I've been working as a Junior DevOps Engineer in the UK for a year now, earning £40k annually. I've had a chance to work with various DevOps tools and feel confident in my skills. However, I'm aiming to move up to a mid-level position, and recruiters keep pointing out that I lack certifications. The issue is my current company doesn't fund training or provide resources, such as a sandbox account for AWS. I'm considering paying for the AWS SAA certification myself, but I'd love to hear if anyone has suggestions for making this more affordable or what I should do next.
2 Answers
Honestly, contributing to open source projects could be more valuable than getting certified. It’s free, boosts your experience, and expands your network. Plus, it might impress potential employers more than a piece of paper.
You might find some free or very low-cost options for the Cloud Practitioner certification. Once you have one cert, you'll usually get a 50% discount on the next one, which can help cut your costs further.
That sounds great, but be aware that if your CV goes through an HR filter first, it might not get the attention it deserves without certs.