Deciding on Your Cloud Certification

Whether you’re looking to make a career change or just want to increase your earning potential, getting certified is an underrated way to boost prospects.

But it can be hard to know where to invest your resources.

Tech is changing faster than ever before, and so are employers’ needs. That’s why it’s crucial to put your efforts into reliable, high-demand areas.

With that in mind, the top content pros at Cloud Academy created The Definitive Guide to Cloud Certifications. It’s chock-full of great information on getting certified to help existing and aspiring cloud practitioners take the next step in their careers.

So where should you start?

Certifications dominating the tech market

Expanding your knowledge in any of these areas is a safe way to increase your market potential –– now and in the future. 

Microsoft Azure

Azure is the fastest growing cloud provider, reporting 51% growth in the last quarter of 2021 alone. Even better? A certification in Azure can lead to careers in sales, support, and C-suite level roles. 

Top Azure Certifications

  • AZ-900: Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals
  • AZ-104: Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate
  • AZ-305: Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert

Amazon Web Services

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a well-known major player in the cloud computing industry. There are four primary areas of focus in AWS: cloud concepts, security and compliance, technology, and billing and pricing.

Top AWS Certifications

  • AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner
  • AWS Certified Solutions Architect
  • AWS Certified DevOps Engineer

Google Cloud Platform

Google Cloud Platform (GCP), another rocketing cloud provider, created demand for the highest paid IT certification in 2021. GCP’s focus on open source and DevOps makes it a great choice for practitioners looking to venture into big data, analytics, and machine learning.

Top GCP Certifications

  • Associate Cloud Engineer
  • Professional Cloud Architect
  • Professional Data Engineer

Security

As companies and organizations migrate to the cloud, it’s critical that they bolster against cyber attacks and data breaches. And since the majority of breaches are the result of undertrained security personnel, it’s even more important to hire and upskill cybersecurity pros.

Top Security Certifications

  • Cloud Security Alliance’s Certificate of Cloud Security Knowledge (CCSK) 
  • CompTIA Security+
  • Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)

DevOps

Though DevOps is essential to cloud computing, it can be nebulous to approach. Fortunately, DevOps certifications do a great job of making sure practitioners have a clear understanding of coding, scripting, QA testing, and cloud infrastructures –– whether they’re platform-specific or not.

Top DevOps Certifications

  • The DevOps Institute’s DevOps Foundation (DOFD) 
  • Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD)
  • HashiCorp Certified: Terraform Associate

A final look

Now’s a good time to think about where you want to go in your career –– and change is within reach. Getting certified makes it even easier. For a deeper look at the pros of getting certified, perks of on-the-job training, and more the most sought-after cloud skills, download The Definitive Guide to Cloud Certifications now. 

Cloud Academy