Career spotlights
AWS Solution Architect
Career spotlights
AWS Solution Architect
Career spotlights
AWS Solution Architect
How much do Solution Architects make?
| Junior (0-3 yrs) | Mid-level (4-8 years) | Senior (9+ yrs) | Contract | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States – End users ($) | - | 186,500 | 214,000 | 215 (p/h) |
| United States – Partners ($) | - | 197,250 | 238,500 | 185 (p/h) |
| United Kingdom (£) | - | 91,250 | 112,500 | 1,010 (p/d) |
| Germany (€) | - | 88,750 | 148,000 | 995 (p/d) |
| Switzerland (Fr) | - | 140,000 | 170,000 | - |
38%
46%
42 hours
23 hours
How much do Solution Architects make?
| Junior (0-3 yrs) | Mid-level (4-8 years) | Senior (9+ yrs) | Contract | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States – End users ($) | - | 186,500 | 214,000 | 215 (p/h) |
| United States – Partners ($) | - | 197,250 | 238,500 | 185 (p/h) |
| United Kingdom (£) | - | 91,250 | 112,500 | 1,010 (p/d) |
| Germany (€) | - | 88,750 | 148,000 | 995 (p/d) |
| Switzerland (Fr) | - | 140,000 | 170,000 | - |
* Survey responses in the remainder of this chapter are indicative only due to a limited number of Solution Architects participating in the survey.
38%
46%
42 hours
23 hours
How much do Solution Architects make?
| United States – End users: – |
| United States – Partners: – |
| United Kingdom: – |
| Germany: – |
| Switzerland: – |
| United States – End users: $186,500 |
| United States – Partners: $197,250 |
| United Kingdom: £91,250 |
| Germany: €88,750 |
| Switzerland: Fr140,000 |
| United States – End users: $214,000 |
| United States – Partners: $238,000 |
| United Kingdom: £112,500 |
| Germany: €148,000 |
| Switzerland: Fr170,000 |
| United States – End users: $215 (p/h) |
| United States – Partners: $185 (p/h) |
| United Kingdom: £1,010 (p/d) |
| Germany: €995 (p/d) |
| Switzerland: – |
| Junior (0-3 yrs) | Mid-level (4-8 years) | Senior (9+ yrs) | Contract | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States ($) – 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 |
38%
46%
42 hours
Permanent Solution Architects work an average of 42 hours per week
23 hours
Freelance Solution Architects work an average of 23 hours per week
What factors impact your earning potential as a Solution Architect?
| Important | Neutral | Unimportant | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exposure to large projects | 92% | 8% | 0% |
| Years of experience in IT | 88% | 13% | 0% |
| Years of technical experience with AWS | 88% | 13% | 0% |
| AWS certifications | 75% | 17% | 8% |
| Specific vertical industry experience | 46% | 46% | 8% |
| Years of experience working for an end user | 46% | 38% | 17% |
| College/University degree(s) | 46% | 25% | 29% |
| Years of experience working for a partner organization | 33% | 54% | 13% |
What factors impact your earning potential as a Solution Architect?
| Important | Neutral | Unimportant | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exposure to large projects | 92% | 8% | 0% |
| Years of experience in IT | 88% | 13% | 0% |
| Years of technical experience with AWS | 88% | 13% | 0% |
| AWS certifications | 75% | 17% | 8% |
| Specific vertical industry experience | 46% | 46% | 8% |
| Years of experience working for an end user | 46% | 38% | 17% |
| College/University degree(s) | 46% | 25% | 29% |
| Years of experience working for a partner organization | 33% | 54% | 13% |
We asked current AWS professionals what factors were most important in upping your earning potential in that role.
What factors impact your earning potential as a Solution Architect?
| % | |
|---|---|
| Exposure to large projects | 92% |
| Years of experience in IT | 88% |
| Years of technical experience with AWS | 88% |
| AWS certifications | 75% |
| Specific vertical industry experience | 46% |
| Years of experience working for an end user | 46% |
| Collage/University degree(s) | 46% |
| Years of experience working for a partner organization | 33% |
| % | |
|---|---|
| Exposure to large projects | 8% |
| Years of experience in IT | 13% |
| Years of technical experience with AWS | 13% |
| AWS certifications | 17% |
| Specific vertical industry experience | 46% |
| Years of experience working for an end user | 38% |
| Collage/University degree(s) | 25% |
| Years of experience working for a partner organization | 54% |
| % | |
|---|---|
| Exposure to large projects | 0% |
| Years of experience in IT | 0% |
| Years of technical experience with AWS | 0% |
| AWS certifications | 8% |
| Specific vertical industry experience | 8% |
| Years of experience working for an end user | 17% |
| Collage/University degree(s) | 29% |
| Years of experience working for a partner organization | 13% |
What steps should you take to become a Solution Architect?
Education
What certifications do Solution Architects hold?
| Answer | % |
|---|---|
| AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate | 84% |
| AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional | 32% |
| AWS Certified SysOps Administrator - Associate | 26% |
| AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner - Foundational | 26% |
| AWS Certified Developer - Associate | 16% |
| AWS Certified DevOps Engineer - Professional | 16% |
Certification
What steps should you take to become
a Solution Architect?
Education
Certification
AWS Solution Architects should consider earning vendor-accredited certifications not only to upskill and keep your expertise at the forefront of the latest developments, but also to boost their curb appeal and maximize the career opportunities available to them.
Over three quarters (79%, down slightly from 69% in our last survey) of Solutions Architects are certified, and 37% of those have undergone recertification to maintain their AWS Certified Status. In contrast, 89% believe certifications help candidates stand out in a competitive job market.
What certifications do Solution Architects hold?
| Answer | % |
|---|---|
| AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate | 84% |
| AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional | 32% |
| AWS Certified SysOps Administrator - Associate | 26% |
| AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner - Foundational | 26% |
| AWS Certified Developer - Associate | 16% |
| AWS Certified DevOps Engineer - Professional | 16% |
What steps should you take to become a Solution Architect?
Education
Certification
AWS Solution Architects should consider earning vendor-accredited certifications not only to upskill and keep your expertise at the forefront of the latest developments, but also to boost their curb appeal and maximize the career opportunities available to them.
Over three quarters (79%, down slightly from 69% in our last survey) of Solutions Architects are certified, and 37% of those have undergone recertification to maintain their AWS Certified Status. In contrast, 89% believe certifications help candidates stand out in a competitive job market.
What certifications do Solution Architects hold?
| Answer | % |
|---|---|
| AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate | 84% |
| AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional | 32% |
| AWS Certified SysOps Administrator - Associate | 26% |
| AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner - Foundational | 26% |
| AWS Certified Developer - Associate | 16% |
| AWS Certified DevOps Engineer - Professional | 16% |
Roles that can lead on to becoming a Solution Architect
You don’t have to follow any specific career path to become a Solution Architect, with professionals in this role coming from a wide range of backgrounds, including:
- DevOps Engineer
- Sales Engineer
- Developer
- Solutions Engineer
Solutions Architect or Technical Architect?
Professionals exploring a career as an Architect in AWS have the option of two different roles: Solutions Architect and Technical Architect. But which one’s right for you?
With both roles requiring a comprehensive understanding of AWS products and services, it ultimately comes down to your soft skill set. Those candidates with a proven track record of effective problem solving, stakeholder management experience, and good communication skills may be better suited to a Solutions Architect role, as these professionals often serve as the functional middleman connecting technical teams with key stakeholders. If you’re more interested in the nitty gritty of diving into a system and getting hands on with coding, a Technical Architect role might be the one for you.
Roles that can lead on to becoming a Solution Architect
You don’t have to follow any specific career path to become a Solution Architect, with professionals in this role coming from a wide range of backgrounds, including:
- DevOps Engineer
- Sales Engineer
- Developer
- Solutions Engineer
Solutions Architect or Technical Architect?
Professionals exploring a career as an Architect in AWS have the option of two different roles: Solutions Architect and Technical Architect. But which one’s right for you?
With both roles requiring a comprehensive understanding of AWS products and services, it ultimately comes down to your soft skill set. Those candidates with a proven track record of effective problem solving, stakeholder management experience, and good communication skills may be better suited to a Solutions Architect role, as these professionals often serve as the functional middleman connecting technical teams with key stakeholders. If you’re more interested in the nitty gritty of diving into a system and getting hands on with coding, a Technical Architect role might be the one for you.
Roles that can lead on to becoming a Solution Architect
You don’t have to follow any specific career path to become a Solution Architect, with professionals in this role coming from a wide range of backgrounds, including:
- DevOps Engineer
- Sales Engineer
- Developer
- Solutions Engineer
Solutions Architect or
Technical Architect?
Professionals exploring a career as an Architect in AWS have the option of two different roles: Solutions Architect and Technical Architect. But which one’s right for you?
With both roles requiring a comprehensive understanding of AWS products and services, it ultimately comes down to your soft skill set. Those candidates with a proven track record of effective problem solving, stakeholder management experience, and good communication skills may be better suited to a Solutions Architect role, as these professionals often serve as the functional middleman connecting technical teams with key stakeholders. If you’re more interested in the nitty gritty of diving into a system and getting hands on with coding, a Technical Architect role might be the one for you.
What skills and experience should Solutions Architect have?
- Confident understanding of the AWS framework and service fundamentals
- Proven analytical and problem-solving skills
- Thorough knowledge of architectural and development best practices
- Practical experience designing distributed systems and applications on AWS
- Familiarity with network design and implementation
- Proficiency in coding languages including Java, JavaScript, Python, NODE.JS, .NET
- Confidence in containerization technologies like Docker and Kubernetes
- Prior experience in DevOps
- Understanding of storage solutions like Amazon S3 and Amazon EBS
- Familiarity with security architecture and processes
- Knowledge of serverless technology, including AWS Lambda, SQS, SNS, API Gateway
- Comprehension of Site Reliability Engineering
- Experience of Agile/Scrum methodology
- Good communication, documentation, and project management skills
What skills and experience should Solutions Architect have?
- Confident understanding of the AWS framework and service fundamentals
- Proven analytical and problem-solving skills
- Thorough knowledge of architectural and development best practices
- Practical experience designing distributed systems and applications on AWS
- Familiarity with network design and implementation
- Proficiency in coding languages including Java, JavaScript, Python, NODE.JS, .NET
- Confidence in containerization technologies like Docker and Kubernetes
- Prior experience in DevOps
- Understanding of storage solutions like Amazon S3 and Amazon EBS
- Familiarity with security architecture and processes
- Knowledge of serverless technology, including AWS Lambda, SQS, SNS, API Gateway
- Comprehension of Site Reliability Engineering
- Experience of Agile/Scrum methodology
- Good communication, documentation, and project management skills
What are the opportunities for progression?
What are the opportunities for progression?
What are the opportunities for progression?
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.
