This Blog speaks about the top 5 in-demand cloud certifications you might want to get in 2025, skills acquired from those, your job prospects, and the best part? You will also know about the study resources that assist you in acing the certification. Read through to know more.
5. Google Cloud Professional Cloud Architect
Why?
The Google Cloud Professional Cloud Architect is a premier certification for designing GCP solutions, in high demand in AI and analytics, with salaries exceeding $130,000. It boosts your credibility for complex cloud projects.
What does it cover?
GCE, Kubernetes, Cloud Storage, VPCs, BigQuery, Spanner, Scalability, security cost optimization, AI/ML integration
Who’s It For?
- Cloud architects and engineers with 1-2 years of GCP experience.
- Suitable for Cloud Architect and Solutions Engineer roles.
4. AWS Certified AI Practitioner
Why?
This AIF-C01: AWS Certified AI Practitioner is an entry-level AI certification that meets the rising AI literacy demand, as there was a 20% AI job growth in 2024. It perfectly lays the foundation for the AWS AI roles and enhances employability. It is also great for non-technical pros entering AI fields. It also does not require coding and focuses on conceptual AWS AI applications.
What does it cover?
AI/ML basics, SageMaker, Comprehend, Rekognition, and Business use cases like chatbots and image analysis.
Who’s It For?
Non-technical pros or early-career IT staff, it also suits product managers, consultants in retail, and marketing.
3. AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate
Why?
The SAA-C03: AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate can open doors to high-demand roles with salaries often >$120,000. Our experts suggest this as the top certification for designing AWS architectures. It is ideal for cloud architects in tech, finance, and e-commerce. Works best for designing or migrating workloads to AWS.
What does it cover?
- EC2, Lambda, S3, EBS, VPC, Route 53, RDS, DynamoDB, Cost optimization, scalability, and security. You will also learn about designing resilient systems, disaster recovery, and the Well-Architected Framework.
- The scenario-based exams test practical AWS design skills.
Who’s It For?
- IT pros, developers, and architects with 1-2 years of AWS/cloud experience.
- Cloud Architect and Solutions Engineer roles.
2. Microsoft Azure AI Engineer Associate (AI-102)
Why?
The AI-102: Designing and Implementing a Microsoft Azure AI Solution certifies skills to build AI solutions on Azure, which is in high demand, with a prediction of 30% AI job growth by 2026. It is great for careers in ML, cognitive services, or data science. This certification is also ideal for building chatbots and predictive models in healthcare and finance.
What does it cover?
- Azure vision, speech, and language, Machine learning with Azure ML, NLP tools (LUIS, Q & A Maker), Data prep, model training, deployment, and monitoring.
- Practical skills: Python, REST APIs, Azure SDKs for AI integration, and security.
Who’s It For?
- Data scientists, developers, and AI engineers with 1-2 years of programming and Azure basics.
- Azure AI Engineer and ML Solutions Developer.
- AI engineers in Azure ecosystems.
1. Microsoft Azure Administrator (AZ-104)
Why?
The AZ-104: Microsoft Azure Administrator Validates your Azure management skills, while it can be ideal for admins in Microsoft-centric enterprises. Fun fact: Azure has around 20% cloud market share. This cert boosts careers in cloud operations, and it is perfect for moving from on-premises to cloud administration.
What does it cover?
- Azure AD, RBAC, Azure Blob, Files, Virtual Machines, App Services, VNets, subnets, Azure Monitor, backups
- Practical skills: PowerShell, CLI, and Azure Portal for troubleshooting, cost optimization, and security.
Who’s It For?
- IT admins
- Systems engineers with 6-12 months of Azure or cloud experience.
- Azure Administrator and Cloud Operations Engineer.
- Best for those managing Azure or transitioning from Windows Server.
- While some say this Azure certification requires Basic networking and virtualization knowledge, AZ-900 is helpful but not required.
Notable Mention: Microsoft Certified Fabric Data Engineer Associate (DP-700)
Why?
There is a high demand for data engineers as firms adopt Fabric. Microsoft Certified Fabric Data Engineer Associate (DP-700: Microsoft Certified Fabric Data Engineer Associate) boosts prospects in industries like finance and retail using Fabric’s AI-driven insights. It also positions you as a leader in Microsoft’s next-gen data orchestration platform.
What does it cover?
- Ingesting/transforming data using SQL, PySpark, and KQL in Fabric.
- Lakehouses, dataflows, pipelines, and notebooks.
- Integrating cloud and on-premises data for real-time intelligence.
- The exam tests practical skills in data integration, quality, and orchestration.
Who is it for?
- Data engineers and solutions architects with 1-2 years of data/Azure experience.
- Data Engineer, Analytics Specialist in Fabric environments.
How to choose the best certification for you?
It is 2025, and cloud skills remain highly in demand. Its role in enhancing career prospects in the cloud domain is crucial for an individual as well as for businesses. Thus, the significance of obtaining cloud certifications for career advancement and skill enhancement is increasing year on year. But cloud skills demand cloud certification, which can be a myth, but the Cloud certification certainly equips you with cloud skills.
Choose YOUR cloud certification based on:
- Career Goals
Cloud architects often pursue the AWS Certified Solutions Architect, while DevOps engineers might target the AWS Certified DevOps Engineer.
- Relevance to current cloud platforms
When your organization is Azure-based, going for the top Microsoft certification would be the best choice at the moment for growth in your current role. If you are a beginner to the cloud, you can choose based on your preferred designation.
- Prerequisites
Sometimes your preferred certification would require you to have a prerequisite certification, you can climb up the ladder of certifications in the following periods.
Well, it does not mean you MUST get these; Our cloud experts suggest this after analyzing various factors, and you can benefit from being cloud certified.
How to Prepare for Cloud Certification Exams?
Whizlabs Video Courses: Access 4500+ lectures simplifying cloud concepts, AI, and data engineering.
Hands-on Labs and Sandboxes: Practice in cloud sandboxes (AWS, Azure, GCP) for services like EC2, lakehouses, or VPCs.
Mini-Projects: Build solutions, like pipelines for DP-700 and architectures for AWS in Whizlabs labs.
Track Progress with consistent test-taking to ace your final exam.
Time Management Strategies for Exam Preparation
Schedule: Plan 1-6 months depending on your difficulty level of your cloud certification, 1-2 hours daily (50% Whizlabs videos, 50% labs/tests).
Prioritize: Focus on high-weight topics, for instance, networking for AZ-104.
Weekly Goals: Divide the course into weekly topics (e.g., storage, AI). Track progress.
Final Prep: Review Whizlabs’ cheat sheets, aim for 85 %+ on tests, and schedule the exam.
Frequently Asked Questions
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- Is cloud certification worth it in 2025?
- Yes, cloud certifications can do many good things for your career, like boosting salaries by 20-30%, enhancing job prospects, and validating skills in a high-demand field. In the current digital setup, 96% of companies use cloud services.
- Which cloud certification is best for beginners?
- AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner: beginner-friendly, no tech background needed, covers AWS basics, costs $100.
- How long does it take to get certified in the cloud?
- Entry-level (e.g., AWS Cloud Practitioner, AZ-900): 2-4 weeks with 1-2 hours of daily study, and for the Associate-level, it can be around 3-6 months.
- What’s the average salary after cloud certification?
- $80,000-$150,000 globally; ₹5L-₹20L in India for the role of Cloud Engineer or Architect.
Conclusion:
Well, which is the best cloud certification for your career? Choose the right cloud path, aligning with your career requirements. As read, Cloud certifications can open many doors in 2025. We suggest that you focus on skills that match your career goals and also keep an eye on market trends and update your skills. Explore the certifications mentioned and take steps toward updating your skills. Feel free to reach out to our expert support in case of queries.
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