AWS or Azure First? How to Pick Your First Cloud Cert

Arjun Patel

Arjun Patel writes about tech certification prep methods from a self-study perspective. Bangalore-based · cert…

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Quick answer: Start with AWS Cloud Practitioner unless the employers in your area run mostly on Microsoft products, in which case start with Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900). Count the job postings for each platform in your city over the last 30 days; if one is more than double the other, that is your answer. Either exam costs about $100 and takes four to eight weeks of evening study.↗ Share on X

If you have no tech job yet, start with AWS unless the companies in your city run mostly on Microsoft products, in which case start with Azure. AWS has more job postings in most markets and more free study material from the community. Azure wins when your target employers already use Windows Server, Microsoft 365, or Active Directory, because those shops hire Azure people. The first certificate costs about $100 either way and takes four to eight weeks of evening study. Here is how to make the decision in an afternoon instead of a month.

What is the real difference for a beginner?

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Both are huge cloud platforms. Both rent servers, storage, databases, and networks by the hour. At the fundamentals level, the concepts you learn are mostly the same: regions, virtual machines, object storage, identity, billing. The real difference is not the technology. It is who hires you.

Prices are the standard US list prices and change by country. Check the official exam page the week you book.

How do you decide in one afternoon?

Do these four steps in order. Stop when you have a clear answer.

1. Search job postings in your area. Use any job site. Search "AWS" and then "Azure" with your city name. Filter to the last 30 days. Count the results. If one is more than double the other, that is your answer.

2. Look at what kind of companies posted them. If the Azure postings are from hospitals, city government, and insurance companies, and you want to work in those sectors, Azure. If the AWS postings are from software companies and you want that world, AWS.

3. Check your own background. Have you used Windows Server, Active Directory, or Microsoft 365 admin at any job? Azure will feel familiar. Have you used Linux, Python, or any command line? AWS material tends to lean that way.

4. Ask one person. Find one person on a professional network who has the job you want, in your city. Ask which platform their team uses. One real answer beats ten forum threads.

If after step 4 it is still a tie, pick AWS. The volume of free tutorials, practice questions, and community help is larger, and that matters most when you are studying alone.

Which one is easier to pass with no tech job?

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Both fundamentals exams are written for people with no hands-on experience. Neither requires you to type a command. They test whether you know what the services are for and how cloud billing works.

• AZ-900 is generally considered the gentler of the two. Shorter, more conceptual, and Microsoft Learn walks you through every topic in order.
• Cloud Practitioner has more questions and covers more services by name. It is not harder in concept, but there is more to memorize.

Either one is passable in four to eight weeks with five hours of study a week. Do not let "easier" be the deciding factor. The job market in your area matters far more than a slightly shorter exam.

What does an 8-week study plan look like?

This plan works for either exam. Swap in the matching free course.

Forty hours total. If your practice scores are above 80 percent by week 7, book early. If they are below 70 percent by week 8, add two weeks. Do not take the real exam hoping for luck. The fee is real money.

Should you build anything, or just study?

Build small things, and keep them small. The fundamentals exams do not require projects, but ten hours of hands-on work does two things: it makes the vocabulary stick, and it gives you one line for your resume that is not just a certificate.

Three cheap projects, each under two hours:

1. Host a one-page personal website on object storage (S3 on AWS, Blob Storage on Azure). Cost: pennies.

2. Launch a virtual machine, connect to it, install a web server, then shut it down. Cost: free tier.

3. Set up a billing alert that emails you if spending passes $5. Cost: zero, and it protects you from the classic beginner mistake of leaving a server running.

Set the billing alert first, before anything else.

What comes after the first certificate?

The entry certificate opens the door to interviews for help desk, junior support, and cloud operations trainee roles. It does not by itself get you a cloud engineer job. The roadmap most people follow:

• AWS path: Cloud Practitioner, then Solutions Architect Associate, then a specialty (Developer, SysOps, Security).
• Azure path: AZ-900, then AZ-104 Administrator, then AZ-305 Architect or AZ-500 Security.

Plan on three to six months between the first and second certificate. The second one is where salaries move. Also note: the two paths are not exclusive. Many people with an AWS associate cert add AZ-900 in two weeks, simply because it is cheap and it stops recruiters from filtering them out.

What about Google Cloud or the PMP?

Google Cloud is a real platform with real jobs, but in most cities the posting count is well behind the other two. Start there only if a specific target employer uses it.

The PMP is a project management certificate, not a cloud one. It requires documented hours of project leadership before you can even sit the exam, so it is not a first certificate for someone outside tech. Get the cloud fundamentals first and revisit project management once you are inside a company.

How do you avoid the three common beginner mistakes?

1. Buying a paid course before trying the free one. Both vendors publish complete free fundamentals courses. Start there. Buy a practice exam set only after you finish the free material and want to measure yourself.

2. Collecting certificates instead of applying. One fundamentals cert plus three small projects is enough to apply for entry roles. Apply while studying for the second cert, not after.

3. Leaving resources running. The free tiers are generous but not unlimited. Delete every virtual machine the same day you create it, and keep the billing alert on.

What is the next step today?

Open a job site, type your city plus "AWS," and write down the number of postings from the last 30 days. Do the same for "Azure." That is ten minutes, and it answers most of the question. Then create the free account for the winner and set the $5 billing alert before you close the laptop. Your week-one study starts with the official free course tomorrow.

FAQ

Is AZ-900 easier than AWS Cloud Practitioner?

AZ-900 is usually considered slightly gentler: fewer questions, shorter, and more conceptual. Cloud Practitioner covers more services by name. Both are written for people with no hands-on experience and are passable in four to eight weeks.

Do I need to get both AWS and Azure certifications?

Not at first. Pick one based on local job postings. Many people later add the other platform's fundamentals exam in a couple of weeks because it is cheap and keeps recruiters from filtering them out.

Should I get the PMP before a cloud certification?

No. The PMP is a project management credential that requires documented project leadership hours before you can sit the exam. A cloud fundamentals certificate is the realistic first step for someone outside tech.