Cloud technology is vital in today’s day and age, and cloud computing certifications are imperative for professionals looking to boost their career opportunities through the demonstration of their knowledge and expertise.
Not only do these courses boost their fundamentals, but they also open doors to a wider range of career opportunities and better salary packages in today’s digital-first society. If you are a tech professional looking for that big break, then stay on as we compile some of the best cloud computing courses to help you launch your career to greater heights in 2024.
Is a cloud computing certification worth the effort?
There are debates on which is better: qualification or hands-on experience. At the end of the day, having both is ideal. And while nothing beats having a hands-on experience, there are advantages to being certified, such as:
- Skill validation: Certified courses are testaments to your commitment and skills to develop professionally.
- Higher salary potential: If you are certified professionally, you are able to command better salary packages due to a proven expertise in the field.
- Networking opportunities: Going for certification courses and examinations opens up opportunities for you to meet like-minded experts and professionals.
- Staying up-to-date: The tech industry is constantly evolving and unless you keep yourself up-to-date with the latest trends and practices, it is quite hard unless you go for certified courses.
Choosing the best-suited cloud computing course for you
Whether a cloud computing course is the right move for you depends on whether you can set aside adequate amount of resource andd time to study, career goals, and your current level of experience.
If you are looking for the best cloud computing courses for your specific needs, there are a few factors to consider before making the decision:
- Commitment level: Some courses might require more workload or take a longer time to complete than others. You need to consider whether you are able to set aside time to study while not neglecting your work.
- Cost: There are various levels of cost when it comes to cloud computing courses. Know how much you are willing to spend.
- Career needs: The cloud computing course that you choose depends on the predominant cloud service your company uses or intenteds to use, the industry you wish to enter or are in, as well as your career goals.
- Vendor-neutral vs vendor-specific certifications: There are two fundamental types of cloud computing certifications: Vendor-neutral (CompTIA Cloud+), which you will be exposed to a variety of platform options, and vendor-specific (GCP, Azure, or AWS), which you will focus on a specific platform.
Top 5 cloud computing certifications in 2024
Let us take a look at some of the best cloud computing certifications you can sign up for 2024. They represent a broad range of choices, encompassing career pathways, skills, and audience types.
Note: This list is strictly not in order.
1. CompTIA Cloud+
CompTIA Cloud+ is a performance-based cloud computing certification that shows your current or future employers that you have the technical capabilities to secure cloud-based infrastructure roles, such as cybersecurity service provider infrastructure support, cybersecurity service provider, and information assurance management.
It is an ideal example of a vendor-neutral certification that covers a series of concepts that can be applied across any cloud environment. Some of the skills you will learn includes troubleshooting, operations and support, cloud deployment, cloud security, as well as cloud architecture and design.
However, the course provider recommends that you have at least a 5-year working experience in IT, including 2 to 3 years in system administration and networking to understand the course.
| Website: | https://www.comptia.org/certifications/cloud#overview |
| Cost: | USD$369 – USD$1,132 (Depending on the bundle you purchase) |
2. AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate (CSAA)
Certified by Amazon Web Services (AWS), CSAA is a vendor-specific cloud computing certification that shows employers your skills and knowledge in AWS technology and services. CSAA focuses on demonstrating a strong fundamentals in the design of performance and cost-optimised solutions.
While the certification does not require much experience in hands-on coding, basic knowledge and familiarity with fundamental programming concepts would provide an edge. Some of the skills and knowledge that you will get includes understanding the AWS global infrastructure, security services, AWS networking, as well as using the AWS command line interface and AWS management console.
AWS CSAA is ideal for professionals who may have some experience in AWS technology as well as have strong on-premises IT and other cloud services experiences, and is looking to advance their career.
| Website: | https://aws.amazon.com/certification/certified-solutions-architect-associate/ |
| Cost: | USD$150 for the exam |
3. Google Professional Cloud DevOps Engineer
Certified by Google, the Professional Cloud DevOps Engineer cloud computing certification assesses your ability to implement service monitoring strategies, build and implement sofware delivery pipelines, optimise service performance, apply site reliability engineering practices, and bootstrap a Google Cloud organisation for DevOps.
While there are no prerequisites to take on this course, Google recommends that you have at least 3 years of industry experience, including a year of experience designing and managing production systems using Google Cloud.
Google Professional Cloud DevOps Engineer is ideal for professionals who are aiming to specialise in cloud-based DevOps roles, particularly the Google Cloud Platform.
| Website: | https://cloud.google.com/learn/certification/cloud-devops-engineer |
| Cost: | USD$200 for the exam |
4. Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP)
CCSP is a globally recognised cloud computing certification. Earning it will help to secure critical assets in the cloud as well as build your career pathway. With the CCSP certification, employers know that you have the advanced knowledge and technical capabilities to manage and design infrastructure, applications, as well as secure data.
The course will cover various cloud-related domains and concepts, such as security operations, infrastructure and platform security, data security, as well as compliance, risk, and legal matters.
CCSP is ideal for sofware, information, cyber, and IT security leaders who deals with security service, operations, design, and architecture orchestration. They could be professional cloud developers, cloud computing services auditors, cloud specialists, cloud security analysts, or cloud consultants.
However, there is a prerequisite of a minimum of 5 years industry experience, including 3 years in information security and one year in a minimum of six domains of the ISC2 CCSP Common Body of Knowledge.
| Website: | https://www.isc2.org/certifications/ccsp |
| Cost: | USD$2,880 for an 8-week online instructor-led official CCSP certification course |
5. Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate
Certified by Microsoft, this cloud computing certification will prove your capabilities in monitoring and maintaining Azure resources, implementing and managing virtual networking, deploying and managing Azure compute resources, implementing and managing storage, as well as managing Azure identities and governance.
There are two ways this course is conducted – Self-paced and Instructor-led. The Azure Administrator Associate course is ideal for beginners with basic level of industry experience and is looking to specialise in Microsoft Azure.
While there are no prerequisites necessary, anybody looking to get this certification should at least be familiar with virtualisation, servers, networking, and operating systems, and should have some level of experience with Microsoft Entra ID, Azure Resource Manager templates, Azure platform, Azure CLI, and PowerShell.
| Website: | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/credentials/certifications/azure-administrator/ |
| Cost: | USD$2,400 for a 4-day online instructor-led course and USD$165 for the exam |
Conclusion
TNo matter what industry you are working in, if you are a professional in the tech field, it is critical to keep up-to-date with the latest trends and practices in order to stay ahead of competitions. Learning cloud computing and getting certified for it is the best way to not only achieve that, but also increase your salary package.o
