How To Get Started With Azure Certification?

There are various Azure certifications that one can pursue which is why it can seem daunting at first to decide where to begin from and how to get started with Azure certification. 

Role-based Certifications

It has become easier to choose from the new certification paths as, instead of focusing the certifications on technology, the focus has been shifted on certifications being job-oriented. As more than 95 percent of Fortune 500 companies trust their business on Azure today, the demand for certified Azure professionals has been on a steady upslope. The new certifications are more aligned with job duties so individuals who are looking to pursue an Azure certification that is related to the daily job duties that they perform should choose that certification as it is easier to study and pass the required exam.

These certifications can be categorized into three expertise levels –

1. Fundamentals Certification

This certification level is for professionals who are either just starting with the technologies that are covered in the certification or have zero to two years of experience. These certifications are also suitable for those who are looking to switch their careers. Professionals would have to pass a single certification exam for whichever Fundamentals certification path they have chosen.

2. Associate Certification

Professionals with experience of two or more years can pursue the Associate level of certifications. This level is for professionals who are moderately experienced and want to learn and prove their expertise in the technologies covered with these certifications. Depending on the Associate certification path, professionals would have to pass one or two certification exams.

3. Expert Certification

Expert level certifications are for professionals who have at least two to five years of experience and skills related to the technologies covered by these certifications. Many expert-level certifications require professionals to have completed associate-level certifications to become eligible. To earn these certifications, it is required to pass two to three exams. 

There are various Microsoft Azure certifications available, including –

1. Microsoft  Certified: Azure Fundamentals

This certification exam validates and tests a professional’s knowledge of Microsoft Azure and the cloud. It is targeted towards professionals from non-technical backgrounds who are looking to validate their knowledge of the foundations of cloud services as well as how these services are provided within the Microsoft Azure cloud. Candidates can be anyone including those who sell or purchase cloud-based services and solutions and others. People from a technical background who want to demonstrate their knowledge of the foundations of the cloud can also pursue this certification examination. There are no prerequisites for this exam and no technical experience is required, however, general information technology knowledge can be helpful. After passing this exam, professionals can earn the Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals certification.

2. Microsoft Certified: Azure Developer Associate

The Developing Solutions for Microsoft Azure certification exam is for testing the expertise of professionals as an Azure developer. All phases of the Microsoft Azure development process ranging from solution design to testing and maintenance to development and deployment. Azure developers who design and build cloud solutions such as applications and services can give this exam. After passing the Developing Solutions for Microsoft Azure certification exam, candidates would earn the Microsoft Certified: Azure Developer Associate certification. This exam is also a prerequisite for the Microsoft Certified: Azure DevOps Engineer Expert exam. There aren’t any prerequisites of this certification, however, candidates are expected to be experienced in developing scalable solutions by implementing Azure technologies and tools and they should be skilled in at least one programming language that is cloud-supported.

3. Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate

This certification falls under the Associate level of Microsoft Azure certifications. With this, the candidate’s knowledge of cloud computing skills, as well as Microsoft Azure resources, can be validated. Professionals who have acquired this certification are expected to be able to manage different cloud services such as storage, security, networking and others. To receive the Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate certification, candidates have to give the Microsoft Azure Administrator exam. Apart from this, candidates are required to have at least six months of experience working with Azure administration, an understanding of core Azure services, Azure workloads, security governance as well as experience with ARM templates, the Azure portal, PowerShell and command-line interface.

4. Microsoft Certified: The Microsoft Certified

Azure AI Engineer Associate certification is for candidates who want to become Azure AI professionals. It is an associate-level certification that validates the expertise of candidates in machine learning, cognitive services and knowledge mining to implement artificial intelligence solutions involving computer vision, natural language processing, bots and agents. Candidates should possess a working knowledge of data ethics, data privacy and basic statistics. They should also be familiar with different aspects of the Microsoft Azure AI portfolio. They would be required to use their understanding of capacity and cost models, along with the best practices to implement artificial intelligence solutions using Microsoft Azure. There are no prerequisites for this examination, however, candidates should possess the Azure Fundamentals certification.

5. Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Scientist Associate

This certification is suitable for candidates who are Azure Data Scientist Associates. To acquire this certification, professionals are required to pass the Designing and Implementing a Data Science Solution on Azure exam. Candidates will be required to apply their knowledge of machine learning and data science to implement machine learning workloads using Azure Machine Learning Service. There aren’t any specific prerequisites to acquire this certification, however, candidates are expected to demonstrate the required skills and have basic experience with Microsoft Azure.

6. Microsoft Certified: Azure DevOps Engineer Expert

This is an expert-level certification intended for candidates who are experts in implementing DevOps development processes and methodologies. It is suitable for professionals who want to become Azure DevOps engineers. For this certification, there are a few prerequisites. Candidates should be familiar with Azure administration as well as development. They should also possess two associate-level certifications and should be experts in implementing Agile processes. To acquire this certificate, candidates would have to give the Microsoft Azure DevOps Solutions exam. 

These certificates are great options to start if you are confused about which Azure certifications to pursue.

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