I'm deciding which ecosystem to go all-in on. Is AWS still the king of paychecks in America, or have Azure and GCP caught up? I currently use SQL and Excel daily and want to move into high-level architecture.
3 answers
AWS still holds the largest market share in the US, which translates to the highest number of job openings and very competitive salaries. While GCP (Google) sometimes offers higher niche salaries because the talent is rarer, the sheer volume of $150k+ roles for AWS architects is hard to beat. If you already know SQL, you’ll find that managing databases on the cloud is a very natural and profitable transition.
Is the learning curve for AWS steeper than Azure if you're coming from a heavy Microsoft Excel and Windows background?
For high-level architecture, AWS is the industry standard in the US. The ROI on the Professional level certifications is unmatched.
That settles it for me. I've been seeing AWS mentioned in almost every high-paying job description I've looked at this month.
Azure feels more "familiar" to Windows users, Timothy, but AWS documentation and community support are superior, making it easier to troubleshoot and learn quickly on your own.