AWS jobs for freshers. Ethnus Codemithra article cover.

AWS job roles for freshers, explained

Codemithra Team

Codemithra Team

  • Updated on

A fresher can realistically target five AWS-adjacent roles: cloud support engineer, solutions architect, DevOps engineer, data engineer, and machine learning or AI engineer. Support engineers fix issues, architects design infrastructure, DevOps engineers automate deployment, data engineers build pipelines, and ML engineers build models. All five start from the same foundation exam, then branch into role-specific certifications. Two of the five point to certifications that AWS gates on years of experience. Treat those as a destination, not a day-one target.

This article sets out what each role actually does, which AWS certification matches it, and which certifications are realistic to attempt straight after graduating. Checked against the official AWS certification pages on 8 September 2026.

The shared starting point: AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner

Every track below branches from the same exam. AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner (exam code CLF-C02) checks foundational knowledge of AWS services, pricing, and support. AWS recommends up to six months of exposure to AWS before sitting it. This is a recommendation, not a requirement, so it stays a workable first exam with no prior AWS experience.

Treat Cloud Practitioner as the base layer. Once a reader knows which of the five tracks below suits them, the next certification builds on what Cloud Practitioner already covers.

One entry point, five tracks. Start: AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02). Up to 6 months AWS exposure recommended, not required. Then Cloud Support Engineer: No dedicated exam. Cloud Practitioner plus troubleshooting and networking practice. Then Solutions Architect: AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate (SAA-C03). About 1 year hands-on experience recommended. Then DevOps Engineer: Practise scripting, IaC and CI/CD first, then grow into AWS Certified DevOps Engineer - Professional (DOP-C02), which expects 2+ years experience. Then Data Engineer: Practise data pipelines first, then grow into AWS Certified Data Engineer - Associate (DEA-C01), which expects 2-3 years experience. Then ML and AI Engineer: AWS Certified AI Practitioner (AIF-C01), then AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer - Associate (MLA-C01, moving to MLA-C02).
Cloud Practitioner is the shared entry point. Each track then follows its own certification path, and two are gated on years of experience rather than open to a fresher on day one.

Five fresher-relevant AWS career tracks

Cloud support engineer

A cloud support engineer troubleshoots customer issues with AWS services, works through networking and system administration problems, and communicates fixes back to the customer. The role is customer-facing, so clear written and verbal explanation matters as much as the technical fix.

AWS does not publish a dedicated certification for this job title. Cloud Practitioner is the relevant foundation, paired with practical troubleshooting and basic Linux and networking skills built through hands-on practice.

Solutions architect

A solutions architect designs AWS infrastructure for a specific workload. That means choosing compute, storage, and networking services, keeping the design resilient and secure, and controlling its running cost. The output is a design that a build team then implements.

AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate (SAA-C03) is the certification for this track. AWS recommends about one year of hands-on experience designing AWS solutions, again as a recommendation rather than a strict prerequisite. The exam has 65 questions, runs 130 minutes, costs 150 USD, and stays valid for three years.

DevOps engineer

A DevOps engineer automates how software gets built, tested, and deployed on AWS. Scripting and infrastructure-as-code let environments get recreated reliably instead of configured by hand each time. The role sits between a development team and an operations team.

AWS Certified DevOps Engineer - Professional (DOP-C02) is the certification tied to this track. AWS recommends two or more years of experience provisioning, operating, and managing AWS environments, plus a background in software development lifecycle practices and scripting. That makes it a destination for a fresher, not a first exam. Start by practising scripting, infrastructure-as-code tools, and continuous integration pipelines while working toward it, alongside Cloud Practitioner.

Data engineer

A data engineer builds and maintains the pipelines that move data into and through AWS. The work uses services for storage, extract-transform-load tasks, and data warehousing, so other teams can query reliable data. Attention to data quality and governance is part of the job, not an add-on.

AWS Certified Data Engineer - Associate (DEA-C01) is the recommended certification. AWS recommends two to three years of data engineering or architecture experience, including one to two years hands-on with AWS. This is another experience-gated destination, not a day-one exam. The exam has 65 questions, runs 130 minutes, and costs 150 USD. This certification launched in 2024, after the previous version of this article was written. It did not exist as an option for freshers back then.

Machine learning and AI engineer

A machine learning engineer builds, trains, and deploys ML models on AWS, commonly using a managed service such as SageMaker. The work turns data into a working model that another application can call. This track has changed the most since 2023.

AWS Certified AI Practitioner (AIF-C01) did not exist when the original version of this article was written. It validates foundational AI, ML, and generative AI concepts rather than the ability to build a solution. AWS suggests it as a starting point for someone new to AWS or IT. The exam has 65 questions, runs 90 minutes, and costs 100 USD.

Official AWS Certified AI Practitioner certification badge, published by AWS.
The official AWS Certified AI Practitioner badge, published by AWS.

The next step is AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer - Associate. As of September 2026, the current version is MLA-C01, and its last day in English is 28 September 2026. An updated MLA-C02 opened for beta registration on 1 September 2026, with delivery starting 29 September 2026. The standard version becomes available in all languages in early 2027. MLA-C02 adds generative AI, agentic AI, foundation models, and expanded Amazon Bedrock content, per AWS's own update announcement. A reader starting now should expect to sit whichever version is current by the time they are ready.

Official AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer - Associate certification badge, published by AWS.
The official AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer - Associate badge, published by AWS.

One certification to avoid planning around: AWS Certified Machine Learning - Specialty stopped accepting new exam sittings on 31 March 2026. AWS now directs candidates to Machine Learning Engineer - Associate instead. Existing holders keep their credential active for three years from the date they earned it. A fresher should not target this exam.

Official AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner certification badge, published by AWS.
The official AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner badge. AWS publishes and controls this artwork. It identifies the exam, not a claim that any specific person holds it.

Comparing the five tracks

The table below replaces salary figures with the detail a fresher actually needs to plan around. It shows what the role does, which services it touches, and whether the certification is open on day one or built toward over time.

Role Core responsibility Key AWS services Recommended certification Experience note
Cloud support engineer Troubleshoot customer issues, resolve networking and system problems EC2, IAM, CloudWatch Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02) No dedicated exam for this title, foundation only
Solutions architect Design resilient, secure, cost-optimised infrastructure EC2, S3, VPC, RDS Solutions Architect - Associate (SAA-C03) About 1 year recommended, not required
DevOps engineer Automate build, test and deployment pipelines CodePipeline, CloudFormation, ECS DevOps Engineer - Professional (DOP-C02) 2+ years recommended by AWS
Data engineer Build and maintain data pipelines and warehousing Glue, Redshift, S3 Data Engineer - Associate (DEA-C01) 2 to 3 years recommended by AWS
ML and AI engineer Build, train and deploy ML models SageMaker, Bedrock AI Practitioner (AIF-C01), then ML Engineer - Associate AI Practitioner has no required prerequisite

An exercise to try today

Pick the one track above that matches the work described, not the certification name. Then check the exam guide for its certification on the AWS certification page linked in that section. List three exam objectives you could already explain in one sentence each. Where you cannot, that gap is your starting study list, not a reason to pick a different track.

Official AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate certification badge, published by AWS.
The official AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate badge, published by AWS.

How to get started with Ethnus

Ethnus Codemithra's AWS Cloud Practitioner Essentials course runs 50 or more hours across 11 modules. Modules run from an introduction to AWS through to Cloud Practitioner exam basics, with sandbox lab access and career counselling. This is the foundation course that matches the shared starting point described above.

For the solutions architect track specifically, the AWS Solutions Architect Associate course runs 150 or more hours within a 320-hour curriculum. Its modules cover designing resilient, high-performing, secure, and cost-optimised architectures. It includes sandbox labs with unlimited attempts and live doubt-clearing sessions. Placement support covers a resume workshop and practice interviews, and the course prepares students for the SAA-C03 exam named above. A reader who wants a shorter first look can try the AWS Cloud Masterclass instead. This webinar runs about three hours and includes a hands-on facial recognition build. It ends with a joint Ethnus and NASSCOM FutureSkills certificate for scoring 60% or higher.

None of these courses award an AWS certification directly. AWS issues the certification after the candidate passes AWS's own exam.

Conclusion

Match your track to the work you want to do, not the certification that sounds most senior. Cloud Practitioner is the realistic first exam for all five tracks. Solutions Architect Associate and AI Practitioner are open to a fresher without required prior experience. DevOps Engineer Professional and Data Engineer Associate are certifications to grow into instead. Start with Ethnus Codemithra's AWS Solutions Architect Associate course if design work interests you, or the Cloud Practitioner Essentials course if you are still deciding.

Frequently asked questions

What AWS job roles can a fresher realistically target?

Cloud support engineer, solutions architect, DevOps engineer, data engineer, and machine learning or AI engineer. All five build on AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner as a shared foundation.

Which certification should I pursue for each role?

Use Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02) for support roles and Solutions Architect - Associate (SAA-C03) for architecture. Use AI Practitioner (AIF-C01) then Machine Learning Engineer - Associate for ML and AI. DevOps Engineer - Professional (DOP-C02) and Data Engineer - Associate (DEA-C01) are the destination certifications for those two tracks.

Is prior experience required for these certifications?

For Cloud Practitioner, Solutions Architect - Associate, and AI Practitioner, AWS recommends experience but does not require it. DevOps Engineer - Professional and Data Engineer - Associate genuinely expect two or more years of relevant experience.

Is AWS Certified Machine Learning - Specialty still worth pursuing?

No. AWS stopped accepting new sittings for this exam on 31 March 2026 and now directs candidates to Machine Learning Engineer - Associate instead.

Does finishing an Ethnus course give me an AWS certification?

No. Ethnus courses prepare a student for the relevant AWS exam. AWS itself awards the certification once the student passes that exam.

Tags

[yearmonthtags]
Tags

About the Author

Codemithra Team

Codemithra Team

The Codemithra team comprises an accomplished group of mentors who bring to the table real-world subject matter knowledge and industry experience. Our mentors are experts who effectively and quickly take our learners to the next level.

Read More

Codemithra is here to help you!

Ethnus User Agreement

I agree to submit my personally identifiable information to Ethnus, who may use it to communicate regarding their events, courses, and other services through various media including phone calls, text messages, email, and social media. I also agree with Ethnus' Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.

I agree with Ethnus sharing my personal data, including email address, with Salesforce family of companies, who may contact me for sales and marketing purposes and as described in Salesforce's Privacy Statement.

Privacy Policy

This Privacy Notice describes how we collect and use your personal information in relation to Ethnus websites, applications, products, services, events, and experiences that reference this Privacy Notice (together, "Ethnus Offerings").

This Privacy Notice does not apply to the "content" processed, stored, or hosted by our customers using Ethnus Offerings in connection with an Ethnus account. This Privacy Notice also does not apply to any products, services, websites, or content that are offered by third parties or have their own privacy notice.

Personal Information We Collect

We collect your personal information in the course of providing Ethnus Offerings to you.

Here are the types of information we gather:

        a) Information You Give Us: We collect any information you provide in relation to Ethnus Offerings. Click here to see examples of information you give us. Example: Name, email, phone, etc.

        b) Automatic Information: We automatically collect certain types of information when you interact with Ethnus Offerings. Example: IP address, location, browser identity, etc.

        c) Information from Other Sources: We might collect information about you from other sources, including service providers, partners, and publicly available sources. Example: marketing analytics, keywords, etc.

How We Use Personal Information

We use your personal information to operate, provide, and improve Ethnus Offerings. Our purposes for using personal information include:

        a) Provide Ethnus Offerings: We may use your personal information to provide and deliver Ethnus Offerings and process transactions related to Ethnus Offerings, including registrations, subscriptions, purchases, and payments.

        b) Measure, Support, and Improve Ethnus Offerings: We use your personal information to measure use of, analyze the performance of, fix errors in, provide support for, improve, and develop Ethnus Offerings.

        c) Recommendations and Personalization: We use your personal information to recommend Ethnus Offerings that might be of interest to you, identify your preferences, and personalize your experience with Ethnus Offerings.

        d) Comply with Legal Obligations: In certain cases, we have a legal obligation to collect, use, or retain your personal information.

        e) Communicate with You: We use your personal information to communicate with you in relation to Ethnus Offerings via different channels (e.g., by phone, email, chat) and to respond to your requests.

        f) Marketing: We use your personal information to market and promote Ethnus Offerings. We might display interest-based ads for Ethnus Offerings.

        g) Purposes for Which We Seek Your Consent: We may also ask for your consent to use your personal information for a specific purpose that we communicate to you.

Cookies

To enable our systems to recognize your browser or device and to provide Ethnus Offerings, we use cookies.

How We Share Personal Information

Information about our customers is an important part of our business and we are not in the business of selling our customers' personal information to others. We share personal information only as described below and with Ethnus Consultancy Services Private Limited, . and its affiliates that are either subject to this Privacy Notice or follow practices at least as protective as those described in this Privacy Notice.

Transactions Involving Third Parties: We make available to you services, software, training, and content provided by third parties for use on or through Ethnus Offerings. You can tell when a third party is involved in your transactions, and we share information related to those transactions with that third party. For example, you can order services, software, and content from sellers using the Authorized Training Partner's marketplace and we provide those sellers information to facilitate your subscription, purchases, or support.

Other than as set out above, you will receive notice when personal information about you might be shared with third parties, and you will have an opportunity to choose not to share the information.

How We Secure Information

        a) We protect the security of your information during transmission to or from websites, applications, products, or services by using encryption protocols and software.

        b) We maintain physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards in connection with the collection, storage, and disclosure of personal information.

Internet Advertising and Third Parties

Ethnus Offerings may include third-party advertising and links to other websites and applications. Third party advertising partners may collect information about you when you interact with their content, advertising, or services. For more information about third-party advertising, including interest-based ads, please read our Interest-Based Ads notice.

Access and Choice

You have choices about the collection and use of your personal information. Many Ethnus Offerings include settings that provide you with options as to how your information is being used. You can choose not to provide certain information, but then you might not be able to take advantage of certain Ethnus Offerings.

        a) Communications: If you do not want to receive promotional messages from us, please unsubscribe or adjust your communication preferences in the emails.

        b) Advertising: If you don't want to see interest-based ads, please adjust your Advertising Preferences.

        c) Browser and Devices: The Help feature on most browsers and devices will tell you how to prevent your browser or device from accepting new cookies, how to have the browser notify you when you receive a new cookie, or how to disable cookies altogether.

Children's Personal Information

We don't provide Ethnus Offerings for purchase by children. If you're under 18, you may use Ethnus Offerings only with the involvement of a parent or guardian.

Retention of Personal Information

We keep your personal information to enable your continued use of Ethnus Offerings, for as long as it is required in order to fulfill the relevant purposes described in this Privacy Notice, as may be required by law (including for tax and accounting purposes), or as otherwise communicated to you. How long we retain specific personal information varies depending on the purpose for its use, and we may delete your personal information in accordance with applicable law.

Contacts, Notices, and Revisions

If you have any concern about privacy at Ethnus, you may also contact us at the addresses below:

Ethnus Consultancy Services Pvt Ltd,

SST Chambers, No.151/17/1 Second Floor, 36th Cross Rd, 5th Block, Jayanagar, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560041

Or, email us at [email protected]

Or call us at: +91 - 8929 334 324

You will find the updated contact information on our website: www.ethnus.com/contact/

If you interact with Ethnus Offerings on behalf of or through your organization, then your personal information may also be subject to your organization's privacy practices, and you should direct privacy inquiries to your organization.

Our business changes constantly, and our Privacy Notice may also change. You should check our website frequently to see recent changes. You can see the date on which the latest version of this Privacy Notice was posted. Unless stated otherwise, our current Privacy Notice applies to all personal information we have about you and your account. We stand behind the promises we make, however, and will never materially change our policies and practices to make them less protective of personal information collected in the past without informing affected customers and giving them a choice.

Terms & Conditions

This Privacy and Security Policy is provided for the benefit of customers and clients of Ethnus Consultancy Services Private Limited. ("Ethnus") as well as other consumers and parties who use Ethnus and/or its website(s), particularly codemithra.com ("Website", "www.codemithra.com", "Codemithra" or "Ethnus Codemithra"), and/or applications ("Apps") (collectively, "Ethnus Services" or "Ethnus Platform").

Since Ethnus serves several different audiences, customers find it helpful to read the Terms of Use that apply specifically to them based upon the purpose for which they use Ethnus. For this reason, we link to three separate agreements below for employer customers, job seeker customers, and staffing customers, respectively.

For your convenience, we define each of these audiences that Ethnus serves as follows:

"Employer Customer" means an entity using Ethnus Services that is seeking to hire an individual as an employee and/or independent contractor to be employed by it directly.

"Job Seeker Customer" means an individual using Ethnus Services who is seeking to be employed as an employee or independent contractor by an employer.

"Staffing Customer" means a staffing company using Ethnus Services that provides staffing services to their own Staffing Clients.

So long as your use of the Ethnus website and services remains within the scope of the particular audience or customer for which you began using Ethnus (e.g. a job seeker does not use Ethnus as an employer, or an employer does not use Ethnus as a job seeker), the complete Terms of Use applicable to your use of the Ethnus website and services is contained within the applicable Terms of Use linked below.

Employer Terms of Use

The following Terms of Use apply to any Ethnus Employer Customer seeking to hire employees or independent contractors for its own business. If you seek to find employees or independent contractors for the benefit of your clients (and not yourself), you need to review the Terms of Use specifically for our Ethnus Staffing Customers accessible at www.Codemithra.com/terms/staffing.

Ethnus, Inc. ("Ethnus") provides online services through which employers and staffing companies seeking employees and independent contractors can efficiently and effectively review and interview candidates. Ethnus provides these services and its suite of features and products through its Apps and Website (collectively, "Ethnus Services") subject to these terms of use ("Terms of Use") and the agreements incorporated herein.

Your privacy is very important to us. We designed our accompanying Privacy and Security Policy to provide important disclosures about how your information will be used by Ethnus in providing you Ethnus Services. These Terms of Use expressly incorporate our Privacy and Security Policy.

Please read these Terms of Use and our Privacy and Security Policy carefully before using any of the diverse Ethnus Services. By visiting the Website, installing any of the Apps, and/or using any of the Ethnus Services, you shall have affirmed your agreement to these Terms of Use.

1. Definitions

2. Modifications - Will Ethnus ever modify these Terms of Use?

3. Ethnus Services - What are the Ethnus Services?

4. Video Content and Services - How and when do you record videos?

5. Pricing, Payments, and Billing - How and when will I be billed for Ethnus Services?

6. Objectionable Content - What if I find content to be objectionable?

7. Customer Conduct

8. Intellectual Property

9. DMCA Policy

10. Reserved for Future Use

11. Resale of Services

12. Indemnification

13. Disclaimer of Warranties

14. Third Party Links and Products

15. Limitations of Liability

16. Exclusions and Limitations

17. General Terms

1. Definitions

"Consumer" means any individual or entity that uses any of the Ethnus Services. Where applicable, the term "Consumer" shall encompass all Ethnus Customers.

"Content" means all material, whether publicly posted or privately transmitted, available on or through any of the Ethnus Services.

"Customer" means, for purposes of this Terms of Use, You, a Job Seeker Customer.

"Customer Content" means any Content uploaded to and/or created through the Ethnus Services by a Ethnus Customer.

"Employer Customer" means an entity using Ethnus Services that is seeking to hire an individual as an employee and/or independent contractor to be employed by it directly.

"GDPR" means the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation.

"Job Seeker Customer" means an individual using Ethnus Services who is seeking to be employed as an employee or independent contractor by an employer.

"Profile Video" means a promotional video created by a Job Seeker Customer to promote themselves as a candidate employee and/or independent contractor. It is not an interview. The Job Seeker Customer completes this independently and on their own.

"Software" means any necessary software used in connection with the Ethnus Services.

"Ethnus Account" means an account associated with a Ethnus Customer who uses or has used Ethnus Services.

"Ethnus Content" means any Content excluding Customer Content and Video Content in which Ethnus does not participate.

"Ethnus Customer" means any person who uses or has used Ethnus Services including, but not limited to, Employer Customers, Job Seeker Customers, and Staffing Customers.

"Ethnus Services" means the suite of features, products and services offered through Ethnus, its Apps, its App Services, the Website, and the Website Services.

"Ethnus Trademarks" means any trademarks, tradenames, logos, and other commercial designs of Ethnus or licensed to Ethnus, whether or not formal registration exists including, but not limited to, "Ethnus."

"Staffing Clients" means third-party employer clients of Staffing Customers.

"Staffing Customer" means a staffing company using Ethnus Services that provides staffing services to their own Staffing Clients.

"Strategic Partners" means those trusted partners that Ethnus employs, engages, or retains to perform functions and/or provide services on its behalf.

"Sub Accounts" means subsidiary accounts created for or by an Employer Customer or Staffing Customer ("such as a consultant group or employer") under its primary account.

"Username" means the valid email address provided by each Ethnus Customer to be used as their username or login identification.

"Video Content" means any video content created by or associated with any Ethnus Customer accessible on and through Ethnus Services including, but not limited to, Profile Videos, Video Questions, Video Interviews, and Welcome Videos.

"Video Interview" means an interview completed through Ethnus Services using a video or "web" camera that an Employer Customer or Staffing Customer requests a Job Seeker Customer complete. A Video Interview may involve a Job Seeker Customer alone or with other participants from an Employer Customer or Staffing Customer. A Video Interview may be pre-recorded by a Job Seeker in response to questions or occur live at which time it would be recorded.

"Video Question" means a question recorded in video and audio that can be sent to potential employee and independent contractor candidates by an Employer Customer or Staffing Customer.

"Website" means all of the content, information and services (in any format whatsoever) accessible through the World Wide Web at the domain name Codemithra.com.

"Website Services" means the services provided by Ethnus through the website at the domain name Codemithra.com, hire.li, and any of our other websites that may be used from time to time