How Long Does it Take to Learn AWS?

Discover the typical timeline for mastering AWS and key factors that can influence learning speed.

Discover how to master Amazon Web Services, the most widely-used Cloud Computing Platform, with tailored courses suitable for beginners through to advanced users. With AWS becoming an integral part of many careers such as cybersecurity and machine learning, ensure you're ready to tackle any task with hands-on training programs.

Key Insights

  • AWS is the leading Cloud Computing Platform, providing over 200 unique services to individuals, corporations, and public-sector organizations.
  • It's a versatile platform used for a variety of tasks including data analytics, machine learning, web hosting, and network building.
  • The learning curve varies greatly depending on your desired use and existing computer science background. Basic AWS skills can be learned in a few days while more complex applications may require longer training periods.
  • AWS is trusted by many high-profile clients such as NASA and the Department of Defense due to its reliability and security, making it a crucial component of cybersecurity education.
  • Amazon offers a range of free training programs to help students familiarize themselves with AWS services before enrolling in professional training courses.
  • Professional AWS training services, like those offered by Noble Desktop, offer expert instruction and practical, hands-on experience for comprehensive AWS proficiency.

Like many aspiringComputer Scientists, Cybersecurity Engineers, and Machine Learning Engineers, you might want to learn AWS but worry that it will take too much time. The time it takes to learn AWS will depend greatly on what kinds of tasks you want to use Amazon’s cloud computing services. Individuals interested in web hosting services or network building can learn AWS assistance programs in only a few days' time. Students looking to use AWS for machine learning or cybersecurity projects will take much longer and need significant supplement training. Of course, this depends on several factors. Keep reading to learn about how you can learn AWS and some resources to help speed the process along.

What is AWS?

Released to the public in 2002, Amazon Web Services is the most commonly used Cloud Computing Platform among individuals, corporations, and public-sector organizations. AWS encompasses a wide range of services. As of 2022, this includes more than two hundred distinct services, including cloud data storage, database management, data analytics, machine learning, and distributed computing services, and the number of services available is only set to continue growing as Amazon expands its computing capabilities. At the time of writing, Amazon Web Services is the leader in Cloud infrastructure services with a 33% market share, more than its two primary competitors (Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud) combined.

Amazon Web Services is an incredibly trusted Cloud computing service and counts among its clients NASA, Netflix, the Department of Defense, and Bloomberg. Amazon Web Services is such a trusted network in terms of reliability and security that the UK’s Ministry of Defense and the MI:5 and MI:6 intelligence agencies have contracted AWS to host classified information. This level of security and coverage means that learning AWS will also be a vital part of a cybersecurity curriculum, as many organizations and institutions use the service to store sensitive data and information. Regardless of what aspect of the world of computer science you work in, it is very likely that you will interact with AWS in a meaningful capacity.

Read more about what AWS is and why you should learn it. 

What Can You Do with AWS?

Given that AWS is a collection of over two hundred different cloud computing services, there are an almost endless number of different things you can do through AWS. On an enterprise level, AWS allows organizations and businesses to host and store huge amounts of data and utilize Amazon’s various data analysis tools to interpret, catalog, and use that data. AWS also allows groups to take advantage of Amazon’s computer infrastructure to train machine learning programs or assist in web development. AWS is also a common-hosting platform for web applications.

AWS is also used in a wide variety of different contexts outside of the world of business. It is such a versatile service that companies and organizations have found ways to tailor AWS services to their needs. The NFL uses AWS for advanced statistical analysis and data-driven sports science, and MI:6 uses the same platform to store classified information of vital national security interest. The versatility of the services offered by AWS lets the same users building machine learning algorithms host those tools for companies wanting to perform significant data analytics projects. As the AWS cloud computing platform grows, so does the scope of projects it can handle.

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Average Time it Takes to Learn AWS

The time it takes to learn AWS will vary since AWS is a banner service comprising over 200 different computing applications. This means that the time it takes to learn will depend on how many applications you want to learn and how involved each of those applications is. Students looking to learn the basics can do so in a few days, while more advanced skills will require longer training sessions.

Other Factors

The other major factors determining how long it takes to learn AWS will depend on the scope of your projects and your own computer science background.

Computer Science Background

It will take longer to learn advanced AWS computing applications, and many of these projects will also require students to have advanced skill training. The process will be easier and quicker for students who have this training. For students who don’t have this training, learning to use AWS for machine learning, for example, will require them to also learn skills like Python and this will greatly increase the time it takes to learn AWS.

Scope of Projects

AWS is designed with massive corporate and organizational contracts in mind. This means that power users like Netflix or the DoD primarily utilize some of the service's most advanced features. If you are planning on learning AWS to work on these kinds of projects, you’ll need far more training than if you were hoping to learn for your own use.

Level of Difficulty, Prerequisites, & Cost 

Students may need clarification on whether a full AWS training course is right for them, especially considering how many different routes that training can take. Students are encouraged to take advantage of free training resources before enrolling in a paid training program to see what kinds of services and tools they can learn. These resources won’t be a substitute for professional training, and almost all professional AWS users will need further training at some point. Still, these classes and resources are great places to familiarize yourself with the fundamentals of AWS to better understand the kinds of skills you’ll be learning in a professional training environment.

The best place to start exploring these training options is directly through Amazon. Amazon offers a wide variety of different training programs meant to help students become accustomed to their services. These include generalized training programs and focused training programs targeted at specific professional sectors, like the financial industry, or specific functions of AWS tools, like Machine Learning. These courses are designed to lead students into Amazon’s professional training options and prepare them to pass various AWS certification exams, but these tools are productive options regardless of how a student plans on expanding their AWS training.

Read about more free AWS videos and online tutorials.

Watch a Free AWS Online Course

Students may need clarification on whether a full AWS training course is right for them, especially considering how many different routes that training can take. Students are encouraged to take advantage of free training resources before enrolling in a paid training program to see what kinds of services and tools they can learn. These resources won’t be a substitute for professional training, and almost all professional AWS users will need further training at some point. Still, these classes and resources are great places to familiarize yourself with the fundamentals of AWS to better understand the kinds of skills you’ll be learning in a professional training environment.

The best place to start exploring these training options is directly through Amazon. Amazon offers a wide variety of different training programs meant to help students become accustomed to their services. These include generalized training programs and focused training programs targeted at specific professional sectors, like the financial industry, or specific functions of AWS tools, like Machine Learning. These courses are designed to lead students into Amazon’s professional training options and prepare them to pass various AWS certification exams, but these tools are productive options regardless of how a student plans on expanding their AWS training.

Read about more free AWS videos and online tutorials.

Learn AWS with Hands-on Training at Noble Desktop

Those interested in learning how to utilize AWS and the various computing processes available through the service may want to receive guidance on using these tools. Anyone looking for this guidance can find it through the professional training services offered by Noble Desktop. These classes are available in-person at Noble’s Manhattan campus or online in private digital classrooms. Regardless of how you take these classes, students will be taught by expert instructors who have years of experience working with AWS. Class sizes, even those online, are kept small so students won’t have to worry about competing with their classmates for their instructor’s attention. Plus, anyone enrolling in a Noble training course can retake the class any time within a calendar year for free. This will ensure that students have even more time to practice their AWS skills.

People who are interested in an overview of the tools offered by Amazon and their basic functions will want to enroll in Noble’s Cloud Computing with AWS course. This class will teach participants how to build enterprise-level cloud computing environments for various professional purposes. Students will learn how to use cloud infrastructure for building networks and databases and receive practical, hands-on training in these skills to be ready to apply their training once they enter the professional world. This is an excellent course for those who want to work with AWS tools but aren’t sure that they want to specialize in a specific aspect of the program suite.

AWS is vital to modern cybersecurity infrastructures because many major institutions and organizations utilize the platform. If you’re interested in entering this important and growing career field, you will want to enroll in Noble’s Cybersecurity Bootcamp. In this immersive, career-focused training program, students will learn how to analyze and engineer cybersecurity systems for Python, Linux, and cloud computing databases like AWS. As more important and sensitive data is stored on cloud systems, businesses will become more invested in their cybersecurity infrastructure. In this class, students will learn techniques for monitoring, analyzing, and planning cybersecurity systems, how to discover weaknesses and potential exploits in a system, and how to recognize attackers and security breaches. This is an ideal course for any student who wants to enter into a new career in the in-demand field of cybersecurity. You may also wish to explore their other options for cybersecurity classes and bootcamps through Noble Desktop.

Key Insights

  • AWS is a distributed Cloud computing platform that lets users access Amazon’s servers and compute hardware for their own projects.
  • Students looking to use the service for basic processes like web hosting or distributed database storage can pick up the skills rather quickly. However, more advanced skills will take longer to learn.
  • The time it takes to learn these skills will also depend on your own background since more advanced uses of AWS will have prerequisite skills that they need to learn.
  • One way to speed up the learning process is by enrolling in a professional training program, such as the ones offered through Noble Desktop. These courses are open to students of all skill levels and available in person at Noble’s Manhattan campus and through live online instruction.
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