Why should you Learn AWS cloud computing in 2026?

In this dynamic technological era, AWS has become a cornerstone for those aspiring to delve into some of the most lucrative and forward-looking career tracks. The AWS Cloud Computing, in particular, has gained immense popularity among professionals aiming to break into these high-paying domains. With AWS teams actively hiring year-round, there is a clear preference for candidates who not only demonstrate a strong theoretical understanding of cloud computing concepts but also possess hands-on experience in the field. As we step into 2024, learning AWS cloud computing emerges as a crucial step for anyone aspiring to be at the forefront of the AI revolution. Looking to add Cloud Computing skills to your toolkit in 2024? Look no further.

Get comfortable working with AWS cloud services in our new immersive Cloud Lab:

Understanding Cloud Computing Essentials – From Zero to Hero.

This lab is a fantastic introduction to anyone hoping to get hands-on with AWS essentials in a guided, hassle-free way.

You’ll develop a working knowledge of cloud infrastructure and various services, including learning how to set up an S3 bucket, creating serverless applications using Lambda functions, deploying a web server on an EC2 instance, and developing an understanding of IAM roles  — all in a real AWS cloud environment.

Here’s a high-level architecture diagram of the infrastructure you will build through this Cloud Lab:

Educative Cloud Labs provide hands-on access to AWS cloud services — with no setup or cleanup. We have 110+ labs on the platform today covering the industry’s most in-demand AWS services, with more added every week. All Cloud Labs are available through a Premium Plus subscription so I highly recommend locking in your lifetime discount for Premium Plus now if you are ready to get hands-on with AWS.

But first, let me tell you a little bit about why this new Cloud Lab is such a great starting point, and break down some of the core skills you’ll learn.

Understanding Cloud Computing Essentials: What You’ll Learn#

This immersive Cloud Lab offers hands-on experience in cloud computing, focusing on Amazon Web Services (AWS), which offers a range of services like EC2 and Lambda. You'll delve into AWS's global structure, including its regions and availability zones.

The lab begins with creating and using a new IAM user with specific permissions. You'll then investigate AWS's key computing services and their customization possibilities. A significant part of the lab involves understanding the interplay between AWS's storage services and computing resources. Additionally, you'll gain practical experience creating serverless applications with a Lambda function.

By the end of the lab, you'll have the skills to set up and run computer instances, understand and apply IAM roles, and effectively integrate storage with compute resources in AWS.

Next is a high-level summary of the skills you’ll acquire:

Deep Dive into AWS Infrastructure#

You'll gain insights into regions and availability zones, essential for designing robust, scalable, and fault-tolerant systems. This knowledge – essential for many developers in 2024 – is pivotal for optimizing application performance and ensuring data residency compliance.

User Creation & Policy Management#

As security and compliance become increasingly important, learning to create users and manage policies in AWS is critical. You'll develop skills to control access and permissions, ensuring secure and efficient management of cloud resources, a key requirement for maintaining organizational security standards.

Storage Management#

Mastery in managing S3 buckets is indispensable for handling data storage and retrieval in the cloud. You'll learn how to effectively manage data storage, a fundamental skill for developing scalable and cost-efficient cloud applications.

Web Server Deployment#

Deploying a web server on an EC2 instance is a fundamental skill for cloud-based application development. You'll gain practical experience in server hosting, learning to configure, and manage servers, which is essential for ensuring high availability and performance of web applications.

Serverless Computing#

With serverless computing becoming the norm across the industry, hands-on experience with AWS Lambda is crucial. You'll learn to build and deploy scalable, efficient serverless applications, reducing the overhead of server management and enabling a focus on core product functionality.

IAM Roles & Policies#

Developing an understanding IAM roles and policies is essential for securing AWS services and resources. Understanding IAM will enable you to implement fine-grained access controls and security measures, a vital skill for maintaining the integrity and security of cloud-based systems.

Global infrastructure and data sovereignty: Building for the real world#

AWS has more than 30 regions and 100+ availability zones worldwide, and that number keeps growing. Understanding how and where to deploy your applications is a key part of cloud architecture.

A few considerations:

• Latency: Choose a region closest to your users to minimize response times.

• Compliance and data residency: Some industries and countries require data to stay within specific geographic boundaries. AWS offers sovereign cloud options and region-level controls for this.

• Disaster recovery: Multi-region deployment ensures that your applications remain available even if one region goes down.

Cloud isn’t just about technology—it’s also about where and how that technology runs.

AI, containers, and edge: The new face of AWS#

Cloud computing isn’t just about virtual machines and storage anymore. AWS has become the backbone of modern applications, from AI workloads to containerized microservices and edge deployments.

• AI and machine learning: Services like Amazon SageMaker, Bedrock, and Titan make it easy to build, train, and deploy machine learning models without managing infrastructure. Whether you’re experimenting with generative AI or deploying an NLP pipeline, AWS has a tool for it.

• Containers and serverless: Tools like Amazon ECS and AWS Fargate let you run containerized apps without worrying about servers. This is ideal for scalable, cost-efficient microservices.

• Edge computing: Services like AWS Wavelength and Local Zones bring compute closer to users, reducing latency and powering applications like AR/VR, IoT, and real-time analytics.

These capabilities show how AWS is evolving from a traditional cloud provider into a platform for the most innovative, high-performance workloads of the future.

Career paths and certifications: Your roadmap to cloud success#

AWS skills open doors to some of the most in-demand jobs in tech. Here’s how your learning journey might look:

Tip: Start with the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner exam, then move on to Associate or Specialty certifications as you gain hands-on experience.

Get up to 20% off Educative Cloud Labs#

AWS cloud skills are a cornerstone for developers in 2024, offering a reliable way to scale web apps and shape the future of technology.

With Educative’s year-end sale, you can secure an unbeatable discount on a Premium Plus subscription. Premium Plus gives you access to everything on the Educative platform, including all 110+ Cloud Labs (with more added every week).

And remember: this discount lasts for life — i.e. your subscription will renew at the same discount you lock in today.

If you have questions, let me know. I think you’ll get a lot out of Cloud Labs, and I encourage you to make the most of this opportunity to springboard your career development in 2024. 

Happy learning!