Career spotlights
AWS Solution Architect
How much do Architects make?
*Survey responses in the remainder of this chapter are indicative only due to a limited number of Solution Architects participating in the survey.
of Solution Architects are satisfied with their job, down from 54% in our last study
of Solution Architects are satisfied with their salary, down from 63% in our last survey
Hours
Permanent Solution Architects work an average of 42 hours per week
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Years of experience in IT | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| Years of technical experience with AWS | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| Exposure to large projects | 88% | 13% | 0% |
| AWS certifications | 75% | 25% | 0% |
| Specific vertical industry experience | 63% | 25% | 13% |
| Working with AI | 25% | 75% | 0% |
| College/University degree(s) | 13% | 25% | 63% |
| Important | |
|---|---|
| Years of experience in IT | 100% |
| Years of technical experience with AWS | 100% |
| Exposure to large projects | 88% |
| AWS certifications | 75% |
| Specific vertical industry experience | 63% |
| Working with AI | 25% |
| College/University degree(s) | 13% |
| Years of experience in IT | 0% |
| Years of technical experience with AWS | 0% |
| Exposure to large projects | 13% |
| AWS certifications | 25% |
| Specific vertical industry experience | 25% |
| Working with AI | 75% |
| College/University degree(s) | 25% |
| Years of experience in IT | 0% |
| Years of technical experience with AWS | 0% |
| Exposure to large projects | 0% |
| AWS certifications | 0% |
| Specific vertical industry experience | 13% |
| Working with AI | 0% |
| College/University degree(s) | 63% |
What steps should you take to become a Solution Architect?
Education
We found that 95% of Solution Architects hold at least a Bachelor’s degree. However, only 29% consider a degree necessary for working with AWS, while 46% believe a degree is an important factor in increasing earning potential.
Certification
AWS Solution Architects should pursue vendor-accredited certifications, not only to enhance their skills and stay updated on the latest advancements but also to increase their marketability and expand their career opportunities.
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. While, 89% of certified respondents believe certifications help candidates stand out in a competitive job market.
Like all AWS career paths, the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner – Foundational certification is an ideal starting point for your certification journey, providing essential knowledge of core concepts. After earning this foundational badge and gaining around a year of AWS experience, professionals can progress to Associate-level certifications. The AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate is specifically designed for Solution Architects seeking to develop the skills and experience necessary for success in this role, making it the most popular certification among Solution Architects once again this year. Finally, top-tier professionals should aim for the AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional certification to truly distinguish themselves. It’s advisable to have at least two years of practical experience and a solid understanding of designing, operating, and troubleshooting AWS cloud solutions before pursuing this advanced certification.
Roles that can lead on to becoming a Solution Architect
There isn’t 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?
Both positions require a thorough understanding of AWS products and services, but your soft skills may determine the best fit. Candidates with strong problem-solving abilities, experience in stakeholder management, and effective communication skills are often better suited for the Solutions Architect role, as these professionals frequently act as a bridge between technical teams and key stakeholders. On the other hand, if you’re more inclined to dive deep into systems and enjoy more hands-on tech work, then a Technical Architect position might be ideal for you.
Despite their differences, these two roles are more interconnected than you might think; they rarely function in isolation. Solutions Architects typically engage early in the process to assess project requirements and develop the best solutions. This initial concept is then handed over to the Technical Architect, who uses it to establish best practices, oversee implementation, and manage configurations to ensure the final product meets stakeholder expectations. In essence, a Solutions Architect innovates while a Technical Architect implements.
What skills and experience should Solutions Architect have?
- Strong understanding of the AWS framework and service fundamentals
- Confident 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
- Experience in coding languages including Java, JavaScript, Python, NODE.JS, .NET
- Confident in containerization technologies like Docker and Kubernetes
- Previous experience in DevOps
- Proven understanding of storage solutions like Amazon S3 and Amazon EBS
- Familiarity with security architecture and processes
- Understanding of serverless technology, including AWS Lambda, SQS, SNS, API Gateway
- Comprehension of Site Reliability Engineering
- Familiar with Agile/Scrum methodology
- Excellent communication, documentation, and project management skills
What are the opportunities for progression?
Solutions Architect
Enterprise Architect
Principal / Chief Architect
Tech Delivery Lead / Practice Lead
Are you looking to hire an AWS professional?
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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.
