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Why the AWS Solutions Architect Associate Should Be Your First AWS Certification?
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Whenever someone asks me which AWS certification to start with, my answer is always the same: AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate.
Here are 3 technical reasons why I recommend it, especially for junior cloud engineers:
1. Solid Understanding of AWS Core Services
AWS offers over 200 services, but you only need about 20% of them to cover 80% of real-world use cases (pareto principle).
This certification focuses on the essentials — EC2, S3, VPC, IAM, RDS, Lambda, and more. Mastering these will give you the foundation to build, troubleshoot, and optimize cloud solutions from day one.
2. Practical Experience With Design Patterns and Best Practices
You’ll learn how to architect scalable, resilient, and secure solutions using AWS-recommended frameworks. Expect to work with networking, storage, compute, and security configurations — skills that apply directly to real projects.
3. The Perfect Entry Point into AWS Certifications
It’s neither too easy nor too difficult — just the right mix to challenge yourself while being achievable with proper preparation.
With the right resources, you can pass it in a few weeks (sometimes even days).
Ready to start? Here are my top course recommendations:
📘 [French] LeCloudFacile.com – Clear explanations for beginners
🎯 [English] Stéphane Maarek’s AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate course on Udemy
What was your first AWS certification, and would you choose the same path again?