5 reasons why AWS DevOps Engineers earn so much | Revolent (2024)

Well, notallAWS DevOps Engineers are certified, however, those with the highest salaries usually have both experience and AWS certifications in their arsenal.

84% of Jefferson Frank’s Careers and Hiring Guide respondents agreed that AWS certifications help professionals stand out in a competitive job market. What’s more, 90% of those with certifications believe that they make you more marketable, and 56% believe that their salary has increased since they gained a certification.

One of the respondents of theguide, an AWS Solutions Architect based in the USA, summed it up like this:“A certification, although not a true reflection of AWS skills, does exhibit a person’s commitment to the technology and a sense of diligence towards learning AWS skills.”

Furthermore, hiring managers and CEOs trust that a certification reflects a candidate’s knowledge of the AWS ecosystem. It’s a seal of approval on your CV, which demonstrates that you really do know what you’re talking about when it comes to AWS.

If you’re completely new to the cloud and AWS, then the first certification you should think about taking is theAWS Certified Cloud Practitioner.This foundational certification will help you gain essential knowledge of core AWS concepts, how the ecosystem works and how it can benefit businesses.

Once you’ve got some knowledge and, ideally, some exposure to cloud projects, you could then think about taking theAWS Certified Developer: Associate certification and AWS Certified: SysOps Administrator certification to help you gain more in-depth knowledge.

If you want to reach expert level and reach that amazing salary that AWS DevOps Engineers earn, then consider taking theAWS DevOps Engineer: Professionalcertification.

46% of AWS professionals surveyed for the Jefferson Frank Careers and Hiring Guide believe that gaining this AWS certification willhelp you boost your pay, ranking it as top two in the industry.

Of course, getting certified involves hours of self-study, so it’s no wonder that employers tend to reward employees who put in the hours and hard work. But with work, family, and other commitments, it can be hard to find the time to get certified. Realistically, it could take you months to study for a certification before you’re ready to pass an exam, especially if you’re new to AWS.

Fancy a shortcut? Our cross-training program will help you carve out the time you need to focus on getting certified, allowing you to earn while you learn, and gain your first AWS certifications in a matter of weeks.

Interested? Find out more on our AWS DevOps Career Page.

Again, this comes with a caveat. ThebestAWS DevOps Engineers have a good understanding of the CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Development or Continuous Deployment) framework.

What this essentially means is that you know how to develop, manage and update applications in a way that causes minimal disruption to the end-user or customer.

Back in the day, any new features or upgrades were typically completed on an ad-hoc basis or had long lead times at best before they were released to the users. The result of this? Well, you may have experienced this for yourself.

The moment you open an app that you’ve been using for ages but – instead of the familiar interface – you are greeted with a completely new look and functionality. While technically it may not take them long to learn how to use the updated version, it can still be a highly frustrating experience for the user. Rather than re-learning how to use the app, many customers would just think “I haven’t got time for this!” and delete it off their desktop or phone.

Knowing the ins and outs of the best CI/CD framework practice will ensure that any upgrades you do on your app are small, frequent, and reversible so that you’re introducing changes to customers in bitesize chunks, which they may not even notice. Regular testing will ensure that there are no outages or app downtime, and the users of your app are kept happy.

One of the reasons why so many companies and organizations are migrating to the cloud andAWS in particular, isbecause of how safe this technology is.

While it may sound like migrating all your data to a cloud-based application may mean opening it to hackers, it’sactually muchsafer than buildingsomething new yourself. Not to mention how cost-effective it is.

While it’s not a requirement for AWS DevOps Engineers to be experts in security, they do need to have a good understanding of the AWS Security Model and IAM.

In fact, the most common security issues tend to be caused by AWS Developers who don’t understand IAM properly.AWShas also launched something called Secrets Manager which helps to manage and retrieve passwords, API keys, and other sensitive data.

If you want to giveyourselfa competitive edge and stand out in the job market, then consider taking theAWS Certified Security –Specialtycertification. Or, you could also think about specializing as another in-demand professional: AWS DevSecOps Engineer with our cross-training program.

Amazon Web Services launched back in 2006. Compared to the likes of Microsoft, they were a late entry in the cloud market.

Despite this, they managed to take the world by a storm. And one of the reasons why AWS today controls an astounding 33% of the total cloud market shareis because theynever stopped innovatingand putting the customer first.

In the same manner, to get noticed and properly rewarded, you should keep innovating in your workplace, by staying ahead of trends and latest releases and always asking yourself: how can I help my business become more cost-effective and productive?

Getting certified is one thing,but,even with exposure to projects that allow you to learn the ins and outs of AWS, youalwaysneed tobeatstagnation.Businesses don’t always have the resources, especially where time is concerned, toresearch the latest trendsthemselves. They rely on employees to help them get ahead of the game, which, in turn, can give you positive exposure and position you as an AWS expertwith yourcompany.

• There’s a fantastic event every year, organized by AWS, usually in November which you must add to your calendar if you’re serious about building a career in this cloud ecosystem. It’s calledre:Invent.During thisexcitingweek-longconference, AWSpresenttons ofbrand-new products and services, feature enhancements, andconduct talks onbetter ways of implementingtheirexisting products and services.
• Another fun way to stay ahead of the trends is by following the so-called ‘AWS evangelists’ online. AWS has an amazing community of passionate advocates, and these influencers keep their finger on the pulse when it comes to news, updates and latest releases within the ecosystem. They can’t wait to share their knowledge with the world. One of the most senior ‘AWS evangelists’ is Jeff Barr. Give his Twitter a follow.