Cloud Certifications Are Useless Unless You Do This
Rafi Chowdhury
Business Analyst | IAM | Okta Certified Professional | Google Analytics 4 Certified | SailPoint | SSO | MFA | Agile & SDLC | Project Management | API Integrations | Data Analytics | Power BI | Tableau | SQL | CRM
Cloud computing is booming. AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud certifications are plastered all over job postings, LinkedIn profiles, and training platforms. And yet, despite the hype, many certified professionals struggle to land jobs or perform well in cloud roles.
Why?
Because cloud certifications alone are useless.
The gap between certification and real-world skills is massive. If you want to make your cloud certification actually valuable, you need to bridge that gap. Here’s how.
The Problem with Cloud Certifications
Cloud certifications are designed to test knowledge, not practical ability. You can pass an AWS Certified Solutions Architect exam without ever launching an EC2 instance. You can earn a Google Cloud Professional Data Engineer certification without ever handling real data pipelines.
This creates three big problems for aspiring cloud professionals:
1. Passing Doesn’t Mean You Can Do the Job
Many candidates assume that because they have a certification, they are automatically qualified for cloud roles. But hiring managers know better.
If you can't actually deploy infrastructure, troubleshoot issues, or optimize cloud workloads, your certification means nothing to them.
2. Memorization ≠ Real-World Problem-Solving
Most certification exams rely on multiple-choice questions and theoretical scenarios. This encourages rote memorization rather than deep understanding.
In the real world, you need to solve problems, not just recognize the right answer on a test.
3. Employers Have Caught On
A few years ago, listing an AWS or Azure certification on your resume was enough to get recruiter calls. Today, hiring managers are more skeptical. They want proof of hands-on experience before they take you seriously.
So, how do you make your cloud certification actually worth something?
1. Get Hands-On with Cloud Projects
The number one mistake people make? Not touching the cloud environment.
If you have an AWS certification but have never:
? Deployed a real web application on EC2
? Configured a VPC with public and private subnets
? Set up IAM roles and policies for secure access
…then you don’t really know AWS.
How to Fix This
Launch a Personal Project: Set up a full-stack web app with a database, load balancing, and auto-scaling.
Use Free Tiers: AWS, Azure, and GCP offer free-tier accounts with enough resources to practice.
Experiment with Different Services: Don’t just read about S3, actually store files in it. Don’t just study Lambda, deploy serverless functions.
Example: Instead of just reading about CI/CD pipelines, deploy a real pipeline using AWS CodePipeline, GitHub Actions, or Jenkins.
2. Contribute to Open-Source & GitHub
One of the best ways to prove your skills is by showing them.
If you’re job hunting, a GitHub profile filled with cloud-related projects is 10x more valuable than just listing certifications on your resume.
What You Can Do
Example: Deploy a Kubernetes cluster using Terraform and host a sample app on it. Then document it in a GitHub repo.
Hiring managers love seeing actual work samples rather than just a bullet point that says "AWS Certified."
3. Master the Command Line & Scripting
Most cloud work doesn’t happen in a UI. It happens in the command line and through automation.
If you can’t confidently:
? Use AWS CLI, Azure CLI, or Google Cloud SDK
? Write Terraform scripts for infrastructure as code
? Automate tasks with Bash or Python
…then you’re not truly cloud-ready.
How to Improve This
Do Everything in CLI: Instead of using the AWS Console, create EC2 instances, S3 buckets, and VPCs through AWS CLI.
Learn Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Start with Terraform, then move to CloudFormation or ARM templates.
Automate Tasks: Write Python scripts to interact with cloud services (e.g., automate EC2 instance creation).
The best cloud engineers don’t click buttons, they write code to deploy infrastructure.
4. Solve Real-World Cloud Challenges
Employers want to know: Can you solve real problems?
Cloud certifications teach you what services do, but they don’t teach you how to architect solutions under real constraints.
How to Build This Skill
Example: Design a cost-optimized cloud architecture for a startup’s web app, considering security, availability, and scalability.
5. Learn Cloud Security & Cost Optimization
Most certified professionals know how to deploy cloud resources. Very few understand how to secure and optimize them.
Critical Skills to Learn
Certifications barely scratch the surface of security and cost management but real jobs demand it.
6. Network & Learn from Real Cloud Professionals
Certifications won’t get you a job. People will.
If you’re relying only on a certification to break into the cloud field, you’re missing out on:
How to Build Your Cloud Network
Join LinkedIn & Twitter Communities: Follow cloud experts and engage in discussions.
Attend Cloud Meetups & Conferences: AWS re:Invent, Google Cloud Next, and local cloud events are goldmines.
Be Active in Forums: Answer cloud-related questions on Stack Overflow and Reddit.
Example: If you're serious about getting into cloud consulting, start networking with freelancers who do it. Their insights are more valuable than any textbook.
7. Keep Learning & Stay Updated
Cloud tech evolves fast. If you stop learning, your skills will become irrelevant in months.
Even after getting certified, continue:
Cloud certifications get outdated quickly but hands-on experience and continuous learning never expire.
Final Thoughts: The Real Value of a Cloud Certification
Cloud certifications aren’t worthless, they just aren’t enough on their own.
They can help get your foot in the door, but real success in cloud computing comes from what you do beyond the certification.
If you:
? Build hands-on projects
? Contribute to open-source
? Master automation & scripting
? Solve real-world cloud challenges
? Understand security & cost optimization
? Network with cloud professionals
…then your cloud certification becomes a valuable asset instead of just a piece of paper.
So, are cloud certifications useless? No.
But if you stop at just passing the exam? Then, yes.
What’s your take? Have cloud certifications helped your career, or did you have to do more to land a job? Let’s discuss in the comments.