The advantages of receiving a degree
The most frequent justification for why a degree is useful for those working with AWS revolves around giving talent non-technical skill sets before they specialize in AWS.
A university degree offers additional skills and experiences that are also significant, according to one respondent, while AWS offers a certain technical level of ability.
Another person said, “Degrees reflect a comprehensive educational background and intellectual exposure to a lot of diverse disciplines. Being a competent IT worker requires having a history in education that demonstrates your ability to deal with several programs that are all functioning in unison to solve a problem as is the case with AWS integration.
A degree-level education can equip you with a variety of non-technical abilities, such as the capacity to work in teams, think critically, meet deadlines, multitask, and provide and accept constructive criticism.
Another advantage of a degree for AWS fans, according to our survey participants, is that it shows a certain amount of dedication.
A degree is vital regardless of the organization one works for since it demonstrates the commitment to see a long-term goal through.
Overall, 32% of poll participants believed that having a degree helped AWS employees advance in their cloud careers.
Is a degree required?
The abundance of learning options, both inside and outside of conventional educational institutions, is the beauty of today’s tech world.
For cloud fans looking to pick up new skills on their schedule, there are a ton of resources available, including blogs, online courses, YouTube videos, user groups, and message boards. Additionally, AWS offers a sizeable free tier, allowing you to experiment for free with a variety of tools and services.
The following are essential sources for upgrading skills and staying current with developments in the AWS ecosystem:
Official AWS blog
Documentation for AWS
Jeff Barr’s blog, AWS News
Whitepapers & Tutorials for AWS
AWS Podcast Collection
The cloud professionals who responded to our study ranked exposure to large projects (87%) and experience in the IT sector (93%) as being significantly more crucial to a successful career in AWS than a degree.
For aspiring techies from a variety of academic backgrounds, these new learning options have opened up a world of opportunities, according to Rebecca Schmidt, a technical architect at Slack:
Working in technology, Rebecca added, “is one of my favorite things since the bulk of this industry places importance on knowledge, experience, and capacity, rather than on qualifications. “Good good, learning opportunities have improved along with technology, enabling people to pursue a job in AWS without a technical degree.”
Rebecca cautions that while obtaining AWS certifications, attending boot camps, and earning a nano degree might all be beneficial for a CV, they should never take the place of getting actual hands-on experience.
Working with AWS’s free tier and creating practical solutions backed by its services has enhanced my skill set and helped my employer’s architectural and technical viewpoints, I claim.
Similar emphasis was placed on experience is more valuable than a degree by respondents to The Jefferson Frank Careers and Hiring Guide: AWS Edition, with one AWS professional concluding that “long-term experience and exposure to diverse and challenging projects make for better engineers and architects.”
The general perception seems to be that a degree can open doors and give you fundamental abilities, but as you gain experience and first-hand expertise using AWS in a professional context, it becomes less significant.
After a few years of work experience, it’s possible that employers won’t care as much about your degree any longer. Likewise, if you’re just getting started in the field and don’t have much real-world experience, a degree might fill in the skills gap until you can gain more experience.
Another respondent offers this piece of advice for newcomers without prior AWS experience: “Juniors should exhibit projects in GitHub, GitLab, and blogs.”
So, what’s the final word?
Is a degree a requirement to work for AWS? No. Working on AWS projects and getting practical familiarity with the technology is equally beneficial. But does a degree give you the basic knowledge and soft skills you need to acquire a job? Sure.
In summary, practical experience nearly always outweighs academic knowledge, and the tech industry is constantly redefining success as a result of the rising number of self-taught IT workers. But if you don’t have a degree to your name, you’ll have to work harder to demonstrate your qualifications and that you’ve acquired the necessary skills.
As a student of economics who was encouraged to seek a future as a software engineer, Rebecca can speak from her own experience about the advantages a degree may provide for professionals as well as the variety of paths that can lead someone to a career in AWS.
I firmly feel that not having a degree—especially one in the technical field—can prevent someone from beginning a career in technology with AWS. “I also think that the industry is evolving and promoting a culture of constant learning in response to the flood of self-taught engineers.
With options like contract-to-hire that allow businesses to take on less risk when allowing someone who may lack a degree, there is a high demand for and investment in getting top-tier tech talent.
I am optimistic that the industry is moving in a more inclusive direction because of my experiences working on AWS projects with engineers from various, and frequently non-technical backgrounds.
There are numerous opportunities in the cloud ecosystem to take advantage of, regardless of how you got to the shores of an AWS career.
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