I am debating whether to take the AZ-900 or AWS Cloud Practitioner exam. Some people say these "Foundational" exams are too basic for employers. Is it better to skip them and go straight for the Associate level, or do these provide a necessary boost to a resume for someone with zero experience?
3 answers
Foundational certifications like AZ-900 or AWS CCP are excellent for non-technical roles or absolute beginners. They prove you understand the "language" of the cloud—concepts like IaaS, PaaS, and the Shared Responsibility Model. However, if you want a role as a Cloud Architect or SysOps Admin, employers really look for the Associate level certifications. If you have a technical background, you might find the foundational exams a bit redundant. That said, having it on your LinkedIn profile definitely doesn't hurt and helps pass through initial HR filters and automated keyword scanners.
If you decide to skip the fundamentals, do you feel confident enough to handle the networking and security sections of the Associate exams?
Certifications are a great way to structure your learning, but the hands-on projects you build are what will actually get you the job.
Exactly! A certificate shows you can pass a test; a GitHub repo with a deployed web app shows you can actually do the work.
That's the real challenge, Kevin. The Associate exams assume you already know VPC peering, Subnetting, and IAM policies. If a student skips the basics, they often struggle with the complex scenario-based questions in the SAA-C03 or AZ-104. I always tell my juniors to at least study the foundational material even if they don't pay for the exam.