AWS Solutions Architect: Career + Certification Guide

If you enjoy working with technology and are good at critical thinking, a career as an AWS Solutions Architect could be an excellent fit for you. The role of AWS Solutions Architect involves designing, building, and maintaining scalable and reliable systems using AWS infrastructure. As the leading cloud computing platform, professionals with AWS expertise are in high demand.

You can prepare to pass the AWS Solutions Architect exam in as little as one week while earning a second credential for your resume with the AWS Solutions Architect Professional Certificate program on Coursera. You'll learn key concepts covered in the exam like architectural solution design and creating and operating a data lake securely.

What does an AWS Solutions Architect do?

Similar to how architects design the structure of buildings, AWS Solutions Architects design cloud solutions using Amazon Web Services (AWS). In this role, you help organizations meet business requirements by strategizing the most efficient system possible. You also collaborate with other AWS project teams to ensure the solution is implemented correctly. AWS Solutions Architects are responsible for monitoring the solution's performance and troubleshooting any issues that may arise.

A day in the life of an AWS Solutions Architect

This role blends technical expertise with business acumen. You'll design secure, scalable cloud solutions, modernize systems, and collaborate across teams to keep your organization at the forefront of the cloud. More specifically, the tasks you're likely to perform as an AWS Solutions Architect include:

• Design, deploy, and manage an organization's cost-effective, scalable cloud infrastructures

• Develop cloud-based solutions to support an organization's business objectives

• Modernize obsolete systems inside a company to make them more efficient

• Keep downtime and security breaches to a minimum in the cloud setting

• Evaluate the risk of third-party platforms and frameworks

• Investigate methods to improve corporate operations by digitizing routine processes

• Perform internal cloud application development, construction, and maintenance for the enterprise

• Keep abreast of the newest cloud computing developments and work to improve the organization's cloud infrastructure

• Communicate with internal teams such as IT, sales, and operations

• Develop apps to suit project requirements

• Make hardware and software suggestions based on an organization's or project's needs

What is an AWS certified solutions architect?

An Amazon Web Services (AWS) certified solutions architect is a cloud network specialist who designs, creates, and maintains their employer's AWS-based services. Companies can use Amazon Web Services to run many business systems, such as analytics, security, storage, or database services. An AWS certified solutions architect has earned a credential from Amazon Web Services to demonstrate their aptitude for developing and maintaining cloud solutions on AWS. 

What are Amazon Web Services certifications?

Amazon Web Services certifications are credentials you can earn, providing evidence of your experience and skill level as you progress as a cloud solutions architect. Completing a certification can expand your knowledge base and show your commitment and dedication to potential employers. It’s also an excellent way to stay aware of the latest industry updates and connect with other professionals in your field. 

AWS offers a range of certifications for professionals, including solutions architects, application architects, cloud data engineers, software development engineers, systems administrators, cloud engineers, test engineers, cloud security engineers, network engineers, and more. Many of the career pathways overlap with one another. For example, the associate level AWS Certified Solutions Architect—Associate credential appears on the solutions architect learning pathway and learning pathways for application architects, cloud data engineers, cloud security architects, network engineers, and machine learning engineers. 

AWS certification pathways for solutions architects

You can choose from three AWS certifications for solutions architects, each one specific to your career stage. 

The AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner credential offers foundational-level certification. You don’t need prior experience to start at this level, making it an excellent starting point if you’re new to the field or want to learn new skills in cloud-based systems. If you have some prior experience with cloud computing, you can start at the associate level AWS Certified Solutions Architect—Associate. After gaining two years of experience working with AWS Cloud, you can qualify for the AWS Certified Solutions Architect—Professional. 

The following examines each certification in greater detail. 

AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner

The AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner is a foundational-level certification. The necessary training will help you gain essential skills with AWS Cloud without prior experience. If you’re new to the field or switching your career to cloud services, this certification can help you build a knowledge base and literacy around AWS Cloud before moving on to more specialized topics. In addition to the solutions architect career learning pathway, the Cloud Practitioner certification is relevant to every career pathway AWS offers. 

As a foundational-level certification, the exam centers around basic AWS cloud and cloud services concepts. To prepare for the exam, you must also learn about AWS security, architecture, and pricing models. You can learn these skills with AWS Cloud Practitioner Essentials on Coursera, a flexible course that takes approximately 18 hours to complete. 

Requirements: You will not have to complete any prerequisites before taking the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner exam 

Cost (US): $100 [1]

Exam duration: 90 minutes

Exam format: 65 multiple-choice questions

AWS Certified Solutions Architect—Associate

The AWS Certified Solutions Architect—Associate credential is for individuals with at least one year of experience designing cloud-based services. If you have two or more years of experience, you can skip this certification and move to the professional-level credential. This certification is appropriate for people working or planning to work as solutions architects and demonstrates your experience with AWS Cloud services. The associate-level AWS solutions architect credential is also suitable for roles like cloud data engineer, cloud security architect, network engineer, and machine learning engineer. 

The information on the exam spans four areas: design secure architectures, design resilient architectures, design high-performing architectures, and design cost-optimized architectures. To prepare for this exam, you’ll need to gain some experience working with AWS Cloud, and you may find it helpful to take a preparatory course. For example, you could take Exam Prep: AWS Certified Solutions Architect—Associate to help you review the topics you will encounter on the exam. 

Requirements: Before taking this certification exam, you should have more than one but less than two years of experience working with AWS Cloud. 

Cost (US): $150 [2]

Exam duration: 130 minutes

Exam format: 65 multiple-choice questions

AWS Certified Solutions Architect—Professional 

The AWS Certified Solutions Architect—Professional certification is for individuals who have at least two years of experience working with AWS Certified Solutions. This credential is appropriate for solutions architects, but it can also be relevant for cloud security and application architects. After completing this exam, you can continue with specialty certifications to expand your skills. Amazon Web Services offers six specialty certifications, including the AWS Security certification. 

To prepare for the exam, you should be familiar with templates, consoles, and designing applications on AWS Cloud. You should also be able to recommend AWS's best practices, including implementation, deployment, and provisioning. One way to prepare for the certification exam is to complete a preparatory course offered by AWS on Coursera. The AWS Cloud Solutions Architect Professional Certificate exam prep course will help you review the topics you will encounter on the exam. 

Requirements: Before taking this certification exam, you need two or more years of experience working with AWS Cloud. 

Cost (US): $300 [3]

Exam duration: 180 minutes

Exam format: 75 multiple-choice questions

How much do AWS Solutions Architects make?

The average annual salary for cloud solutions architects in the US is $180,473 per year, according to Glassdoor [4]. This figure includes a base salary of $139,405 and a reported additional yearly pay of $41,067, which may include bonuses, commissions, and profit-sharing.

Job outlook for solutions architects

The career outlook for this position is positive. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) cites a faster-than-average growth rate for computer network architects between 2023 and 2033, and even more demand for those who work in cloud computing [5]. Furthermore, Statista reports an expected annual growth rate of 18.49 percent for the cloud market, resulting in an industry worth $1.8 trillion by 2029 [6].

Required workplace and technical skills for AWS Solutions Architects

A combination of technical, business, and workplace skills is essential to becoming an AWS solution architect. Explore a few core technical skills and non-technical competencies:

Technical skills

• Strong understanding of the AWS framework

• Hands-on experience designing distributed systems and applications on the AWS Cloud

• Experience with cloud computing

• Solid understanding of cloud solutions and cloud computing architecture

• Ability to translate business requirements into technical goals

• Familiarity with cybersecurity concepts like identity and access management

Workplace skills

• Excellent communication skills: As an AWS Solutions Architect, you must be able to communicate effectively with all stakeholders about technical topics at an appropriate level. In other words, you should be able to communicate technical topics to those without technical backgrounds in an accessible manner.

• Flexibility and a desire to learn: An AWS Solutions Architect must be flexible, adapt to new technologies quickly, and desire to learn new things to keep up with the latest industry trends.

• Analytical skills: AWS Solutions Architects are responsible for analyzing data quickly and efficiently to find creative solutions to complex problems.

• Problem-solving aptitude: The ability to think creatively and break complex problems down to find workable solutions is crucial. 

• Time management: In this role, you often execute several work streams simultaneously. The ability to prioritize tasks effectively to meet milestones and deadlines is extremely valuable.

• Teamwork: AWS architects often work in a collaborative environment. You need to be able to work harmoniously with other team members and departments. 

AWS vs. Azure vs. Google Cloud: What’s the difference?

AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud are three of the most popular cloud service providers. So, what’s the difference?

AWS is a very popular and possibly the most feature-rich cloud service provider. However, it can be more expensive than the other two options. Azure is a close second to AWS in terms of features and popularity. It's typically more cost-friendly than AWS. Google Cloud is popular and is often the least expensive option.

Read more: What's the Difference Between AWS vs. Azure vs. Google Cloud?

How to become an AWS Certified Solutions Architect

To become an AWS Certified Solutions Architect, you must pass a certification exam. AWS offers several different exams for a wide range of expertise levels. If this is your first AWS certification, you will be studying for the SAA-C03 exam (the AWS Solutions Architect - Associate Exam). It does not require extensive, hands-on coding experience. However, basic knowledge of programming concepts can be highly beneficial. You can gain a deeper understanding of the prerequisites, exam content, and benefits in the following sections. 

Education and experience

According to Zippia, 66 percent of solutions architects have a bachelor's degree, 24 percent have a master's degree, and 6 percent have an associate degree [7]. Common areas of study for solutions architects include computer science, business, and electrical or computer engineering. Previous experience working with cloud computing technologies and certifications may be accepted by employers instead of a degree.

Read more: What Can You Do with a Computer Science Degree?

Approved AWS exam prep

You can do your SAA-C03 exam preparation through many different training programs. However, not all of them are offered by Amazon Web Services directly. It is highly recommended to do your exam prep with AWS or with an AWS-approved third party. Choosing a program approved by Amazon can help ensure you get the best preparation for your exam.

AWS Solutions Architect–Associate exam requirements

While the exam has no formal prerequisites, Amazon Web Services recommends the following experience and knowledge to pass the AWS Solutions Architect - Associate Exam:

• Possess at least one year of practical experience utilizing AWS technology

• Be able to manage AWS services for computing, networking, storage, and databases

• Have knowledge of establishing security controls and compliance regulations

• Know how to install, manage, and run workloads on AWS

• Know how to use the AWS Management Console and AWS Command Line Interface

• Be able to recognize technical specifications for an AWS-based application

• Know about AWS global infrastructure, AWS networking, AWS security services, and the AWS Well-Architected Framework

Register for the exam by creating an account on the Amazon Web Services website. Prep for the exam with AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate on Coursera. This course was created by AWS and is designed to help you learn the skills and knowledge you need to succeed in an AWS solution architect career.

Benefits of becoming an AWS Certified Solutions Architect

Getting AWS solution architect associate certification is a great way to advance your career in the cloud computing field. The certification demonstrates you possess the skills and knowledge necessary to design, deploy, and manage applications on Amazon Web Services.

AWS solution architect certification enables you to:

• Build a solid knowledge of cloud technology 

• Demonstrate commitment to your career path

• Improve employability and salary

• Expand your professional network

• Develop skills that benefit your employer

Other AWS certifications

Many different AWS certifications are available, each designed for a specific type of professional. For example, you'll find certifications for programmers, system administrators, security professionals, and data scientists. Each of these certifications is for those with different experiences and goals and assesses additional knowledge and competencies.

• AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner - Foundational

• AWS Certified AI Practitioner - Foundational

• AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer - Associate

• AWS Certified Data Engineer - Associate

• AWS Certified Developer - Associate

• AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate

• AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional

• AWS Certified SysOps Administrator - Associate 

• AWS Certified DevOps Engineer - Professional 

• AWS Certified Advanced Networking - Specialty 

• AWS Certified Machine Learning - Specialty

• AWS Certified Security - Specialty 

Take the next step with AWS on Coursera

You can take the next step toward becoming an AWS Solutions Architect by enrolling in the AWS Cloud Solutions Architect Professional Certificate on Coursera. This beginner-friendly, 100 percent online, and self-paced program is designed to help you prepare for the certification exam while strengthening your knowledge of key AWS Services, data management, and architectural solutions.