What’s the best AWS training for beginners?

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to learn Amazon Web Services (AWS). But it can feel like it if you’re just getting started on your journey to the cloud and looking for the best AWS cloud migration training for beginners.

The world of cloud is one of great opportunities . . . and acronyms. But don’t be scared off by the jargon! 

Every journey starts somewhere. Even if tech-speak isn’t your native tongue, you can learn the fundamentals of AWS and cloud. Ready to get started? Here’s some of the best AWS training for beginners.

First up, a quick detour. Why should you learn AWS? There are several reasons you may be interested in AWS training, and the reason for you might determine which path is best for you.

• You’re looking to start a career in the cloud. Becoming an AWS newbie is the first step toward being an AWS expert. If you're plotting your career path, you may also want to consider which AWS certifications are right for you. A mix of training and studying (one of the main reasons many pursue certifications) plus hands-on time with cloud is one of the best ways to find a cloud job.

• You need to speak intelligently with colleagues or customers about cloud. Learning cloud is not just for IT. There are many non-technical roles that benefit from a basic understanding of cloud.
  
  Picking up the AWS essentials is smart for people in sales, support, finance, marketing, and managerial roles (among others) who can benefit from understanding AWS at a high level (but don’t need to know each service on a technical level). 

• You want to get yourself or your team AWS certified. What’s the value of an AWS certification? For learners, it can mean a high-paying cloud job. How many certifications you need will vary on your desired outcome, but certs are a great way to jump-start your cloud career.
  
  For businesses, there’s a serious ROI of cloud skills, with 93% of ITDMs saying certified employees provide added value and research finding companies that invest in cloud skills and technology see larger growth in average revenue per employee.

• You want to dip a toe into the world of tech. Maybe you don’t work in tech and aren’t necessarily looking to make a career change. But the cloud isn’t just for businesses. Tinker with powerful tech without having to spend an arm and a leg or tap into the power of cloud computing to pursue passion projects.

Are you looking to begin your AWS career or take your skills to the next level? Our AWS learning paths offers customized paths to excel your cloud journey!

AWS DevOps

WATCH: Solving The "No Experience" Cloud Hiring Problem
Can’t get experience without a job; you can't get hired without experience. It's a cloudy Catch-22! Watch this free, on-demand webinar on cloud careers, including insights from the ACG challenge that helped dozens get their first cloud job. 

A Cloud Guru offers plenty of training for beginners — from fundamentals that you can check out with a free-tier ACG membership to in-depth certification prep courses that you can take for a test spin by starting a free trial.

• AWS Essentials
  This 16-hour apprentice-level course is for those who are completely new to AWS. No prior experience required.
  
  You’ll get an intro to AWS, its core services, and the process of setting up your own AWS account. What you learn will be reinforced with real-world scenarios and hands-on activities, and quizzes will help check your understanding of it all along the way.
  
  This course is currently available as one of ACG’s free courses. Just sign up for an ACG free-tier account!

• Introduction to AWS
  This quickie course for beginners (which is also currently free) will teach you everything that you need to know about the "how" and "why" of AWS. It's an AWS tutorial for beginners handled with an "explain-it-like-I’m-5" approach — explaining things simply, without industry jargon. No programming knowledge or AWS experience is required.

• AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner
  This AWS training for beginners will help you learn the major components of Amazon Web Services and prepare for the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner (or AWS CCP) exam. This AWS foundational-level certification covers a great deal at a shallow depth, and studying for this exam is a great way to get started in the cloud. There are no prerequisites, and with a few weeks of studying, you can be ready to sit and ace the exam.
  
  ACG’s Certified Cloud Practitioner prep course is for non-technical folks — making it ideal for if you’re starting or are in a role where you don’t need to know each service at a deep, technical level. 
  
  Earning this credential is a first step toward the more technical AWS Associate-level certifications. But this certification can also help marketing, sales, legal, and finance professionals better interact with developers and IT pros engaged in AWS-related projects. Skills covered by the AWS CCP exam include AWS services, AWS architectural foundations, and AWS security and compliance.

• AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate SAA-C02
  If your goal is to pursue a career in cloud, you should set your sights on the AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate certification after you’ve gained your AWS Cloud Practitioner certification. This is the most popular cloud cert and ACG's most popular cloud course.
  
  The AWS CSAA certification is typically regarded as one of the most valuable certifications in all of IT. It will help you get started in cloud and provides a stepping-off point for many other AWS certifications. (You don't have to take the CCP before the AWS CSAA — though it will help if you're an AWS beginner.)
  
  Sysadmins and developers may be tempted to go for the AWS Certified Developer – Associate or AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate certs first, but we still recommend bagging this cert first.
  
  In preparing for the AWS CSAA certification, you'll learn the fundamentals of AWS architectural principles and services, including IAM, S3, Cloudfront, Storage Gateway, Snowball, EC2, Cloudwatch, CLI, Lambda, Route 53, RDS, Dynamo DB, Redshift, ElastiCache, and oh so much more.

If you need to know foundational concepts like what is cloud computing, what is cloud migration, and the benefits of cloud but won’t be getting your hands dirty with implementation, there are other courses and certifications you might consider as an AWS and cloud beginner.

• Introduction to Cloud Computing
  Want to get the TL;DR version on what the cloud is in less time than your lunch break? Our explain-it-like-I’m-five (but I’m a five-year-old interested in the cloud) intro to cloud computing breaks down the basics and decodes the jargon that can make cloud feel impenetrable in under an hour. After this, you'll be more than set to take on any of our AWS training for beginners.
  
  Best of all, this course is free with an ACG free account.

• Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals AZ-900
  The best Microsoft Azure certification for beginners is also one of the best intros to cloud out there. (Don’t be confused by the number and exam name. If Azure exam-naming wasn’t so confusing, this one would be Azure 101.)
  
  For our AZ-900 course, there are no prerequisites (and there's at least one concept explained via the magic of LEGO). And though the focus is around cloud via Azure, this beginner cloud training course covers all the foundational cloud concepts and basics, like high availability, scalability, fault tolerance, and Capex vs. Opex.
  
  As a bonus, the Azure Fundamentals certification is not just one of the top-paying Azure certifications — it’s one of the top-paying cloud certifications out there. (Though, to be transparent, the big pay reported is likely because this is such a solid cert to snag for so many different roles — not just Azure engineers and architects but cloud-adjacent folks, from leadership to sales to support — skewing the salary numbers higher.) Still, the basics you’ll learn in prepping for the AZ-900 are a solid foundation for cloud understanding that is sure to pay off.

• GCP Google Cloud Digital Leader
  Google’s new foundational-level Cloud Digital Leader cert is job-role agnostic, requires zero hands-on experience with Google Cloud, and there are no prerequisites to sitting the exam — which can be taken remotely. It’s basically Google’s equivalent of the Azure Fundamentals or AWS CCP, and it’s another great option for beginners seeking cloud training.
  
  Cloud newcomers and non-technical folks alike can use the GCP Google Cloud Digital Leader certification as a guide for learning. Google says this specific cert says you can “articulate the capabilities of Google Cloud core products and services and how they benefit organizations. The Cloud Digital Leader can also describe common business use cases and how cloud solutions support an enterprise.”
  
  Looking to pick up the basics of cloud via Google Cloud? Check out our free Google Cloud Concepts course or our more in-depth Crash Course on Google Cloud Platform course.

Ready to level up your AWS skills? Get started with ACG for free. Whether you’re just starting out or you're a seasoned cloud pro, A Cloud Guru’s learn-by-doing approach will help you master the cloud and advance in your career.