AWS Certification Pathways
Choose your path based on your background, goals, and experience level. Each pathway includes recommended certification order, timeline, and links to full guides.
Certification Recommendations
| Badge | Certification | Level | Recommendation | Recommended For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02) | Foundational | Optional | Non-technical and new-to-cloud roles |
 |
AI Practitioner (AIF-C01) | Foundational | Optional | Roles involving AI/ML concepts |
 |
Solutions Architect Associate (SAA-C03) | Associate | Recommended | Most technical roles |
 |
Developer Associate (DVA-C02) | Associate | After SAA | Developers building on AWS |
 |
CloudOps Associate (SOA-C03) | Associate | After SAA | Operations and admin roles |
 |
Data Engineer Associate (DEA-C01) | Associate | After SAA | Data pipeline and analytics roles |
 |
ML Engineer Associate (MLA-C01) | Associate | After SAA or AIF | ML practitioners |
 |
Solutions Architect Professional (SAP-C02) | Professional | After SAA | Senior architects |
 |
DevOps Engineer Professional (DOP-C02) | Professional | After SAA + ops/Dev experience | DevOps engineers |
 |
GenAI Developer Professional (AIP-C01) | Professional | After MLA or AIF | Advanced GenAI roles |
 |
Security Specialty (SCS-C02) | Specialty | After SAA | Security-focused roles |
 |
Advanced Networking Specialty (ANS-C01) | Specialty | After SAA | Networking specialists |
Quick Reference
| Career Goal | Start With | Recommended Path |
|---|---|---|
| Absolute Beginner | Cloud Practitioner | Solutions Architect Associate |
| Student | Cloud Practitioner | Solutions Architect Associate |
| Developer | Solutions Architect Associate | Developer Associate → DevOps Engineer Professional |
| DevOps Engineer | Solutions Architect Associate | SysOps Administrator Associate → DevOps Engineer Professional |
| Solutions Architect | Solutions Architect Associate | Solutions Architect Professional |
| SysOps Administrator | Cloud Practitioner | SysOps Administrator Associate → DevOps Engineer Professional |
| Data Engineer | Solutions Architect Associate | Data Engineer Associate |
| ML Engineer | Solutions Architect Associate | Machine Learning Engineer Associate |
| AI Engineer | Solutions Architect Associate | Machine Learning Engineer Associate → Generative AI Engineer Professional |
| Security Engineer | Solutions Architect Associate | Security Specialty |
| Networking Engineer | Solutions Architect Associate | Advanced Networking Specialty |
| Database Engineer | Solutions Architect Associate | Data Engineer Associate |
| Cloud Engineer | Cloud Practitioner or Solutions Architect Associate |
SysOps Administrator Associate → DevOps Engineer Professional |
| Platform Engineer | Solutions Architect Associate | SysOps Administrator Associate → DevOps Engineer Professional |
| FinOps | Solutions Architect Associate | Data Engineer Associate |
| Technical Trainer | Cloud Practitioner | Solutions Architect Associate → Solutions Architect Professional |
| Consultant | Solutions Architect Associate | Solutions Architect Professional |
| Manager | Cloud Practitioner | Solutions Architect Associate |
Decision Matrix
| Your Background | Recommended First Cert | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Non-technical, new to cloud | CLF-C02 Cloud Practitioner | Teaches cloud concepts without assuming technical skills |
| Student (any field) | CLF-C02 Cloud Practitioner | Foundational, low barrier to entry |
| IT professional (sysadmin, network, support) | SAA-C03 Solutions Architect Associate | Broadest coverage; skip CLF |
| Software developer | SAA-C03 then DVA-C02 Developer Associate | Build the foundation first, then specialize |
| Data / analytics professional | SAA-C03 then DEA-C01 Data Engineer Associate | SAA provides the AWS fundamentals DEA builds on |
| AI/ML practitioner | SAA-C03 then AIF-C01 AI Practitioner or MLA-C01 ML Engineer Associate | SAA gives the infrastructure context ML certs assume |
| Security professional | SAA-C03 then SCS-C02 Security Specialty | SAA covers security fundamentals; SCS goes deep |
| Manager / non-technical leader | CLF-C02 Cloud Practitioner | Broad overview without deep technical detail |
| Experienced cloud professional | SAA-C03 then Professional or Specialty | Skip CLF, validate your existing knowledge |
Choose Your Level
| If You... | Start At |
|---|---|
| Have 0–6 months of IT/cloud experience | Foundational (CLF or AIF) |
| Have 6–12 months of general IT experience | Associate (SAA recommended) |
| Have 1–2+ years of hands-on AWS experience | Associate (SAA), skip CLF |
| Have 2+ years of AWS and want advanced validation | Professional or Specialty (after SAA) |
Recommended Progression
For Most People
Full Guide: Solutions Architect Associate
If You Need a Gentler Start
Full Guide: Cloud Practitioner · Full Guide: Solutions Architect Associate
Individual Pathways
Absolute Beginner
Someone with little to no IT or cloud experience who wants to start a career in cloud computing.
Certification Order: 1. CLF-C02 → 2. AIF-C01 (optional) → 3. SAA-C03
Timeline: 3–6 months
Next: Data Engineer, Developer, or Cloud Engineer
Student
Currently enrolled in school, college, or university looking to build cloud skills alongside your studies.
Certification Order: 1. CLF-C02 → 2. SAA-C03 → 3. DVA-C02 (if pursuing development)
Timeline: 2–4 months per certification
Next: Developer or Cloud Engineer
Developer
Software developer looking to validate AWS development skills.
Certification Order: 1. SAA-C03 → 2. DVA-C02 → 3. DOP-C02
Timeline: 2–3 mo (SAA) + 2–3 mo (DVA) + 3–4 mo (DOP)
Related: DevOps Engineer, Platform Engineer
DevOps Engineer
Operations-focused professional looking to master CI/CD, automation, and infrastructure as code.
Certification Order: 1. SAA-C03 → 2. SOA-C03 → 3. DOP-C02
Timeline: 6–9 months total
Related: Developer, Cloud Engineer
Solutions Architect
IT professional aiming to design and implement scalable, fault-tolerant systems on AWS.
Certification Order: 1. SAA-C03 → 2. SAP-C02
Timeline: 3–4 mo (SAA) + 4–6 mo (SAP)
Related: Security Engineer, Networking Engineer
SysOps Administrator
System administrator managing AWS operations, monitoring, and incident response.
Certification Order: 1. CLF-C02 (optional) → 2. SOA-C03 → 3. DOP-C02
Exam Rename
SOA-C02 was previously called SysOps Administrator Associate. It has been renamed to CloudOps Engineer Associate (SOA-C03).
Timeline: 2–3 mo (SOA) + 3–4 mo (DOP)
Related: Cloud Engineer, DevOps Engineer
Data Engineer
Data professional working with data pipelines, storage, and analytics.
Certification Order: 1. SAA-C03 → 2. DEA-C01
Timeline: 2–3 mo (SAA) + 2–4 mo (DEA)
Related: Database Engineer
Machine Learning Engineer
AI/ML practitioner building, training, and deploying ML models on AWS.
Certification Order: 1. SAA-C03 → 2. AIF-C01 (optional) → 3. MLA-C01
Timeline: 2–3 mo (SAA) + 2–3 mo (MLA)
Related: AI Engineer
AI Engineer
Professional focused on building generative AI applications.
Certification Order: 1. SAA-C03 → 2. AIF-C01 → 3. MLA-C01 → 4. AIP-C01
Timeline: 5–8 months total
Related: Machine Learning Engineer
Security Engineer
Security professional focused on securing AWS environments.
Certification Order: 1. SAA-C03 → 2. SCS-C02
SAA first
SAA covers foundational security concepts (IAM, encryption, compliance) that SCS builds on. AWS recommends Associate-level knowledge before attempting Specialty exams.
Timeline: 3–4 mo (SAA) + 2–3 mo (SCS)
Related: Solutions Architect
Networking Engineer
Network professional managing VPCs, hybrid connectivity, and DNS.
Certification Order: 1. SAA-C03 → 2. ANS-C01
ANS-C01 Retiring August 25, 2026
The Advanced Networking Specialty exam is being retired. Certifications earned before retirement remain active for 3 years.
Timeline: 3–4 mo (SAA) + 2–3 mo (ANS)
Related: Security Engineer
Database Engineer
Database professional specializing in AWS database services.
Certification Order: 1. SAA-C03 → 2. DEA-C01
DEA covers database topics
While there is no dedicated Database Specialty certification, the Data Engineer Associate exam covers database design, migration, and management extensively.
Timeline: 3–4 mo (SAA) + 2–3 mo (DEA)
Related: Data Engineer, Solutions Architect
Cloud Engineer
Generalist cloud professional managing cloud infrastructure and operations.
Certification Order: 1. CLF-C02 (optional) → 2. SAA-C03 → 3. SOA-C03 → 4. DOP-C02
Timeline: 6–12 months total
Related: DevOps Engineer, SysOps Administrator
Platform Engineer
Engineer building and maintaining internal developer platforms on AWS.
Certification Order: 1. SAA-C03 → 2. DVA-C02 → 3. DOP-C02
Timeline: 6–9 months total
Related: Developer, DevOps Engineer
FinOps
Finance or operations professional focused on cloud cost management and optimization.
Certification Order: 1. CLF-C02 → 2. SAA-C03
Timeline: 2–3 months per certification
Related: Manager
Technical Trainer
Educator or trainer delivering AWS training content.
Certification Order: 1. CLF-C02 → 2. SAA-C03 → 3. Additional based on training focus
Timeline: Ongoing
Related: All pathways — trainers benefit from breadth over depth
Consultant
AWS consultant delivering solutions to clients across multiple industries.
Certification Order: 1. SAA-C03 → 2. SAP-C02 → 3. SCS-C02 (strongly recommended)
Timeline: 6–12 months to SA Pro + Security
Related: Solutions Architect, Security Engineer
Manager
Engineering or IT manager overseeing cloud teams and strategy.
Certification Order: 1. CLF-C02 → 2. SAA-C03
Timeline: 2–3 months per certification
Related: FinOps
Experienced Professional
Veteran IT professional looking to formalize AWS expertise.
Certification Order: 1. SAA-C03 → 2. SAP-C02 → 3. DOP-C02 → 4. SCS-C02
Timeline: 6–12 months for all certs
Related: Consultant, Solutions Architect
Career Changer
Professional transitioning from a non-tech field into cloud computing.
Certification Order: 1. CLF-C02 → 2. SAA-C03 → 3. DVA-C02 (if pursuing development)
Timeline: 6–12 months for 2–3 certifications
Related: Absolute Beginner, Student
FAQ
Which certification should I start with?
For most people, Solutions Architect Associate (SAA-C03) is the best starting point. If you have no IT background, start with Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02) first.
Should I skip Cloud Practitioner?
If you have 6+ months of IT experience, you can skip CLF and start directly with SAA. Cloud Practitioner is optional.
What order should I take certifications?
- Solutions Architect Associate (SAA)
- Choose a specialization: Developer, CloudOps, Data Engineer, ML Engineer, or Security
- Professional level: DevOps Engineer Professional or Solutions Architect Professional
- Specialty certifications as needed
How many certifications do I need?
One well-chosen certification is more valuable than many poorly-prepared ones. Most professionals benefit from 2–4 certifications.
Do certifications expire?
Yes — all AWS certifications are valid for 3 years. Passing a higher-level certification renews active certifications below it.
Where can I find exam vouchers?
See the Vouchers & Discounts page and the Exam Pass Benefit.