01.30.2023
AWS Certified Data Analyst Salary and Skills
By The Fullstack Academy Team
AWS Certified Data Analyst Salary and Skills
If you’re looking for a career field in business with growth potential, one great option is data analytics. Market research firm Fortune Business Insights projects that the global data analytics market will grow from nearly $272 billion in 2022 to almost $656 billion in 2029. That growth will be driven by the increased use of data analytics across a wide variety of industries—including banking, retail, agriculture, and media—to gain new insights into customers and maximize profitability and performance.
The continuing expansion in the use of data analytics translates into an opportunity for individuals seeking to enter the field. Organizations are searching for employees with the expertise to build data analytics solutions and find the meaning hidden within their data. A good way to build your credentials in the field is to earn the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Certified Data Analytics - Specialty certification. Geared toward cloud data analytics, this certification could be your calling card to a great career.
Start by learning more about AWS certified data analytics salary levels and the skills that could give you a competitive edge in the job market, then consider enrolling in an online data analytics bootcamp that can introduce you to the latest technologies and enhance your visualization skills.
What Is the AWS Certified Data Analytics - Specialty Certification?
The AWS Certified Data Analytics - Specialty credential affirms that an individual has the ability to design and maintain analytics systems. The certification focuses on using Amazon Web Services, which is Amazon’s cloud computing platform. As of July 2022, AWS boasted a nearly 34% market share among cloud computing platforms, a bigger market share than any of its competitors, according to market intelligence firm Synergy Research Group. An AWS certification could be a valuable career step.
The AWS Certified Data Analytics - Specialty certification is tailored to analytics professionals such as solutions architects, data analysts, and data scientists who want to perfect their skills in deploying and managing their workloads on the AWS cloud, according to the technology news website ZDNet.
Considering a career in data analytics?
Learn more about our full-time and part-time data analytics bootcamps.
Certification Prerequisites
Prior to taking the certification exam, AWS recommends that individuals have:
At least five years of experience working with common technologies for data analytics
At least two years of hands-on experience working with AWS services to design, build, maintain, and secure solutions for data analytics
The ability to define AWS services and understand how those services work together
The ability to explain how AWS services fit into the collection, storage, processing, and visualization of data
Concepts on the Certification Exam
The exam for AWS Certified Data Analytics - Specialty certification covers five domains: data collection, data storage and management, data processing, data analysis and visualization, and data security.
Data Collection
The data collection section of the exam covers topics such as data loss tolerance limits, data acquisition costs, data collection systems, data capturing, and data compression.
Data Storage and Management
The exam section on data storage and management highlights topics such as optimal data storage solutions, data structure and format, data retention policies, and the cost and performance characteristics associated with different data layouts.
Data Processing
The data processing exam section includes topics such as working with data usage requirements, data processing costs and scalability, and the aggregation of data for consumption downstream.
Data Analysis and Visualization
The exam section on data analysis and visualization focuses on topics such as static and dynamic data presentations, visualization tool capabilities, and data visualization based on performance requirements.
Data Security
The data security section of the exam includes topics such as data authentication and authorization, data encryption, data governance, and data audit logging.
AWS Certified Data Analytics: Salary
The salaries of AWS certified data analytics professionals are attractive. For example, according to Payscale, as of October 2022:
The average annual salary for individuals with AWS skills was about $112,000
The average annual salary for individuals with AWS skills who work as data scientists was about $103,000
Several factors can influence a particular individual’s salary, including:
Their years of experience in the field
Their knowledge of different programming languages
The industry in which they work
The specific position and role they hold within the industry
Geographic location also can be a factor in compensation. In 2022, information technology services firm TeamBlind published a list of the 50 U.S. cities where data scientists earned the highest salaries. It found:
The top-ranked city was Los Gatos, California, where the median annual total compensation of data scientists was $472,500.
The city that ranked 50th was Wilmington, Delaware, where the median annual total compensation of data scientists was $131,000.
It’s important to note that annual salary was just one element of the total compensations reported in TeamBlind’s rankings. TeamBlind also included cash bonuses and stock-based compensation in their total compensation calculations. These are forms of compensation that all aspiring data analytics professionals should factor into their career decision-making.
In addition, individuals who were already working in cloud computing before they earned an AWS certification have reported increases in their salaries after earning the AWS certification. In 2022, Jefferson Frank, an AWS recruiting firm, surveyed AWS certified professionals and inquired about their salary levels before and after earning AWS certification. On average, the survey respondents reported a 25% salary increase after they earned an AWS certification.
AWS Certified Data Analytics: Key Skills
Professionals who earn competitive salaries associated with AWS Certified Data Analytics - Specialty certification have skills in many aspects of analytics, including:
Cloud computing. This includes skills in performing a variety of functions on the cloud, such as conducting data queries, performing managed searches, and building secure data lakes.
Data collection. Examples include selecting the best data collection system to meet an organization’s needs, filtering data while it is being collected, and pinpointing potential bottlenecks in the collection of data.
Data storage. Examples include skills in areas such as data warehousing, selecting the best data storage solution for an organization, and cataloging data and metadata.
Data processing. This includes skills in areas such as preparing data for analysis, understanding data sources, and developing solutions for repeating workflows.
Data analysis. These types of skills can include activities such as selecting the best analysis tools, analyzing real-time streaming data, and selecting the best method of delivering data analysis results (for example, web, mobile, or email).
Data visualization. This includes skills in areas such as building customized dashboards, creating interactive visualizations, and combining data into data models.
Data security. Individuals with the certification have skills in areas such as building strong data access controls, complying with data security requirements, and using AWS for securing data.
Considering a career in data analytics?
Learn more about our full-time and part-time data analytics bootcamps.
Hone the Skills Needed for Success
With the demand for data analytics expertise growing, now could be a great time to enter the field. Combine that demand with rewarding work and the potential salary that comes with earning the AWS Certified Data Analytics - Specialty certification, and you have the key elements of a gratifying career.
If you are interested in data analytics, explore Fullstack Academy’s online Data Analytics Bootcamp to learn how it can help you achieve your career goals. With live online classes, the bootcamp offers the opportunity to prepare for the AWS Certified Data Analytics - Specialty certification test. Start on the path toward a fulfilling career in data analytics today.
Recommended Readings
Data Scientist vs. Data Analyst: What’s the Difference?
What Does a Data Analyst Do? Job Types, Training, and Salary
What Is Database Management? Career and Salary Outcomes
Sources:
Amazon, AWS Certified Data Analytics - Specialty
Amazon, AWS Certified Data Analytics - Specialty (DAS-C01) Exam Guide
Amazon, Cloud Computing with AWS
Jefferson Frank, “AWS Certification in 2022: Is It Worth It?”
Payscale, Average Data Scientist with Amazon Web Services (AWS) Skills Salary
Payscale, Salary for Skill: Amazon Web Services (AWS)
TeamBlind, “The Top 50 Best-Paying Cities for Data Scientists in the United States”
