Advise On Taking Course

It is a nice notion, i.e., the better paying job idea. When the current employer offers you a partial reimbursement of expenses for continuing education, you are getting better paid, if that education happens to be (a) to your liking and (b) would get you to an even better paying job, you are on your way. To where?... you may ask.

How would you answer the typical interview question "where do you see yourself in 5 years?". There is help on the web to answer this: Where Do You See Yourself In 5 Years? (Example Answers Included) Check that out.

You have already expressed an interest in AWS. There are certifications available for this. For single, childless persons (both men and women) in the IT industry, the continuing education activity ought to be in a class room setting, if that can be possible. After a desk-job for most of the day, it is best to get out there somewhere, and see other people. One might even see people, who are good to see (paraphrased Yogi Berra in that).

Answer that 5 year question to yourself. Write down a plan for those 5 years. And then take the money your employer offers. Certifications are good for resumes (getting a job), Knowledge (courses) are good for doing the job.

 

Here are some general thoughts:
Regarding courses, I think you should take full advantage of subsidies your employer has to offer. That sort of thing is best viewed as part of your pay-package. If you let it go, you are leaving money on the table.

I agree with Nonya that in-class courses are better than online if you can manage it. You will meet your instructor (who may have hiring power - I've met quite a few who did!), plus other people with similar interests, which is a great networking opportunity.

Since you are already an IT-solutions expert, adding cloud-computing solutions via AWS to your arsenal of skills makes sense. Technologies and details may change, but neither Amazon nor cloud-computing is going away. So, if you strike a balance between technology agnostic cloud-computing principles and balance it with one or more specific platforms, you will have a clear narrative for your career path and be quite marketable. AWS, Azure, Google are probably the easiest points of entry.

Almost all market reports project double-digit growth for cloud platforms. So, in the near-to-medium term, it's a good bet. Experts here can probably chip in with better input!

Good Luck!

 

Something seems funky with the link I posted above. Try this:
Roundup of Cloud Computing Forecasts 2017 (Forbes)

 

+ 1 to all that @sokanasanah and @Rihana have said.

This approach is tricky and I would urge u to focus instead on honing ur skills and being more marketable. To that end given ur background I would recommend IT automation and cyber security in addition to AWS/Azure etc .

 

Its the focus. The highest paying job today may not be commanding the same $$ couple of years from now. Choosing the right mix of breadth and depth of skills is important for long term employability. This happens esp in IT with emerging technologies. Often times people pay through their noses for a very highly specialized skill/course which might temporarily attract employers . More often than not such skills quickly get outdated .