectively in a team and solve problems efficiently. The individual should be able to work effectively and collaborate with other teams. Having a certification is a plus point.

Note: Having a hands-on experience with certification is always recommended. Sometimes, these certifications are the minimum requirements for the job.

AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional (SAP-C02)#

The AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional (SAP-C02) exam is designed for seasoned professionals with associate certification and deep experience designing complex AWS architectures. This more advanced and rigorous exam tests your ability to build large-scale, multitiered solutions in enterprise environments.

AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional exam guide#

The professional-level exam focuses on the following:

• Design for organizational complexity: This includes designing architectures that meet large organizations’ governance, compliance, and management requirements.

• Design for new solutions: This domain includes creating scalable solutions for new cloud services, leveraging AWS Lambda, API Gateway, and other AWS offerings.

• Migration planning: Designing strategies for moving on-premises workloads to AWS, including hybrid cloud designs and data transfer methods.

• Cost control: Further emphasis on creating architectures that minimize cost while meeting performance and reliability requirements.

• Security: Ensuring applications and data are secure, encrypted, and accessible only to authorized users.

The Solutions Architect – Professional exam is also a multiple choice questions exam, but the questions are more scenario-based and require you to apply advanced concepts. The minimum passing score is typically 750 out of 1,000.

Exam cost#

The Solutions Architect – Professional exam costs $300, reflecting the advanced nature of the certification. 

Job roles#

After passing the AWS Solutions Architect – Professional certification, you can become a cloud architect and enhance your skillset for the solutions architect post.

Cloud architect – AWS cloud solutions architect#

• Role focus: To design and manage complicated cloud solutions.

• Responsibilities: The cloud architect concentrates on issues related to design on higher levels of the cloud and frameworks. They are also responsible for AWS architecture design and cloud environment planning and management. This position requires knowledge of AWS tools and services, including EC2, S3, VPC, RDS, and Lambda. The cloud architect guarantees that the solutions adopted in the cloud environment are strategic to the enterprise and sustainable, protected, and inexpensive.

• Key skills: AWS architecture best practices, security in the cloud, its costs, elasticity, data confidentiality, and business continuity.

• Expected salary: Based on the salaries given by individuals and those offered by companies, the average annual salary for this position varies between $80,000 and $170,000.

• Qualification and experience requirements: Typically, it involves an academic degree accredited by a college or university and certifications for cloud service providers (CSPs). Employers expect their new employees to have at least 3–5 years of experience.

A comparison of cloud exams#

The table below shows the detailed comparison between AWS Cloud Practitioner, AWS Solutions Architect – Associate, and AWS Solutions Architect – Professional:

This table compares the three certifications regarding difficulty, exam content, target audience, and costs, helping candidates choose the right path based on their career stage and cloud expertise.

5 steps to getting AWS certified#

It is challenging for a beginner to identify the starting point of the certification journey, select the right certification, and enroll in a course. Therefore, I want to discuss a few important points that will help everyone make the right decisions in the AWS Solutions Architect certification path.

1. Assess your current skills: Evaluate your cloud computing and AWS services knowledge. If you’re new to AWS, start with the cloud practitioner certification. If you understand cloud computing and have some AWS knowledge, go for the associate-level certification. If you’re an experienced cloud professional, consider the professional-level certification.

2. Enroll in a training program: Appearing in exams without proper training and having enough knowledge about the services wastes money and time. This will also damage your confidence. To overcome this, AWS offers several official training programs; some are free, and some are paid. Besides, you can also take our comprehensive courses on Cloud Practitioner and AWS Solutions Architect - Associate certification exams.

3. Hands-on practice: Hands-on experience is very helpful for these exams. It allows you to interact with the AWS Management Console and better understand the services and their features. Our impressive Cloud Lab catalog allows you to create, configure, and validate your knowledge of services like EC2, S3, and IAM to understand their real-world applications.

4. Take practice exams: It is very beneficial for a candidate to mock the exam before appearing in the actual exam. Our courses also offer practice exam questions in the form of assessments that prepare you according to the actual exam by giving a time-bound environment where you must complete the exam in the allotted time. After the exam, you can read the explanation for the correct and wrong answers. This will help you identify areas for improvement.

5. Schedule the exam: Once confident, schedule your exam through the AWS Certification Portal.

Tips for success#

Studying hard is not the only ingredient you need for success in the AWS certification exams—it’s about studying smart. Focusing on the core pillars of the AWS and leveraging the right resources can streamline your path to certification. Here are a few strategies to maximize your chances of success:

• Focus on key services: Concentrate on core AWS services like EC2, S3, RDS, and VPC. Knowing these in-depth is crucial for both associate and professional exams.

• Study whitepapers: AWS provides whitepapers that cover best practices and architectural guidelines. Reading these will give you an edge.

• Join AWS communities: Participate in online forums, Reddit communities, and LinkedIn groups where members share tips and strategies for passing the exam.

• Utilize AWS practice exams: These are a great way to gauge your readiness and identify areas for further study.

Post-certification steps#

After achieving certification, there are several steps you can take to maximize the value of your new credential:

• Leverage your certification in job applications: AWS certifications are highly regarded in the industry. Highlight your achievements in resumes and job applications.

• Stay current: AWS continually evolves its services. Regularly updating your skills and possibly aiming for professional certification can keep you at the top of your game.

• Network with cloud professionals: Attend AWS events like re:Invent or AWS Summit. Networking with other cloud professionals can open doors to new opportunities.

Common challenges and how to overcome them#

Several challenges can arise while preparing for the AWS Solutions Architect certification. I would like to discuss a few of them and give you my best advice on overcoming them.

• Lack of hands-on experience: AWS is a practical platform, and theoretical knowledge isn’t enough. Knowing AWS services would be insufficient to pass the associate and professional exams. I advise you to take a course that gives you enough understanding of the services and then provides you with hands-on experience to practice all the major services and concepts required for the exam in place.

• Complex concepts: AWS networking, like Virtual Private Cloud, subnets, and security groups, can be daunting. Invest time in learning through guided Cloud Labs and documentation.

• Time management: Balancing study time with work or other responsibilities can be tough. Creating a structured study plan can help you manage your time effectively. In my experience, you should manage to give 3–4 hours daily to study and try to perform hands-on work on the same day when learning about a service or a concept. Don’t forget to make notes of important points.

Conclusion#

The AWS Solutions Architect certification path offers immense value to IT professionals aiming to enhance their cloud skills and career prospects. Following the step-by-step guide and focusing on hands-on experience, you can successfully achieve your certification and take advantage of the booming demand for AWS professionals. This certification validates your skills and sets the stage for further career growth in cloud architecture.