How to Become an AWS Solutions Architect Associate?

As an Amazon Web Services (AWS) Solutions Architect, you will have a solid understanding of how to design a robust system that is not only expandable, but secure and locked down from outside threats. The architect understands the different services that are available within Amazon’s digital framework and, in order to keep up with the job demands, must continue to increase their technical skills. It is all about defining, designing, and implementing architectural advancements that are cost effective and resilient at the same time. Becoming an Amazon Web SolutionsArchitect Associate means you are among a growing group of technical experts who have the ability to leverage AWS services to meet and even exceed a company’s business demands. To be successful, you must commit to constantly learning new technology so you can create an elastic framework that grows as your company’s business expands.

What is a web solutions architect?

A web solutions architect is responsible for analyzing and helping to develop and design the system’s framework as it relates to a specific solution. The web solutions architect works with other team members to assess the needs and best practices to complete a particular project related to the organization’s Amazon system.

What are the career prospects for AWS Solutions Architect Associate in the near future?

Amazon’s reach within the IT industry is growing by leaps and bound, surpassing most similar technology companies. Companies are leveraging Amazon Web Services to their advantage. The companies that use AWS technologies are saving millions of dollars by reducing  on-premises systems. Unfortunately, on-premises systems costs continue to grow. Companies are also able to shut down their own data centers because they can run their entire infrastructure within the Amazon framework, saving half of what it takes to operate a traditional data center. As these changes occur, the need for certified pros will rise. According to the United States Bureau of Labor statistics, the outlook for network engineers has an expected rise of 5%. However with the introduction of AWS and the lack of qualified applicants, this number is expected to increase for the specific role.

How long does the certification last?

Each AWS certification lasts for two years. This means that every two years, certification holders have to recertify.

How long does it take for my results to come back?

You will receive your results on your screen immediately after taking the exam. This will be followed by an email within five days of exam completion. You can see your results under your AWS account. It will be located under the Achieved Certifications menu after logging into the AWS Training and Certification Portal website. All results from Beta exams are available 13 weeks (90 days) after exam completion.

How many questions are on the AWS certification exam?

There are 65 exam questions.

How long is the AWS certification exam?

You are required to complete the exam in 130 minutes. The AWS certification exam is made up of multiple-choice and multiple-answer type exams.

What do AWS solutions architects do?

Some of the roles and responsibilities for an AWS Solutions Architect include:

·         Architecting, building, and maintaining cost-efficient, scalable cloud environments for the organization.

·         Understanding business objectives of the company and creating cloud-based solutions to facilitate those objectives.

·         Moving archaic systems into the cloud for more efficiency within the organization – aka digital transformation.

·         Keeping cloud environments secure and preventing downtime or security breaches.

·         Determining the risk associated with third-party platforms or frameworks.

·         Looking for ways to improve operations within company to digitize common tasks.

·         Designing, building, maintaining internal cloud applications for the organization.

·         Transferring data and internal processes to cloud architecture.

·         Keeping data leakage and downtime to an absolute minimum.

·         Keeping up to date on best practices in cloud computing and making improvements to the cloud infrastructure of their company or organization.

·         Communicating with internal teams, like Sales, Operations, and IT.

·         Communicate with stakeholders and build applications to meet project needs.

·         Making hardware and software recommendations for the organization, based on needs of the project and organization.

Skills and characteristics

These are non-technical skills that will help an AWS Solutions Architect excel at their work.

Flexibility and Desire to Learn: Solutions Architects must be able to adapt to shifting priorities. Finding the answer to a business problem means that you must constantly be learning about changing technology and best practices. Cloud computing and technology is a constantly changing field, so a thirst for learning and adaptability to emerging trends is a must for the Cloud Architect.

Time Management: Information technology projects are often time sensitive. Building infrastructure to meet deadlines requires superb time management.

Communication Skills: An AWS Solutions Architect must communicate with end users as well as internal or external stakeholders. Being able to manage the business concerns of the organization while designing and building systems that are user-friendly requires excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

Problem Solving Aptitude: Solution Architects use software and hardware to solve business problems. Designing and building cloud infrastructure and applications requires not only knowledge of technology, but also business acumen.

Teamwork and People Skills: Information technology specialists must be able to collaborate with other in their department and other departments in the organization. Working together as a cohesive unit makes operations run smoother, determining the success of projects.

Analytical Skills: Conducting analysis of the system, and being able to construct solutions to business objectives are invaluable skills. An AWS Solutions Architect must be able to examine the current system of the client, take the project requirements, and design a solution that is scalable and usable.

Decisiveness: An efficient Cloud Solutions Architect can present their proposed solutions to stakeholders with confidence, providing clear guidance for their decisions. The applications and infrastructure that Solutions Architects design and build are secure, scalable, cost-effective, and resilient. An AWS Architect communicates effectively and recommends robust solutions that meet project objectives.

Average Salary for Cloud Solutions Architect

·         Numbers here are what various job sites returned at the time of retrieval, and should be used only as approximations.

·         For reference, these are the average salaries and hourly wages as reported by Glassdoor, Payscale , Indeed for AWS Solutions Architects.

·         Job growth is anticipated to be robust. Gartner projected in 2022 that public cloud computing services would grow by 18.4% as more businesses moved operations to the cloud in a post-COVID world.