5 DevOps Certifications to land a job as a DevOps Engineer in 2023
The world of engineering is witnessing a rapid surge in the popularity of DevOps as a promising career track. But how can you enhance your job prospects and stand out in this competitive field? The answer lies in obtaining the right DevOps certifications.
DevOps brings together the collaborative efforts of software developers (devs) and operations (ops) teams to deliver software that is faster, more efficient, and highly secure. By acquiring a DevOps certification, you can elevate your resume, unlock salary growth opportunities, validate your expertise in development cycles, and position yourself for advanced career prospects. It’s no surprise that DevOps roles consistently rank among the highest paying in the technical industry. According to Glassdoor, The average base pay for a DevOps engineer in the United States is $132,758, and salaries range from $64,000 to $241,000.
There are many different DevOps certification programs available, each with its own focus and requirements. Some of the most popular DevOps certifications include:
- Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA)
- AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional
- Microsoft Certified: DevOps Engineer Expert
- Docker Certified Associate (DCA)
- Puppet Certified Professional
In this comprehensive article, we delve into five of the most sought-after DevOps certifications that you should seriously consider. We will explore the multitude of benefits that come with being certified, ensuring you make an informed decision about your career growth.
The Significance of DevOps Certification
In today’s competitive landscape, DevOps certification holds immense value for professionals aiming to excel in this field. It serves as an accredited credential, validating specific competitive skills and subject matter expertise required to thrive as a DevOps practitioner. This certification is obtained through rigorous assessments, educational courses, or performance reviews, ensuring that candidates meet the highest standards of excellence.
One compelling reason to pursue DevOps certification is the undeniable financial reward. DevOps positions consistently rank among the highest-paying salaries in the industry. By earning a certification, you significantly increase your chances of securing a lucrative job that rewards your expertise and dedication.
Moreover, DevOps certification equips you with the necessary skills to excel in a collaborative environment. As a certified professional, you are prepared to work seamlessly with cross-functional team members, including QA specialists, developers, operations engineers, and business analysts. This ability to collaborate effectively across disciplines is highly valued in the dynamic world of DevOps.
By investing in DevOps certification, you position yourself for success by demonstrating your commitment to continuous learning, validating your skills, and broadening your career opportunities. Embrace the transformative power of certification and unleash your full potential as a DevOps professional.
5 Popular and In-demand DevOps Certifications in 2023
1. Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA)
The CKA program serves as a comprehensive assessment of the skills, knowledge, and proficiency required of a Kubernetes Administrator. Through an online exam, candidates are tasked with solving a set of performance-based problems within a command-line environment, all within a three-hour timeframe. This hands-on approach ensures that users can demonstrate their competence in managing Kubernetes effectively.
The Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) program is designed to guarantee that individuals holding this certification possess the necessary knowledge, skills, and competency to fulfill the responsibilities of Kubernetes administrators with confidence.
Exam Details:
- Cost: $300
- Duration: 3 hours
- Question Type: Problem-Solving
The exam syllabus covers a wide range of topics to comprehensively assess candidates’ expertise:
- Application Lifecycle Management: 8%
- Installation, Configuration & Validation: 12%
- Core Concepts: 19%
- Networking: 11%
- Scheduling: 5%
- Security: 12%
- Cluster Maintenance: 11%
- Logging / Monitoring: 5%
- Storage: 7%
- Troubleshooting: 10%
By completing the CKA exam, professionals can showcase their in-depth understanding and proficiency in Kubernetes administration. This prestigious certification not only validates their skills but also opens doors to exciting career opportunities in the rapidly evolving world of container orchestration and cloud-native technologies.
2. AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional
The AWS cloud offers a multitude of certifications catering to professionals fulfilling diverse roles and responsibilities. Among these, the AWS DevOps Engineer Professional certification stands out, assessing candidates’ technical skills and expertise in operating and managing distributed systems and applications on the AWS platform.
To succeed in the certification exam, candidates must possess a strong grasp of development and operations processes and methodologies. Furthermore, substantial experience in administering operating systems and constructing automated infrastructures is essential. Adequate preparation for the AWS DevOps Engineer Professional exam entails utilizing a range of resources such as documentation, books, white papers, online courses, practice tests, and engaging in discussion forums. The exam is available in English, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese, accommodating candidates worldwide.
Exam Details:
- Cost: $300
- Duration: 170 minutes
- Question Type: 40-65 Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
The exam syllabus covers essential topics vital to the role of a DevOps Engineer in an AWS environment, including:
- SDLC (Software Development Lifecycle) automation
- Configuration Management and Infrastructure as Code
- High availability, disaster recovery, and fault tolerance
- Incident and event response
- Monitoring and logging
- Policies and standards automation
By attaining the AWS DevOps Engineer Professional certification, professionals demonstrate their expertise in effectively managing distributed systems and applications on the AWS cloud. This coveted certification not only validates their technical prowess but also opens doors to exciting career opportunities in the realm of DevOps and cloud computing.
3. Microsoft Certified: DevOps Engineer Expert
Microsoft Azure, a prominent cloud computing service akin to AWS and Google Cloud Platform, offers a vast array of services spanning web servers, email servers, databases, file storage servers, virtual machines, user directories, and more. By integrating Azure with DevOps practices, organizations can streamline and expedite their entire DevOps process, leading to faster and more dependable deployments. Consequently, the Azure DevOps Engineer Expert certification ranks among the best DevOps certifications, as it validates the skills and expertise of professionals leveraging Azure in their roles as DevOps engineers.
Specifically targeting Azure DevOps professionals, this certification recognizes their proficiency in designing and implementing DevOps best practices using Azure technologies. These professionals, already engaged as DevOps engineers, are responsible for establishing and executing DevOps strategies encompassing version control, build and release management, compliance, testing, and infrastructure as code, all within the Azure ecosystem.
Exam Details:
- Prerequisite: Azure Administrator Associate and Azure Developer Associate certifications
- Cost: $165
- Duration: 170 minutes
- Question Type: 40-60 Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
The exam syllabus encompasses crucial topics essential to Azure DevOps engineers, including:
- Designing a DevOps Strategy
- Implementing DevOps development processes
- Continuous integration
- Continuous delivery
- Application infrastructure
- Dependency management
- Continuous feedback
Attaining the Azure DevOps Engineer Expert certification showcases professionals’ ability to effectively utilize Microsoft Azure in driving DevOps practices within organizations. This certification not only demonstrates their competence in leveraging Azure technologies for seamless DevOps implementation but also enhances their career prospects in the rapidly evolving domain of DevOps and cloud computing.
4. Docker Certified Associate (DCA)
Docker, renowned as a powerful container runtime platform, revolutionized software development and deployment by leveraging containers. Acquiring the Docker Certified Associate (DCA) certification offers numerous benefits, as it validates your expertise in Docker and containerization as a whole.
Ideal candidates must:
- Possess in-depth knowledge of Docker: Candidates should demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of Docker, including various aspects such as orchestration, image creation, management, registry, installation and configuration, networking, security, and storage and volumes.
- Showcase proficiency in containerization: Candidates should exhibit a strong grasp of containerization concepts, including how to efficiently package, distribute, and deploy applications using Docker containers.
- Understand Docker best practices: Candidates should be familiar with Docker best practices and guidelines, enabling them to implement secure and optimized container-based solutions.
Exam Details:
- Prerequisite: None
- Cost: $195
- Exam Duration: 90 minutes
- Question Format: Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
By earning the Docker Certified Associate certification, you showcase your mastery of Docker and containerization, opening doors to a wide range of career opportunities in software development, DevOps, and cloud computing.
5. Puppet Certified Professional
Puppet, trusted by over 35,000 organizations worldwide, is a widely adopted IT automation software. As a result, the demand for professionals with Puppet experience, including engineers, developers, administrators, managers, and architects, is substantial. The Puppet Certified Professional certification assesses the expertise of candidates in Puppet at a macro level, evaluating their knowledge of this powerful IT automation solution.
Upon successfully qualifying for the exam, candidates gain the ability to efficiently manage system infrastructure using Puppet. The certification covers essential topics such as data separation, external data sources, and adherence to the Puppet Language Style Guide, which serves as a valuable resource for familiarizing oneself with Puppet documentation and accepted best practices.
Ideal candidates for this certification should possess the following skills and knowledge:
- Proficiency in utilizing the Puppet Forge to discover and apply modules
- Familiarity with troubleshooting strategies for core Puppet platform components and Puppet code
- Understanding of classification strategies to set class variables and parameters
- Knowledge of module testing practices, module structure, and the design and organization of profiles and roles
Exam Details:
- Prerequisite: None
- Cost: $200
- Duration: 90 minutes
- Question Type: 60 Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
Obtaining the Puppet Certified Professional certification validates candidates’ proficiency in leveraging Puppet for effective IT automation. With this certification, professionals can showcase their expertise in Puppet and enhance their career opportunities in the ever-growing field of IT automation and infrastructure management.
Conclusion
In conclusion, DevOps certifications have become increasingly important in the engineering field. They offer professionals a competitive edge in their career growth. Moreover, these certifications not only validate expertise and skills but also open doors to lucrative job opportunities and higher salaries. As the demand for DevOps professionals continues to rise, it is crucial to obtain certifications such as Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA), AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional, Microsoft Certified: DevOps Engineer Expert, Docker Certified Associate (DCA), and Puppet Certified Professional. These certifications significantly enhance marketability and showcase a commitment to continuous learning and staying ahead in a rapidly evolving industry.
By investing in DevOps certifications, individuals demonstrate their ability to collaborate effectively, leverage cutting-edge technologies, and implement best practices in development cycles and infrastructure management. Whether the focus is on Kubernetes administration, AWS cloud, Microsoft Azure, Docker, or Puppet, there are certification programs available to suit specific expertise and career goals.
With the transformative power of DevOps certifications, professionals can position themselves for success, unlock new career opportunities, and unleash their full potential in the DevOps and cloud computing domain. To stay competitive, differentiate oneself, and thrive in this exciting field, earning these highly sought-after certifications is essential.