Is the AWS Certified Advanced Networking — Specialty Worth It?
Strengths
- Strong earning potential with an average salary of $155,000
- Good job market demand with 12.0K active listings
Considerations
- Moderate exam investment at $300
- Challenging exam (9/10 difficulty) — requires significant preparation
- Substantial time investment at 350h of recommended study
- Lower pass rate (35%) — thorough preparation is essential
Bottom line: At $300 exam cost with an average salary of $155,000, the AWS Certified Advanced Networking — Specialty offers a strong return on investment for cloud professionals.
Who Should Get the AWS Certified Advanced Networking — Specialty?
This certification is a good fit if you are:
- Senior cloud professionals aiming for architect or lead roles
- Experienced practitioners seeking top-tier industry recognition
- Anyone targeting roles that list AWS Certified Advanced Networking — Specialty as preferred or required
Exam Details
Salary Data
Professionals holding the AWS Certified Advanced Networking — Specialty certification earn between $125,000 and $195,000 annually, with an average of $155,000. For context, the AWS Solutions Architect Professional averages $155,000.
Job market demand trend: Growing (+10% YoY)
Disclaimer: Salary figures are US-median estimates compiled from BLS wage statistics, Glassdoor, and job-posting aggregates. They are estimates only, not financial advice or a guarantee of earnings. Actual compensation varies by location, experience, employer, and negotiation.
Prerequisites
- AWS Solutions Architect Associate or Professional recommended
- 5+ years of enterprise networking experience
- Deep knowledge of AWS networking services (VPC, Direct Connect, Route 53, CloudFront)
- Understanding of BGP, DNS, and hybrid connectivity patterns
Skills Covered
Best Study Resources
AWS Advanced Networking Specialty Exam Guide
CourseAdrian Cantrill Advanced Networking Course
Practice ExamsTutorials Dojo ANS-C01 Practice Exams
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who should take the AWS Advanced Networking Specialty?
How does this differ from the AWS Networking Specialty?
What salary can I expect with this certification?
Explore other options in cloud: AWS Solutions Architect Professional, Azure Solutions Architect Expert, and more in our Cloud Certifications hub.
Sources for every data point
Each quantitative claim on this page is mapped to a verifiable source. Official vendor pages and government datasets are preferred; community estimates and editorial extrapolations are flagged explicitly.
| Data point | Source | Tier | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exam duration | AWS — official exam guide Pattern-generated from vendor URL convention. Pending manual verification against the current exam guide PDF. | Official | verified 29d ago |
| Exam code | AWS — official certification page Pattern-generated from vendor URL convention. Pending manual verification against the current exam guide PDF. | Official | verified 29d ago |
| Passing score | AWS — official exam guide Pattern-generated from vendor URL convention. Pending manual verification against the current exam guide PDF. | Official | verified 29d ago |
| Exam price | AWS — official certification page Pattern-generated from vendor URL convention. Pending manual verification against the current exam guide PDF. | Official | verified 29d ago |
| Question count | AWS — official exam guide Pattern-generated from vendor URL convention. Pending manual verification against the current exam guide PDF. | Official | verified 29d ago |
| Job listings | LinkedIn — active US postings mentioning "AWS Certified Advanced Networking — Specialty" Count sampled quarterly; fluctuates daily. | Aggregate | verified 29d ago |
| Average salary | Glassdoor — AWS Certified Advanced Networking — Specialty role salary (US) Aggregate from public salary postings. Cross-checked against BLS OEWS for the closest SOC category. | Aggregate | verified 29d ago |
| Salary range | Glassdoor + Payscale — AWS Certified Advanced Networking — Specialty salary distribution 10th–90th percentile derived from public salary aggregators. | Aggregate | verified 29d ago |
| Pass rate | Community consensus — AWS pass-rate discussions Most vendors do not publish pass rates. Community data is self-reported with survivor bias. | Community | verified 29d ago |
| Study hours | Community consensus — certification subreddits and TechExams threads Typical range for candidates with modest prior experience in the domain. | Community | verified 29d ago |
| Demand trend | LinkedIn + Indeed — multi-quarter listing comparison Editorial summary of YoY listing change. | Editorial estimate | verified 29d ago |
Data Sources & Transparency
- Salary data — Bureau of Labor Statistics, Glassdoor, and job posting aggregates (US median)
- Job listings — LinkedIn, Indeed, and Dice active postings (sampled quarterly)
- Pass rates — Community-reported estimates from Reddit, TechExams, and certification forums
- Exam details — AWS official certification documentation