All 12 AWS Certs — In One Map
A clear, no-BS guide to AWS certifications: which to pick, in what order, how long to prepare, and what each one costs. Updated for 2026 (incl. new GenAI Pro & MLA-C01).
Pick a path, not a random cert
Don't collect certs like Pokémon. Pick one path that aligns with your career goal.
🏗️ Cloud Architect Path
Most common path in India for senior cloud roles.
🔐 DevSecOps / Security Path
My personal path. Best for ₹25–60 LPA roles.
🤖 AI / ML Engineer Path
🔥 Hottest path in 2026. Agentic AI is exploding.
All 12 certifications
Foundational
Best starting point if you're brand new to AWS or non-technical.
AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner
Beginners, managers, sales, anyone starting on AWS
AWS Certified AI Practitioner
Anyone wanting to understand AI/ML on AWS at a high level
Associate
The sweet spot. Most jobs ask for at least one Associate cert.
AWS Certified Solutions Architect — Associate
Most popular cert. Best ROI. Start here.
AWS Certified Developer — Associate
Developers building serverless / cloud-native apps
AWS Certified CloudOps Engineer — Associate
SysAdmins / DevOps moving to AWS operations
AWS Certified Data Engineer — Associate
Data engineers, ETL/ELT, analytics on AWS
AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer — Associate
ML engineers deploying models on SageMaker
Professional
Expert-level. Salary bumps of 30–50% in the Indian market.
AWS Certified Solutions Architect — Professional
After SAA. Multi-account, hybrid, complex architectures
AWS Certified DevOps Engineer — Professional
After DVA + SOA. CI/CD, IaC, monitoring at scale
AWS Certified Generative AI Developer — Professional
🔥 Brand new! Bedrock Agents, RAG, GenAI apps
Specialty
Deep dive into one area. Take after at least one Associate.
AWS Certified Security — Specialty
Security engineers, DevSecOps, compliance roles
AWS Certified Advanced Networking — Specialty
Network engineers, hybrid cloud architects
AWS Certified Machine Learning — Specialty
ML practitioners (being phased out for MLA-C01)
Confused which to pick? Let's talk.
Book a free 15-min discovery call — I'll help you pick the right cert based on your background, goals, and target salary.