Butler Tech student first to reach Amazon certification: Why that matters

According to IT industry data, a certified Amazon Web Services Cloud Practitioner (AWS) professional ranks among the highest paid IT certification holders with an average salary of $113.932.

Patel had considered attending college after graduating but now says he plans to go directly into his chosen field.

“I was previously interested in developing websites but this (AWS) field is really cool. I’ve now realized this is really what I want to do and besides, certifications are better than (college) degrees,” said Patel.

Patel’s IT teacher, Tom Newman, said that “the demand is real and employers seek such experiences in their prospective IT employees and Butler Tech students can now provide such talent within the business and technical community.”

Newman cited a 2020 IT industry study showing “employment in computer and information technology occupations is projected to grow 11 percent from 2019 to 2029, much faster than the average for all occupations.”

“These occupations are projected to add about 531,200 new jobs. Demand for these workers will stem from greater emphasis on cloud computing, the collection and storage of big data, and information security,” according to the study.

Butler Tech Superintendent Jon Graft said Patel’s bright employment future, and those of other teens at the career school system, reflects the changing faces of both education and America’s workforce needs.

“Our Information Technology Programs embrace the ideology of the education revolution that the ‘one-size-fits-all’ mentality of traditional education no longer works for today’s world,” said Graft.

“We connect students with their passion by individualizing instruction to meet the need of our future workforce (and) AWS is one of many options for out IT students at Butler Tech.”

Patel said “my ultimate goal is to be ready to earn the (more advanced) AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional certification by the time I graduate from Butler Tech. I want to gain an internship as soon as possible to get the hands-on experience and be ready to work.”