Career spotlights
AWS Application Architect
Career spotlights
AWS Application Architect
Career spotlights
AWS Application Architect
How much do Application Architects make?
| Junior (0-3 yrs) | Mid-level (4-8 years) | Senior (9+ yrs) | Contract | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States – End users ($) | - | 175,750 | 216,000 | 160 (p/h) |
| United States – Partners ($) | - | 186,500 | 220,000 | 160 (p/h) |
| United Kingdom (£) | - | 90,250 | 122,250 | 685 (p/d) |
| Germany (€) | - | 85,500 | 102,250 | 1,245 (p/d) |
| Switzerland (Fr) | - | 132,250 | 183,750 | - |
44%
50%
39 hours
44 hours
Freelance Application Architects work an average of 44 hours per week
How much do Application Architects make?
| Junior (0-3 yrs) | Mid-level (4-8 years) | Senior (9+ yrs) | Contract | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States – End users ($) | - | 175,750 | 216,000 | 160 (p/h) |
| United States – Partners ($) | - | 186,500 | 220,000 | 160 (p/h) |
| United Kingdom (£) | - | 90,250 | 122,250 | 685 (p/d) |
| Germany (€) | - | 85,500 | 102,250 | 1,245 |
| Switzerland (Fr) | - | 132,250 | 183,750 | - |
44%
50%
39 hours
Permanent Application Architects work an average of 39 hours per week
44 hours
Freelance Application Architects work an average of 44 hours per week
How much do Data
Engineers make?
| United States – End users: – |
| United States – Partners: – |
| United Kingdom: – |
| Germany: – |
| Switzerland: – |
| United States – End users: $175,750 |
| United States – Partners: $186,500 |
| United Kingdom: £90,250 |
| Germany: €85,500 |
| Switzerland: Fr132,250 |
| United States – End users: $216,000 |
| United States – Partners: $220,000 |
| United Kingdom: £122,250 |
| Germany: €102,250 |
| Switzerland: Fr183,750 |
| United States – End users: $160 (p/h) |
| United States – Partners: $160 (p/h) |
| United Kindom: £685 (p/d) |
| Germany: €1,245 (p/d) |
| Switzerland: – |
| Junior (0-3 yrs) | Mid-level (4-8 years) | Senior (9+ yrs) | Contract | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States ($) – End users | 0000 | 0000 | 0000 | 0000 |
| United States ($) – Partnerss | 0000 | 0000 | 0000 | 0000 |
| United Kingdom (£) | 0000 | 0000 | 0000 | 0000 |
| Germany (€) | 0000 | 0000 | 0000 | 0000 |
| Switzerland (SFr) | 0000 | 0000 | 0000 | 0000 |
44%
50%
39 hours
Permanent Application Architects work an average of 39 hours per week
44 hours
Freelance Application Architects work an average of 44 hours per week
What factors impact your earning potential as an Application Architect?
We asked current AWS professionals what factors were most important in upping your earning potential in that role.
| Important | Neutral | Unimportant | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Years of technical experience with AWS | 74% | 12% | 15% |
| Years of experience in IT | 71% | 18% | 12% |
| Exposure to large projects | 71% | 21% | 9% |
| Specific vertical industry experience | 56% | 26% | 18% |
| AWS certifications | 56% | 32% | 12% |
| Years of experience working for a partner organization | 55% | 27% | 187% |
| Years of experience working for an end user | 53% | 34% | 13% |
| College/University degree(s) | 44% | 29% | 26% |
What factors impact your earning potential
as an Application Architect?
We asked current AWS professionals what factors were most important in upping your earning potential in that role.
| Important | Neutral | Unimportant | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Years of technical experience with AWS | 74% | 12% | 15% |
| Years of experience in IT | 71% | 18% | 12% |
| Exposure to large projects | 71% | 21% | 9% |
| Specific vertical industry experience | 56% | 26% | 18% |
| AWS certifications | 56% | 32% | 12% |
| Years of experience working for a partner organization | 55% | 27% | 187% |
| Years of experience working for an end user | 53% | 34% | 13% |
| College/University degree(s) | 44% | 29% | 26% |
What factors impact your earning potential as an Application Architect?
| % | |
|---|---|
| Years of technical experience with AWS | 74% |
| Years of experience in IT | 71% |
| Exposure to large projects | 71% |
| Specific vertical industry experience | 56% |
| AWS certifications | 56% |
| Years of experience working for a partner organization | 55% |
| Years of experience working for an end user | 53% |
| College/University degree(s) | 44% |
| % | |
|---|---|
| Years of technical experience with AWS | 12% |
| Years of experience in IT | 18% |
| Exposure to large projects | 21% |
| Specific vertical industry experience | 26% |
| AWS certifications | 32% |
| Years of experience working for a partner organization | 27% |
| Years of experience working for an end user | 34% |
| College/University degree(s) | 29% |
| % | |
|---|---|
| Years of technical experience with AWS | 15% |
| Years of experience in IT | 12% |
| Exposure to large projects | 9% |
| Specific vertical industry experience | 18% |
| AWS certifications | 12% |
| Years of experience working for a partner organization | 18% |
| Years of experience working for an end user | 13% |
| College/University degree(s) | 26% |
What steps should you take to become an Application Architect?
Education
In terms of qualifications, 61% of Application Architects hold at least a Bachelor’s degree. However, only 44% consider a degree to be an important factor when it comes to increasing earning potential, while 43% believe a degree to be important to work with AWS.
What AWS certifications do Application Architects hold?
| Answer | % |
|---|---|
| AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate | 61% |
| AWS Certified Developer - Associate | 33% |
| AWS Certified DevOps Engineer - Professional | 28% |
| AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner - Foundational | 17% |
| AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional | 11% |
| AWS Certified Machine Learning - Specialty | 11% |
| AWS Certified Database - Specialty | 11% |
| AWS Certified Data Analytics - Specialty | 11% |
Certification
Earning an AWS certification is perhaps the most popular way professionals upskill and build their knowledge of the platform, while capitalizing on the added benefits it may bring you when looking to further your career.
Of those who took part in this survey, 53% of Application Architects are certified, and 56% have recertified to maintain their AWS Certified Status, yet 94% believe that certifications help candidates stand out in a competitive job market.
Unlike some other roles, AWS doesn’t currently offer a certification specifically targeted at Application Architect positions. That’s not to say there aren’t certifications that will help professionals obtain these positions or progress within them, however. As a relatively senior-level role, Cloud Application Architects often have several years of experience in software engineering behind them, meaning these professionals will often have the expertise needed to successfully obtain Associate, Professional, and Specialty badges. While some larger organizations may also prefer a degree in a computer-science-related field, professionals can pair prior qualifications and experience with a vendor-accredited certification to validate their skills specifically within the realms of AWS. As proven by our findings, earning the AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate certification is perhaps the most effective means of demonstrating this.
What steps should you take to become an Application Architect?
Education
Certification
Earning an AWS certification is perhaps the most popular way professionals upskill and build their knowledge of the platform, while capitalizing on the added benefits it may bring you when looking to further your career.
Of those who took part in this survey, 53% of Application Architects are certified, and 56% have recertified to maintain their AWS Certified Status, yet 94% believe that certifications help candidates stand out in a competitive job market.
Unlike some other roles, AWS doesn’t currently offer a certification specifically targeted at Application Architect positions. That’s not to say there aren’t certifications that will help professionals obtain these positions or progress within them, however. As a relatively senior-level role, Cloud Application Architects often have several years of experience in software engineering behind them, meaning these professionals will often have the expertise needed to successfully obtain Associate, Professional, and Specialty badges. While some larger organizations may also prefer a degree in a computer-science-related field, professionals can pair prior qualifications and experience with a vendor-accredited certification to validate their skills specifically within the realms of AWS. As proven by our findings, earning the AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate certification is perhaps the most effective means of demonstrating this.
What AWS certifications do Application Architects hold?
| Answer | % |
|---|---|
| AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate | 61% |
| AWS Certified Developer - Associate | 33% |
| AWS Certified DevOps Engineer - Professional | 28% |
| AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner - Foundational | 17% |
| AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional | 11% |
| AWS Certified Machine Learning - Specialty | 11% |
| AWS Certified Database - Specialty | 11% |
| AWS Certified Data Analytics - Specialty | 11% |
What steps should you take to become an Application Architect?
Education
In terms of qualifications, 61% of Application Architects hold at least a Bachelor’s degree. However, only 44% consider a degree to be an important factor when it comes to increasing earning potential, while 43% believe a degree to be important to work with AWS.
Certification
Earning an AWS certification is perhaps the most popular way professionals upskill and build their knowledge of the platform, while capitalizing on the added benefits it may bring you when looking to further your career.
Of those who took part in this survey, 53% of Application Architects are certified, and 56% have recertified to maintain their AWS Certified Status, yet 94% believe that certifications help candidates stand out in a competitive job market.
Unlike some other roles, AWS doesn’t currently offer a certification specifically targeted at Application Architect positions. That’s not to say there aren’t certifications that will help professionals obtain these positions or progress within them, however. As a relatively senior-level role, Cloud Application Architects often have several years of experience in software engineering behind them, meaning these professionals will often have the expertise needed to successfully obtain Associate, Professional, and Specialty badges. While some larger organizations may also prefer a degree in a computer-science-related field, professionals can pair prior qualifications and experience with a vendor-accredited certification to validate their skills specifically within the realms of AWS. As proven by our findings, earning the AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate certification is perhaps the most effective means of demonstrating this.
What AWS certifications do Application Architects hold?
| Answer | % |
|---|---|
| AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate | 61% |
| AWS Certified Developer - Associate | 33% |
| AWS Certified DevOps Engineer - Professional | 28% |
| AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner - Foundational | 17% |
| AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional | 11% |
| AWS Certified Machine Learning - Specialty | 11% |
| AWS Certified Database - Specialty | 11% |
| AWS Certified Data Analytics - Specialty | 11% |
Roles that can lead on to becoming an Application Architect
While becoming a Cloud Application Architect doesn’t require you to follow one set path, it does require some solid experience working within cloud environments. As a result, some of the most common roles that we see candidates starting their career in include:
- Application Developer
- Software Engineer/Architect
- Cloud Developer
- Back-end Engineer
- Full Stack Developer
What skills and experience should Application Architects have?
- Top-level expertise in AWS infrastructure, products and services
- Exceptional understanding of cloud software design, patterns, and strategies
- Complete understanding of operating systems such as Linux, Unix, and Windows
- Extensive experience with DevOps tools and methodologies including Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery (CI/CD), automated deployment, and infrastructure as code
- Thorough knowledge of networking including TCP/IP, IP addresses, HTTP, DNS
- Strong coding experience in languages including Java, JavaScript, C/C++, C#, Swift, Node.js, Python, Go, or Ruby
- Confident knowledge of cloud infrastructure concepts such as microservices and containers
- Comprehensive understanding of key security concepts
- Active knowledge of scripting languages like PowerShell, Bash, Go, or Python
- Deep knowledge of other cloud functionality like virtualization and storage
- Ability to clearly communicate technical concepts and their impact to stakeholders
Roles that can lead on to becoming an Application Architect
While becoming a Cloud Application Architect doesn’t require you to follow one set path, it does require some solid experience working within cloud environments. As a result, some of the most common roles that we see candidates starting their career in include:
- Application Developer
- Software Engineer/Architect
- Cloud Developer
- Back-end Engineer
- Full Stack Developer
What skills and experience should Application Architects have?
- Top-level expertise in AWS infrastructure, products and services
- Exceptional understanding of cloud software design, patterns, and strategies
- Complete understanding of operating systems such as Linux, Unix, and Windows
- Extensive experience with DevOps tools and methodologies including Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery (CI/CD), automated deployment, and infrastructure as code
- Thorough knowledge of networking including TCP/IP, IP addresses, HTTP, DNS
- Strong coding experience in languages including Java, JavaScript, C/C++, C#, Swift, Node.js, Python, Go, or Ruby
- Confident knowledge of cloud infrastructure concepts such as microservices and containers
- Comprehensive understanding of key security concepts
- Active knowledge of scripting languages like PowerShell, Bash, Go, or Python
- Deep knowledge of other cloud functionality like virtualization and storage
- Ability to clearly communicate technical concepts and their impact to stakeholders
Roles that can lead on to becoming an Application Architect
While becoming a Cloud Application Architect doesn’t require you to follow one set path, it does require some solid experience working within cloud environments. As a result, some of the most common roles that we see candidates starting their career in include:
- Application Developer
- Software Engineer/Architect
- Cloud Developer
- Back-end Engineer
- Full Stack Developer
What skills and experience should Application Architects have?
- Top-level expertise in AWS infrastructure, products and services
- Exceptional understanding of cloud software design, patterns, and strategies
- Complete understanding of operating systems such as Linux, Unix, and Windows
- Extensive experience with DevOps tools and methodologies including Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery (CI/CD), automated deployment, and infrastructure as code
- Thorough knowledge of networking including TCP/IP, IP addresses, HTTP, DNS
- Strong coding experience in languages including Java, JavaScript, C/C++, C#, Swift, Node.js, Python, Go, or Ruby
- Confident knowledge of cloud infrastructure concepts such as microservices and containers
- Comprehensive understanding of key security concepts
- Active knowledge of scripting languages like PowerShell, Bash, Go, or Python
- Deep knowledge of other cloud functionality like virtualization and storage
- Ability to clearly communicate technical concepts and their impact to stakeholders
What are the opportunities for progression for Application Architects?
What skills and experience should Application Architects have?
What are the opportunities for progression for Application Architects?
Our key findings report contains highlights from this year’s Careers and Hiring Guide, plus our salary tables allow you to compare your salary or benchmark your teams’ salaries no matter their role in the AWS ecosystem.
Our key findings report contains highlights from this year’s Careers and Hiring Guide, plus our salary tables allow you to compare your salary or benchmark your teams’ salaries no matter their role in the AWS ecosystem.
Our key findings report contains highlights from this year’s Careers and Hiring Guide, plus our salary tables allow you to compare your salary or benchmark your teams’ salaries no matter their role in the AWS ecosystem.
