Career spotlights
AWS Application Architect
How much do Architects make?
*Survey responses in the remainder of this chapter are indicative only due to a limited number of Application Architects participating in the survey.
of Application Architects are satisfied with their job
of Application Architects are satisfied with their salary
Hours
Permanent Application Architects work an average of 39 hours per week
Hours
Freelance Application Architects work an average of 44 hours per week
What factors impact your earning potential as an Application Architect?
| Important | Neutral | Unimportant | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Years of experience in IT | 92% | 6% | 2% |
| Years of technical experience with AWS | 88% | 8% | 4% |
| Exposure to large projects | 87% | 10% | 2% |
| Specific vertical industry experience | 63% | 28% | 9% |
| AWS certifications | 57% | 23% | 21% |
| Working with AI | 52% | 32% | 16% |
| College/University degree(s) | 37% | 31% | 32% |
What factors impact your earning potential as an Application Architect?
| Years of experience in IT | 92% |
| Years of technical experience with AWS | 88% |
| Exposure to large projects | 87% |
| Specific vertical industry experience | 63% |
| AWS certifications | 57% |
| Working with AI | 52% |
| College/University degree(s) | 37% |
| % | |
|---|---|
| Years of experience in IT | 6% |
| Years of technical experience with AWS | 8% |
| Exposure to large projects | 10% |
| Specific vertical industry experience | 28% |
| AWS certifications | 23% |
| Working with AI | 32% |
| College/University degree(s) | 31% |
| % | |
|---|---|
| Years of experience in IT | 2% |
| Years of technical experience with AWS | 4% |
| Exposure to large projects | 2% |
| Specific vertical industry experience | 9% |
| AWS certifications | 21% |
| Working with AI | 16% |
| College/University degree(s) | 32% |
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
Gaining AWS certifications is the most popular way that professionals in the ecosystem upskill and build their knowledge of the platform, while also increasing their curb appeal and earning potential as their career progresses.
Of those who took part in this survey, 53% of Application Architects are certified, and 56% have recertified to maintain their AWS Certified Status, and 94% of certified respondents believe that certifications help candidates stand out in a competitive job market.
Unlike some other roles, AWS does not offer a certification specifically for Application Architects at this moment. However, there are certifications available that can help professionals qualify for these positions or advance within them. As a generally senior-level role, Cloud Application Architects typically possess several years of software engineering experience, equipping them with the necessary expertise to obtain Associate, Professional, and Specialty certifications. While some larger organizations may prefer candidates with degrees in computer science or related fields, professionals can enhance their qualifications by pairing them with vendor-accredited certifications that validate their skills and experience in AWS. Our findings indicate that earning the AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate certification is one of the most effective ways to demonstrate this.
Roles that can lead on to becoming an Application Architect
- 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
- In-depth understanding of cloud software design, patterns, and strategies
- Full 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
- Previous knowledge of networking including TCP/IP, IP addresses, HTTP, DNS
- Thorough coding experience in languages including Java, JavaScript, C/C++, C#, Swift, Node.js, Python, Go, or Ruby
- Strong working knowledge of cloud infrastructure concepts such as microservices and containers
- Comprehensive understanding of key security concepts
- Knowledge of scripting languages like PowerShell, Bash, Go, or Python
- Deep understanding of other cloud functionality like virtualization and storage
- Strong ability to clearly communicate technical concepts and their impact to stakeholders
What are the opportunities for progression for Application Architects?
Cloud Application Architect
Senior Cloud Application Architect
Enterprise Architect
Principal / Chief Architect
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Careers and Hiring Guide
AWS Edition 2025
Key Findings
Our key findings report contains highlights from this year’s Careers and Hiring Guide, plus our salary tables to allow you to compare your compensation or benchmark your teams’ salaries or rates no matter their role in the AWS ecosystem.
