Microsoft Azure Certification Part 1: Grow your career potential
Part 1: Grow your career potential ⬅️You Are Here
Part 2: Choose your Next Certification
The value of certifications
In an increasingly competitive world where the pursuit of jobs, salary advancements, and academic achievements is ever more challenging, certifications provide a beacon of hope. They serve as trustworthy, independent evaluations of an individual’s expertise and understanding in a specific subject area.
So, certifications can be a valuable investment in one’s career, leading to increased opportunities, higher earning potential, and professional growth.
Here is some statistics:
Upon earning a certification, 61% of tech professionals say they earned a promotion, 73% upskilled to keep pace with changing technologies, and 76% have greater job satisfaction — 2021 Pearson VUE Value of IT Certification.
However, it’s essential to choose certifications that align with individual career goals and are relevant to the specific industry or job role.
Popular Cloud Certifications Options
It’s impossible to envision modern software development without the integration of cloud technologies and there is a massive demand for all of the certifications for each of the major cloud providers — AWS, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud. So why you should choose Microsoft Azure Certification?
Why Microsoft Certifications?
Microsoft certifications hold several advantages for individuals and organizations alike, making them a popular choice among professionals in the technology industry. Here are some reasons why Microsoft certifications are valuable:
Industry Recognition: Microsoft is a leading technology company, and its certifications are well-recognized and respected in the IT industry worldwide. Holding a Microsoft certification can enhance your credibility and open doors to various career opportunities.
Microsoft career paths: Microsoft provides a wide variety of certification paths tailored to suit various roles and proficiency levels within the technology sector.
Despite the extensive array of choices available, you can easily select the option that best suits your needs.
- Administrator in charge of implementing, managing, and monitoring company’s cloud environments and solutions.
- AI Engineer develops and deploys cognitive services, machine learning, and knowledge mining solutions in cloud or hybrid environments to keep the organization ahead.
- App Maker builds apps using low-code techniques to simplify and automate business tasks.
- Business User utilizes Microsoft applications to drive business progress.
- Data Analyst designs and builds data models to make data understandable and drive meaningful business value. Training needed for a successful data analyst career
- Data Engineer designs and implements data solutions’ management, monitoring, and security.
- Data Scientist combines technology and social sciences to develop solutions for complex business needs using big data.
- Developer designs, builds, and tests software and systems, from apps to cloud solutions.
- DevOps Engineer leads teams to create processes for code releases and manages the development cycle for continuous business value delivery.
- Functional Consultant helps others implement technology solutions for their needs.
- Identity and Access Administrator designs, implements, and operates identity and access management systems using Azure Active Directory (Azure AD).
- Information Protection Administrator gains understanding of Microsoft security and privacy practices to safeguard customer data.
- Security Engineer responsible for designing and implementing digital security controls, managing access, and protecting data in cloud networks and hybrid environments.
- Security Operations Analyst reduces organizational risk by rapidly remediating active attacks, advising on threat protection improvements, and addressing policy violations.
- Solutions Architect integrates and optimizes technologies across an organization, tailoring solutions to meet developer and business needs.
You can always do your own research and access detailed information about each available option.
Alternatively, you can easily browse certifications by role using the Microsoft portal.
“Speciality” Options: Microsoft offers certifications tailored to specific roles and skill sets, allowing professionals to focus on areas that align with their interests and career goals. This specialization enhances their expertise in particular domains.
Microsoft Partner Network Benefits: For organizations, having employees with Microsoft certifications can help them attain Microsoft Partner status, unlocking a range of benefits, such as access to Microsoft resources, training, and support.
Continuous Learning: Microsoft certifications encourage continuous learning. The process of preparing for and earning certifications ensures that professionals stay engaged in ongoing education and skill improvement.
In summary, Microsoft certifications enjoy a strong reputation in the tech industry, offering a wide range of certification paths catering to various roles and expertise levels, including specialized choices. Companies gain value from having certified employees, and these certifications promote ongoing learning and skill enhancement.
I believe you’ve already made your decision and opted for a Microsoft Azure certification. So what’s the next step?
First and foremost, it’s important to note that Microsoft certifications categorized according to the level of expertise they represent.
- Fundamentals Certifications: Fundamentals Certification is for beginners who have started their journey into learning cloud. Azure fundamental Certificates offer ideal starting points for anyone new to Azure to boost career.
- Associate Certification: If you already familiar with Azure well, you will feel comfortable starting here. you are ready to go to get these certifications listed in your journey. Starting with Associate level certification will add feather in your Cap and you will become a Certified Pro.
- Expert Certification: You are ready for these with earlier experience, deep understanding, and associate-level knowledge in Azure. An Associate certification (either the Azure Developer Associate or Azure Administrator Associate) is required for the Azure DevOps Engineer Expert, and the Azure Administrator Associate is required for the Azure Solutions Architect Expert. It will establish Professional Credibility and enhance marketability.
- Specialty Certifications: There certifications are available for SAP Workloads Specialty and Azure IoT Developer Specialty certifications. And there are no pre-requites to earn these certification.
You should select the option that aligns with your experience and goals. If you’re a beginner, it’s not a good idea to begin with an Expert-level certification.
First steps
If you are new to Azure, it is recommended that you take one of the XX-900 exams for personal growth.
These certifications, held in high regard within the industry, deliver essential training and assessments that offer a practical, top-level understanding of Microsoft technology, affirming your current expertise in the subject matter.
They are optional and not required for other certifications.
Best Starting point
Azure Fundamentals AZ-900
If you want to grasp the fundamentals of cloud computing, the AZ-900 exam is the perfect starting point. AZ-900, also known as the Microsoft Azure Fundamentals exam, provides a comprehensive overview of Azure’s core concepts, services, and solutions. By covering topics like Azure architecture, security, pricing, and more, this exam equips you with a solid understanding of Azure cloud fundamentals.
Skills measured
- Describe cloud concepts
- Describe Azure architecture and services
- Describe Azure management and governance
Job role: Administrator, Business User, Developer, Student, Technology Manager
Required exams: AZ-900
While AZ-900 is an excellent starting point, you can also initiate your certification journey with other Fundamental certifications that may align better with your experience, such as Azure AI Fundamentals, Azure Data Fundamentals, or Security, Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals.
Summary
In this part, we delve into the significance of Microsoft Azure certifications in enhancing career potential. Microsoft Certifications are widely acknowledged as valuable investments in one’s career, leading to promotions, upskilling, and increased job satisfaction. Microsoft certifications distinguish themselves through industry recognition, diverse career pathways, and specialized options. They cater to a broad spectrum of roles, ranging from cloud administrators to data scientists, making them versatile choices for professionals.
We explore various certification levels, including Fundamentals, Associate, and Expert, and emphasize the importance of selecting the appropriate certification level based on one’s experience and objectives. We also discover the numerous paths available for career growth and discuss AZ-900, the Microsoft Azure Fundamentals exam, which serves as an excellent entry point into the realm of Azure certifications.
Now, it’s time for you to select your first certification. In the second part, I will provide assistance in making that choice.
Thank you for your attention, and best of luck!
