I'm currently working as a systems administrator on a project that gives associates the opportunity to complete one certification from an approved list, with the exam costs covered. I'd like to choose something related to DevOps that will help me build practical skills and strengthen my résumé for future DevOps interviews. I'm considering options such as a professional-level DevOps certification, a cloud operations certification, Terraform Associate, or an AWS certification. Which would be the best choice, and should I start with an associate-level certification before attempting a professional one?
5 Answers
A professional DevOps certification can provide a strong foundation, but it’s also likely the most difficult option. It usually assumes you already understand systems administration, cloud services, networking, and automation, so it may be better as a longer-term goal rather than a first certification.
Associate certifications are useful preparation for professional exams. If you can’t comfortably pass the associate level yet, the professional exam will probably be a steep jump. A good path would be cloud fundamentals or an associate certification first, then Terraform and eventually the professional DevOps certification.
Terraform Associate is a relatively approachable certification if you’ve already used Terraform, and the skills are useful across different cloud providers. It can be a good résumé addition, but make sure you understand the underlying cloud resources you’re provisioning rather than only learning Terraform syntax.
I’d prioritize an AWS certification before Terraform. It helps to understand the services and architecture you’re building before focusing on the tool used to deploy them. An associate-level cloud certification is a sensible first step, followed by a DevOps or professional certification once you have more hands-on experience.
The best choice depends on the type of work you want to do, but don’t treat the certificate alone as the main goal. Build practical projects around Linux, networking, cloud infrastructure, CI/CD, containers, and infrastructure as code. Those examples will usually matter more in interviews than simply listing an exam pass.
That makes sense. I may need more preparation for the professional level. Would a cloud operations certification or Terraform Associate be a better starting point?