What Is the Best Way to Learn AWS?

Key takeaways

To learn AWS, you can utilize a mix of official AWS resources, like AWS Skill Builder and AWS Architecture Center, and online courses and tutorials. 

• AWS is a cloud provider that provides organizations with access to different services in areas such as enterprise applications, storage, and analytics.

• Learning AWS can set you up for careers as a cloud practitioner, DevOps engineer, solutions architect, developer, or security specialist.

• You can earn AWS certifications to demonstrate the skills you learn and help you take the next step in your career.

Explore the various ways you can use AWS and how you can learn it to capitalize on these in-demand skills. If you’re ready to start preparing for an AWS role, enroll in the AWS Cloud Technology Consultant Professional Certificate. You’ll have the opportunity to learn fundamental cloud computing skills, as well as gain experience with tools like AWS CloudFormation and Amazon CloudWatch, in as little as four months. Upon completion, you’ll have earned a career certificate for your resume.

What is AWS?

AWS is a cloud provider that provides organizations access to over 200 different services in areas such as enterprise applications, networking, storage, and analytics [1]. Businesses benefit from using cloud services such as AWS because it allows them to reduce their internal infrastructure needs, ultimately lowering costs and presenting a more scalable solution. AWS gains its competitive advantage over other cloud service providers on the market due to its various features, namely simplicity, security, device compatibility, and the extensive range of services it offers. Notably, Gartner recognized AWS as a leader in its 2025 Magic Quadrant for Strategic Cloud Platform Services for its strong global community and engagement, cloud-based solutions that promote faster hardware and software integrations and efficiency, and enhanced organizational adoption due to its robust network of global partners [2].

Who uses AWS?

Some of the largest companies in the world use AWS, including Apple, Comcast, General Electric, and Netflix. However, AWS isn’t just for Fortune 500 companies, as startups, government agencies, and virtually any other organization, big or small, can benefit from implementing AWS services. Real-world examples of the positive impact AWS can make include:

• Venmo: Venmo has seen substantial growth since its launch, resulting in scaling needs that it relies on AWS to help address, which allows its infrastructure to grow with the business while also reducing costs.

• Georgia Technology Authority (GTA): GTA sought to reduce infrastructure management, lower costs, and improve stability for its state agency application portal and successfully migrated to AWS.

• MediSys Health Network: MediSys moved its electronic health records to AWS to improve its data privacy and resiliency, enabling it to focus more on improving patient outcomes and delivering high-quality care. 

What is the best way to learn AWS for beginners?

The best way for you to learn AWS depends on the role you plan on pursuing and the learning method that works best for you, since several paths exist for developing AWS skills. You can choose to access resources that allow you to learn at your own pace or with an instructor, all revolving around the skills you will need to reach your career goals. Careers you can direct your efforts toward include cloud practitioner, DevOps engineer, solutions architect, developer, and security specialist.

AWS training

AWS has several resources you can access to start learning AWS and work toward earning a certification, with both free and paid subscriptions available. With AWS Skill Builder, you can learn from over 900 free courses, or you can pay a $29 monthly subscription fee or $449 yearly, to gain access to materials to help you prepare for certification exams, gamified learning opportunities, and labs where you can gain practical experience [3]. 

In addition to AWS Skill Builder, Amazon offers other resources that you can rely on to learn AWS: the Developer Center and Architecture Center.

AWS Developer Center

The AWS Developer Center offers tutorials on various topics that allow you to apply your AWS skills. For example, you can learn about the fundamentals of topics in areas such as generative AI and practice training and building AI models. In the Developer Center, you can also access tools to help you develop AWS applications in popular programming languages such as Python, JavaScript, C++, and Go. 

The Developer Center provides a list of resources tailored to your learning preferences. For example, you can access online courses, live-streamed videos, podcasts, YouTube videos, webinars, and tutorials, allowing you to learn AWS by actually doing the work.

AWS Architecture Center

In the AWS Architecture Center, you can explore diagrams and examples of AWS architecture to build high-quality AWS architectures across various applications, including blockchain, big data, machine learning, media services, Internet of Things (IoT), and more. If you want to learn directly from AWS experts within specific fields, the AWS Architecture Center has resources for exactly that.

AWS certifications

AWS certifications are an effective way to demonstrate the skills you learn and help you take the next step in your career. Based on the types of roles you want to pursue, you can choose the learning path that will help you get there. You can select from the following: architecture, data analytics, development, artificial intelligence/machine learning, networking, security, operations, and DevOps. AWS has varying levels of certifications:

• Foundational: No prior experience is necessary when pursuing this AWS certification, but you will need foundational knowledge of AWS Cloud.

• Associate: The associate certification is role-based, so you will need specific skills relating to the position the certification is for, such as a data engineer or a solutions architect.

• Professional: Earning an AWS professional certification will require approximately two years of experience to prepare, as it will examine advanced skills relating to AWS applications in your role.

• Specialty: An AWS specialty certification places you as an expert in your domain, with certification opportunities in areas such as machine learning and advanced networking. Due to the complexity of these certifications, you will likely want to gain significant experience first. For the AWS Certified Advanced Networking Specialty certification, for example, it’s recommended that you have at least five years of experience working with AWS networking.

Read more: Which AWS Exam Should I Take? Understanding AWS Certification

Online courses

In addition to Amazon's resources, you can also learn AWS on Coursera. On Coursera, you can find several AWS courses and earn a Professional Certificate as well. For example, the AWS Fundamentals Specialization can help you learn about key AWS concepts and gain a broader understanding of what you can do with AWS. Pursuing online courses is a great option if you’re seeking flexibility in terms of the pace of your learning, want to explore a topic to see if you have an interest in switching careers, or are seeking an affordable learning method.

Is AWS easy to learn?

Learning AWS can be relatively easy for beginners, especially if you have some understanding of IT and cloud computing. Concepts for entry-level AWS certifications are generally basic and do not require much technical knowledge. However, advanced features across AWS’s range of services will require specialized expertise and investment of time and effort. Leveraging official learning resources and practicing with small projects on AWS Free Tier can help you learn faster.

Tips for passing the AWS certification exam

To help you prepare for your exam, you can access free and paid resources on AWS Skill Builder. Free study materials include practice questions and a digital course covering the topic areas relevant to the exam. With a subscription, you can take practice exams structured similarly to the actual exam and receive scores, along with suggestions for resources for specific subject matter. Along with the practice exam, a subscription also includes access to a longer digital exam preparation course. 

To optimize your preparation, consider the following tips when it’s time to start studying:

• Create specific goals for your study sessions, focusing on mastering one concept at a time.

• Don’t study for too long in a single sitting. Take a brief break every 25 minutes you study. You can accomplish more with these shorter yet highly focused intervals.

• Present the material as if you were teaching it to someone else. This will help you retain the information and indicate where you may need to spend some extra time studying.

• Utilize AWS resources such as AWS Classroom Training, practice questions, and practice exams.

Explore resources to take your skills further

Looking to level up your learning? Get insights into in-demand skills and career trends by subscribing to our LinkedIn newsletter, Career Chat! Build or refresh your AWS or cloud computing skills with our other free resources:

• Take the quiz: Which AWS Course Should You Take?

• Watch on YouTube: Your Guide to a Cloud Computing Career

• Discover new ways to learn: Reimagining Work and Learning with AI: Expert Insights from Dr. Jules White

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