Why Learn AWS?

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is Amazon’s distributed Cloud computing service, which allows users to utilize hundreds of tools using Amazon’s computing power. The system utilizes a pay-as-you-go model that allows individuals to access the same computing power as Netflix. Have you ever explored all of the things AWS can do? Not only is AWS a powerful tool for professionals looking to make their work more efficient, but it is also a great tool for aspiring professionals to improve their coding and programming skills. It is also a useful tool for students who want to be on the cutting edge of machine learning and other AI technologies. Here, you’ll learn more about the careers that benefit from AWS and how it can enhance your professional life. Regardless of your goals, learning AWS is a valuable and impressive skill to add to your resume. 

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.

Common Professional Uses for AWS

AWS is utilized across a wide range of industries and professions. Given that the AWS client list ranges from Bloomberg to the NFL to NASA, there is no shortage of employment opportunities for professionals trained in AWS skills. As of 2022, AWS is the world's most commonly used distributed cloud computing platform, holding about 33% of the international market share. Since hundreds of different tools are available for AWS users, it also covers a wide range of career titles and sub-fields. No matter what your career path is, if you emphasize computer science, data analysis, or information technology, learning AWS will pay dividends. A small sampling of the jobs that utilize AWS applications include:

Cybersecurity Engineer: Given that AWS is utilized by thousands of organizations ranging in size from small startups to multinational corporations, the data and information stored in the cloud must be properly protected. Cybersecurity Engineers are specialists who make certain that systems are functional and protected. These computer science experts will be tasked with building systems infrastructure, running tests on the stability of their systems, and keeping up-to-date on security threats. Cybersecurity Engineers are in high demand, particularly for systems running on AWS platforms, because those firms and organizations tend to collect and store vast amounts of sensitive information.

Data Analyst: The flipside of this massive amount of data is that firms using AWS are employing large amounts of data scientists and analysts to collect, organize, and interpret this data. Many Data Analysts will work in business firms hoping to track customer behaviors, predict market trends, or analyze exploitable market failures. This kind of analysis is in high demand in the financial sector, meaning that experts can find high-paying jobs in several major American cities. Other employers, such as professional sports organizations, entertainment companies, and public-sector utilities and advocacy groups, are pivoting towards increasingly data-driven models for optimizing performance.

Machine Learning Engineer: A newly emerging career field that is becoming increasingly connected to AWS is the field of machine learning. As more and more data is collected every day, it is becoming virtually impossible for human beings to interpret it at a reasonable pace. Thus, more and more firms are relying on machine learning algorithms to automate learning from individual behaviors and translate that information into usable recommendations. This can be for things as mundane as recommendation algorithms on streaming services to processes as significant as automating trading decisions that move millions of dollars in the stock market without human oversight. As machine learning technology improves, partly due to the tools available through AWS, these specialists will continue to grow in demand.

Affordable Web Services

AWS’s pay-as-you-go model makes it an ideal place for individuals looking to take advantage of these services to work on their own web development and design projects. Anyone who has an interest in computer science and development will stand to benefit from learning the skills associated with AWS. Because it is a relatively affordable system for individual users, it can be used in a relatively low-stakes environment. Combined with its free tier of services and wide range of free trials, it is worthwhile for prospective users to explore all available options. AWS also offers affordable web hosting services for anyone hoping to launch a website or other online branding platform.

Cutting Edge Technological Development

Learning how to use AWS can help users enter the cutting-edge world of computer development, including new machine learning techniques, Internet of Things development, and cutting-edge cybersecurity technologies. All of these fields of computer science involve complex computing procedures, and the ability to utilize AWS applications can vastly improve an individual or a small institution’s ability to design new applications and create new developments in these different technological fields. Since these are fairly complicated fields of study, aspiring professionals will need specialized training before they can make use of AWS, but once they are comfortable in those fields, they will be able to leverage additional AWS training to improve their own output greatly.

Students interested in any of these fields should consider exploring the machine learning, cybersecurity, and web development courses and bootcamps offered through Noble Desktop. Many of these classes include career-certificate granting training courses, which will be perfect for students hoping to break into on-demand career fields.

Build Your Own Development Portfolio

No matter what they opt to specialize in, computer programmers hoping to build an industry career will need to make a compelling portfolio of designs and developed applications. This can be difficult for newer developers who don’t have access to the tools to start building high-end applications, machine learning programs, server databases, or other elaborate development projects. Taking advantage of AWS and its various applications can help aspiring programmers build more elaborate projects than they might otherwise be able to without access to improved processing power and focused computer technologies. This makes AWS training an excellent skill for anyone who wants to broaden the horizon of their skills or build working projects that can demonstrate their long-term value to prospective employers.

How to Start Learning AWS

Students looking to learn AWS will have some different options available to them. Students can learn from live courses or purchase on-demand skills training courses from professional instructors. Each of these courses will have different affordances and limitations, and students should read on to learn more about the differences so they can make a more informed decision about the route they want to take for their AWS training. Students interested can learn more about the options available to them for AWS classes using Noble’s Classes Near Me tool.

Most students find that the best way to learn a new skill is through live instruction since these courses ensure that students will be able to work with expert instructors who can guide them through the process of learning AWS. These classes are taught both in-person and online in private digital classrooms using applications such as Zoom. These classes tend to be the most expensive options but also ensure that students receive guided instruction and assistance through practical, hands-on AWS training.

Students enrolled in in-person training courses can receive face-to-face, potentially one-on-one instruction from expert instructors in a dedicated classroom environment. Students will be in a classroom setting with a cohort of like-minded students, offering them valuable networking opportunities and students will be able to take advantage of a training center’s onsite computer labs. The drawback to these classes is that they are highly region restricted, as students will only be able to attend the training centers that they can physically commute to. This isn’t a major problem for students who live in a major metropolitan area, like NYC or San Francisco, but it can be a problem for students who live elsewhere.

Students enrolling in a live online course won’t be restricted to the courses offered near them which will greatly open up their options for AWS training. These courses let students learn from the comfort of their personal workstations and let them work on the devices they will do most of their work on. These courses still provide students with the same guided instruction and hands-on training, so students aren’t sacrificing quality in education to move online. The drawback is that these classes will require students to supply and maintain their own hardware and software, which can add up and mitigate the financial advantages of eliminating a commute.

Some students will need increased flexibility in their scheduling, since they may have work or family obligations that prevent them from attending a regularly scheduled training course. These students can enroll in on-demand training classes that let them work at their own pace, picking up and putting down their lessons on their schedule. This makes the courses ideal for students who need to spread out their training or who want to quickly learn a specific aspect of the AWS suite of applications. The drawback is that these classes lack live instructors, which can cause problems for students who run into challenges or roadblocks during their training. They are also the courses most likely to contain out-of-date information since the AWS platform updates so frequently.

Finally, students who aren’t ready to enroll in a full-time AWS training course may consider taking advantage of free training options. Amazon offers students a wide range of free training resources designed to help ease them into the AWS platform in preparation for professional skills development training. These free resources aren’t enough to prepare students to use AWS professionally, but they are ideal places to start to become comfortable with cloud computing services.

Read the full guide on how to learn AWS.

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 an Amazon Cloud platform that allows users to use distributed computing networks. While it is primarily used for databases, it is also an important part of large-scale data analysis, machine learning, and cybersecurity projects.
• Students learning AWS skills will prepare themselves for in-demand careers in various industries.
• Learning AWS is also a good way to find affordable web hosting and development support for anyone looking to build an online presence or construct a design portfolio for prospective computer science jobs.
• AWS will also assist students interested in working on the cutting edge of computer technology since it provides infrastructure for machine learning, cybersecurity, and IoT development projects.
• Students interested in learning AWS skills should consider enrolling in a comprehensive training course through Noble Desktop. These classes are available in person at Noble’s Manhattan campus or in live digital classrooms.