As a data engineer, I have always been interested in staying up-to-date with the latest technologies and best practices. However, becoming a certified professional is a credible milestone and challenging, at least for Databricks. In this post, I’ll share my journey on how I got certified and share my thoughts for you to prepare for the same.
Motivation
In March 2022, I got an opportunity to attend online ILT(Instructor Led Training) of Advance Data Engineering by Databricks. It was eight hours a day — four-day training. It was tough to manage whole-day training and daily work. After attending the first day, I decided to participate in all days and schedule my work(No Pain, No Gain).
I got to know many features Databricks provides and upcoming features as well. The instructor did take a deep dive to teach how to build a Lakehouse architecture, Unity Catalog, Delta Live Tables, Workflow Orchestration, Modular Design, Data Quality Expectations, Monitoring DLT Pipelines, and many more.
They also offered an exam voucher, valid for six months, to motivate the participants further to appear for the exams. This was the perfect opportunity to get the certification and showcase my strength in Databricks.
Moreover, What I liked most about the training was they had put many sample notebooks on GitHub.
Takeaway — Attending the training improved my technique for developing more promising solutions. My client also valued my being up-to-date with the latest trends and always providing intelligent solutions.
Take a leap of faith
After completing my training, I found myself so immersed in my project that I lost track of time. However, as time passed, I became increasingly anxious about getting certified. Despite my doubts and hesitation, I knew I had to take the exam. I kept putting it off, making excuses and delaying the test date. But then, I had an epiphany — I needed to face my fears head-on. So, summoning all my courage, I boldly scheduled the exam for Nov 2022, determined to conquer my doubts and achieve my goal.
Takeaway — “I’ve realized that setting a timeline for myself is the key to turning my wildest dreams into a reality”
Preparation
After registering for the exam, the countdown began; failure was not an option. However, before I start preparation, I should have a plan. So I made one to make progress every day.
The plan was atomic,
- Make a list of all of the areas
- 30–45 minutes daily and 2–3 hours on a weekdays
- 2–3 hours on the weekend
I went through the practice exam to understand the difficulty level and areas of weakness. You can see the practice sample exam paper here.
Based on my experience with the practice exam, I learned where I must put my efforts. So I created a list of areas I must understand more deeply. I made two lists, one for theory and one for hands-on. I also revisited the exam curriculum to ensure I had the latest topics. You can check out the latest exam topics here.
One week before D-Day, I had completed all the necessary preparation. I prepared handwritten notes for the revision on an exam day.
A day before the exam, I visited the WebAssessor to review all the guidelines. Then, I did install the necessary software and carefully read all the instructions. Now I was all set for the exam.
Takeaway: “By creating an atomic plan and sticking to it with unwavering discipline, I gained the confidence needed to conquer the exam — proving that anything is possible with hard work and determination.”
D-Day
Though not a member of the 5:00 am club, I had risen early and spent the morning revising my notes and finalizing my preparations.
As the clock struck 12:21 pm IST, I sat in front of my computer screen, ready to take the Databricks Associate Data Engineer exam.
However, to keep my nerves at bay, I took a break an hour before the exam, avoiding topics that might demotivate me.
Since the exam was online, I made sure to have stable internet and set up everything according to the guidelines provided by Databricks.
My approach to the exam was atomic.
- Answer each question within one minute
- Mark questions for review when in doubt
- Revisit trickier questions later
I began the 90-minute test. Despite feeling nervous, I approached the exam with a clear strategy and the confidence to succeed.
I completed my first round of answers an hour into the exam. The one-minute strategy helped me have 30 mins. Then, I began reviewing unanswered questions that required more attention.
It’s always tough to answer questions with one or more correct answers.
As there was no negative marking, I answered all the questions. However, a few mins remained after answering all the questions. So I double-checked all the answers before the final submission.
After examining all the questions multiple times, I finally submitted my answers.
I was ecstatic looking at the result, and joy flooded my eyes. It was one of the most joyous moments of the year.
Takeaway - 1 min per question was key to carefully answering trickier and tough questions.
Tips
- Who should appear for the certification — IMHO, all the data engineers with at least experience of 6 months or more on Databricks.
- Wishful thoughts are not enough, Take a leap of faith and schedule the exam in the next 3–4 weeks.
- Make an atomic plan to prepare and follow it with discipline.
- Practice sample exam papers — to understand the type of questions, difficulty level, and weakness area.
- As professionals no longer appear for the examinations, it is important to devise a strategy for attending to the questions.
- Carefully read all the guidelines provided by Databricks and WebAssessor.
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Thanks for reading!
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