Why I recommend achieving AWS Cloud Practitioner Certification before attempting AWS Solution Architect Associate Certification?
Question: “Do I need to achieve AWS Cloud Practitioner Certification before AWS Solution Architect Associate Certification or I can directly attempt AWS SA Associate?”
This was one of the questions asked during the live streaming mentoring session this week.
In this article, I aim to explain the rationale behind my recommendation of doing AWS Cloud Practitioner (CCP) Certification before AWS Solution Architect Associate (SAA) Certification.
If you have been working on AWS for a while and have enough hands-on experience then you should definitely go for AWS SAA Certification as you might find AWS CCP quite basic.
However, if you are starting new or you have focussed on only a specific area of AWS like using S3 to store and retrieve files then I would recommend going step by step and achieve AWS CCP first.
There are two primary reasons for my recommendation:
Reason 1 : AWS CCP acts a good milestone in your learning journey
In general, achieving AWS SAA certification requires 8–12 weeks of study that includes doing hands on labs. Sometimes, remaining motivated for that long can be daunting. Having a mini goal as a milestone or a checkpoint is always a good practice to ensure you are on the right track and to keep your motivation going.
Hence, I recommend having a goal of achieving AWS CCP in the first four to five weeks into your learning journey. Think of this as your mid term examination — it will help you have a sense of achievement or course correct if required.
If you are new to cloud then this Four week learning path for AWS Cloud Practitioner Certification should be a good place to start.
However, there is a hidden question that people hesitate to ask. The cost factor — that might dissuade people from doing both the certifications.
Question: “Does it not cost double to do two certifications — AWS CCP and AWS SAA?”
The answer is NO. It does not cost double — you can do both certifications with marginal extra cost — and that is the second reason.
Reason 2 : Price difference between doing both AWS CCP and AWS SAA vs doing AWS SAA is minimal
The cost of doing AWS CCP is $100. The cost for doing AWS SAA is $150. However the cost of doing AWS CCP + AWS SAA is not $250 ($100 + $150).
Infact, the cost of doing AWS CCP + AWS SAA is $175. How?
AWS provides a 50% discount voucher for your next certification when you pass any certification. So when you take this into consideration then you’ll find that there is not much price difference between going for both the certifications vs going only for AWS SAA.
As you can see in the above table, the price difference between Option 1- only AWS SAA and Option 2- both AWS CCP and AWS SAA is $25. Now, I’m not saying that $25 does not matter — but if you think it’s worth having a mid check point in your learning journey, then option 2 is definitely a lucrative choice.
There you go — now you know why I recommend going for AWS CCP before AWS SAA.
Please note that you need to pass the certification to get the 50% discount voucher for your next exam. As long as you keep clearing your AWS Certifications you will be getting a 50% discount for your next ones — even for Professional and Speciality certifications.
I very well understand that cost sometimes becomes a deterrent factor for attempting certifications for few people. If the sole reason for you to choose Option 1 (only AWS SAA) over Option 2 (both AWS CCP and AWS SAA) is the price difference between the two options — then feel free to send me a message and I will try my best to help you.
