The three major public cloud providers, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud, each offer a range of certifications, from introductory to expert level. For a student, a developer who wants to move closer to infrastructure or a systems administrator in transition, the same question keeps coming up: which one should you take first, and what will it really do for your resume? The answer depends less on the difficulty of the exam than on the role you are targeting and the provider used by the employers you are aiming for. This article compares entry-level certifications, suggests a method for choosing and points out what a certification does not replace.
What a cloud certification proves to a recruiter
A cloud certification certifies that you passed a proctored exam on a scope defined by the provider. For a recruiter, it has three useful effects, and one limit.
- It gets you through the first screening. Many ads cite a certification as a plus, and keyword searches in recruitment software pick it up. For a junior profile, it is sometimes what pushes an application up the list.
- It proves an approach. Preparing for and passing an exam outside your programme or job shows an ability to learn on your own, which teams appreciate.
- It provides a shared vocabulary. A certified candidate knows what a VPC, an IAM role, an availability zone or a resource group is. The interview can go further, faster.
The limit is simple: a certification does not prove you have run anything in production. A tech lead knows this, and will look elsewhere in the resume for a project, an internship or a job where you actually deployed, monitored or troubleshot infrastructure. The certification opens the door; experience makes the decision.
The three providers’ entry-level certifications
Each provider organises its catalogue in levels. For a first job, two levels matter: the foundational level, which validates general cloud literacy, and the associate level, which validates operational skill in a role.
Amazon Web Services
- AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner 🔗: the foundational level. It covers the main services, security, billing and the shared responsibility model. Accessible without technical experience, it suits a student or someone discovering the cloud.
- AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate 🔗: the best-known associate certification. It covers designing resilient, high-performing, secure and cost-efficient architectures. It is often the one recruiters spot first.
- AWS Certified Developer – Associate: aimed at developers (serverless functions, message queues, managed databases, deployment).
AWS certifications are valid for three years and are renewed by retaking the exam or earning a higher-level certification.
Microsoft Azure
- Azure Fundamentals 🔗 (exam AZ-900): the foundational level, equivalent to the Cloud Practitioner.
- Azure Administrator Associate 🔗 (exam AZ-104): the reference associate certification for administration (identities, storage, compute, networking, monitoring).
- Azure Developer Associate (exam AZ-204): aimed at developing applications on Azure.
Microsoft’s role-based certifications must be renewed every twelve months, through a free online assessment on Microsoft Learn. Keep this in mind: an expired Azure certification is easy to spot in a candidate’s public profile.
Google Cloud
- Cloud Digital Leader 🔗: the foundational level, focused on Google Cloud’s uses and services.
- Associate Cloud Engineer 🔗: the associate certification, which validates the ability to deploy applications, monitor operations and manage enterprise solutions on Google Cloud.
Google Cloud then offers professional certifications by job (architect, data engineer, DevOps, security, machine learning).
Titles, exam codes and renewal rules change regularly: always check the official certification page before registering.
Choosing according to the role and the employers you target
The right choice starts with two questions: which role are you targeting, and which cloud do your target employers use?
The target role
- Backend or full-stack developer: a developer-level certification (AWS Developer, Azure Developer) or AWS’s associate architect, which gives an overall view useful for designing an application.
- Junior cloud, DevOps or SRE engineer: the associate level focused on administration or architecture (AWS Solutions Architect, Azure Administrator, Google Associate Cloud Engineer). The foundational level alone is a little light for these roles.
- Data engineer: an associate level, then a data-oriented certification from the employer’s main provider.
- Non-technical profile working with cloud teams (project manager, pre-sales, procurement): the foundational level is often enough.
The dominant provider at your target employers
All three providers are present in France, but not everywhere in the same proportions. Before choosing, look at the job ads you are really targeting and note the cloud they mention. Startups and scale-ups often rely on AWS or Google Cloud; large companies already equipped with Microsoft software frequently use Azure; some public or sensitive organisations favour European hosting providers. Twenty or so ads read carefully will give you a far more reliable indication than any general ranking.
If your targets are mixed, start with the provider that comes up most often in the ads you noted, then add to it when a specific employer justifies it. The concepts largely transfer from one provider to another.
Certification or personal project: the order of priorities
For a first job, the question is not "certification or project", but in what order. A reasonable method:
- Learn by building. Deploy a simple application on the target cloud: a containerised API, a managed database, object storage, a domain name, a certificate. Use the providers’ free tiers and keep an eye on your bill.
- Take the associate certification once this project is in place. The exam will be easier, because the services will no longer be abstract, and you will be able to talk about both in the interview.
- Describe the infrastructure as code. Rework your project with Terraform or an equivalent tool, and add a continuous integration pipeline. This is what brings a personal project closest to professional experience.
A candidate who presents a certification and a deployed project on the same cloud tells a coherent story. A candidate who stacks up three foundational certifications with no project gives the impression of collecting badges.
The DevOps or SRE engineer resume template shows how certifications earned mid-career accompany concrete experience. To go further on orchestration, our article on Kubernetes on a resume explains how to word your real level.
Putting the certification on your resume
A few presentation rules:
- put it in the education section, or in a "Certifications" section if you have several, with the full official title and the date obtained;
- add one line of content: the areas covered or, better, the project where you applied it;
- remove expired certifications or state that they are being renewed;
- do not list a certification in preparation as obtained. "In preparation, exam scheduled for December" is acceptable if true, and can even open a discussion;
- stay consistent: if you display an AWS certification, at least one job or project should use AWS.
The junior developer resume template presents a foundational-level certification with one line of content, right after the degree. Our article on the first developer job explains how to use it in a broader search.
A certification reads all the better for being well placed. The TechCV editor puts education and certifications in standard sections that recruitment software recognises, and lets you move a line with one click depending on the ad. You can add your certification to your resume as soon as you have obtained it.
Frequently asked questions
Should I start with the foundational level?
It is not mandatory. Providers do not impose prerequisites for associate levels. If you already have technical foundations, going straight to the associate level is often more useful for a first technical job. The foundational level remains relevant if you are discovering the cloud or targeting a non-technical role.
Does a certification replace a degree?
No. It complements a degree or experience by proving a specific, recent skill. For a career changer, it helps structure learning and get through the first screening, but recruiters also look at education and projects.
How long does it take to prepare for an associate certification?
It varies a lot with your experience. A developer who already uses the cloud daily can prepare in a few weeks; a beginner will need several months, especially if they build a project alongside, which is recommended.
Can my employer pay for the certification?
Many employers cover the exam and preparation time, especially IT services companies and companies partnered with a cloud provider. Ask in the interview: it is also an indication of the team’s training policy.