Planning for an AWS Certification Programme for Transitioning from System Admin to DevOps
 

Hi,


I have been working as a Linux (RHEL) System Administrator for the most of my IT Career in the past 9 years.

Now I intend to dive into a DevOps role as this is what my current organisation is looking for and expecting me to go for and also that I see more and more open positions for a DevOps role rather than for the tradition Linux System Admin in my region (Delhi, India).

(I must say here that I am currently not having any hands-on experience of Cloud or AWS. I am going through the related courses on Udemy currently for gaining basic understanding of them.)

I am wondering as to which one of the following Associate Certification programmes I should enroll into:

1. Solutions Architect
2. Developer
3. SysOps Administrator


Thanks,
Dev.

What do you think we'll be able to tell you here? We have NO IDEA what you want to do or where your skills lie. Your job=your decision. YOU are the one that will have to perform these tasks every day. Since you already have many 'certifications', it's odd that you need to get another one to move to a slightly different position, especially after nine years experience. And you've posted three positions...did you think about/research what they actually are and do?

1. "Solutions Architect" = Hardly anything technical; talk with client to see what they need, and get others to come up with and implement a solution.
2. Developer = Programmer. Do you KNOW how to write code in a business environment?? If not, your nine years experience means absolutely NOTHING.
3. SysOps Administrator = EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE DOING NOW

The 'certifications' are meaningless; either you have the skill and knowledge or you don't. A piece of paper doesn't magically give you the skills, it just shows you passed a little test.

https://aws.amazon.com/certification/?nc2=h_l2_tr is where I'd start looking
if I were "him". ;)

I would encourage you to speak to your present employer! Since you not only say that "this is what they are looking for" and (yay!) that they are "expecting you to go for," express your obvious enthusiasm to them.

Tell them that you're already engaging in a program of self-study. (Udemy.) Freely admit to what "you don't know yet!" (Everybody on Planet Earth "does not know" most things!) Talk to them about the other training programs that you've found.

Since they have already told you that they want you to apply for the position, it entirely stands to reason that they will also be willing, if necessary, to invest their money into the further training of their employee. (To them, and anywhere in the world, "that's just another business investment.") If they agree that these programs would be useful to them, and to their future business relationship with you ... and they might, or they might disagree ... then it's entirely feasible that they might pay all or most of the cost, in exchange for an agreement from you that you won't "fly the coop."

The way I read your post, "they like you and are pleased with your work." Ask them what they think that you should do to better prepare yourself for the position. You are already "a known quantity," and therefore a low-business-risk candidate for the position, plus they know fully-well that they are offering you a promotion.

Congratulations!