Microsoft Azure is a beloved service that is home to millions of applications and handles over 40 billion requests on a daily basis. It provides services that support robust applications to be developed, tested, and launched with enterprise-grade performance, security, and compliances such as GDPR. Today, in this article, we talk about the ways to access the platform, the approach to learn and grow with Microsoft Azure, and at the same time achieve certifications on Azure.
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Azure
Azure is a cloud computing service developed by Microsoft which enables organizations and individuals to build, test, deploy and manage their applications in high availability and rapidly scalable platform with unparalleled security offerings and benefits in comparison to the traditional on-premises infrastructure.
Microsoft Azure Cloud Certification
With Microsoft Azure catering to over 19% of the market share, it is one of the most sought-after cloud ecosystems and has huge potentials for technology enthusiasts and seasoned professionals. Henceforth, Microsoft has different certification programs to showcase and register your expertise in comparison to what the market demands the workforce.
Microsoft offers numerous certifications in various categories. Some of the certifications Microsoft offers are on the following credentials.
- Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA)
- Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA)
- Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE)
- Microsoft Solutions Developer (MCSD)
- Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS)
One of the most sought-after categories for the certifications of my industry professionals is in the Cloud and Infrastructure Platform. This encompasses Microsoft Azure, Cloud Data Platform Solutions, Machine Learning, DevOps, and more which is also known as the new mainstream areas for the Microsoft Certification. Microsoft has now brought role-based certifications focused on Azure Developers, Solutions Architects, and Administrators. In general, Microsoft has Certifications for different technical requirements and roles. The certifications paths are different according to the job role which areas listed below,
- Developer
- Administrator
- Solution Architect
- Data Engineer
- Data Scientist
- AI Engineer
- DevOps Engineer
- Security Engineer
- Functional Consultant
There is currently 21 Certification in Azure for different levels and roles. You can choose your certification exam to take as per your skillset and need at your corporate journey.
Beginner Level Certification for Azure
- Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals (ExamAZ - 900)
- Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Fundamentals (ExamAI - 900)
- Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Fundamentals ( ExamDP - 900)
- Microsoft Certified: Security, Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals (ExamSC - 900)
Intermediate Level Certifications in Azure- Microsoft Certified: Windows Virtual Desktop Specialty (ExamAZ-140)
- Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Engineer Associate (ExamAI-102)
- Microsoft Certified: Security Operations Analyst Associate (ExamSC-200)
- Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Engineer Associate (ExamDP-203)
- Microsoft Certified: Azure IoT Developer Specialty (ExamAZ-220)
- Microsoft Certified: Azure Developer Associate (ExamAZ-204)
- Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate (ExamAZ-104)
- Microsoft Certified: Azure Database Administrator Associate (ExamDP-300)
- Microsoft Certified: Azure Security Engineer Associate (ExamAZ-500)
- Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Scientist Associate (ExamDP-100)
Advanced Level Certifications in Azure- Microsoft Certified: Power Platform Solution Architect Expert (ExamPL-600)
- Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert (ExamAZ-303, AZ-304)
- Microsoft Certified: Azure Stack Hub Operator Associate (ExamAZ-600)
- Microsoft Certified: Identity and Access Administrator Associate (ExamSC-300)
- Microsoft Certified: DevOps Engineer Expert (ExamAZ-400)
- MCSD: App Builder (Exam70-357, 70-486, 70-487)
- Microsoft Certified: Azure for SAP Workloads Specialty (ExamAZ-120)
How to get started and where to learn for the certification exam?
Microsoft Learn is the platform developed by Microsoft for engineers, administrators, and architects to discover new skills and learn things will support them to get certified and thus progress in their respective careers. There are different learning paths and different Modules in the platform. Microsoft Learn helps you choose a goat for different roles and not just product specific – but moreover recommendation within the system for the path to take for the career you want to proceed. With it, we can easily customize our path. You can choose from the goals for the career and roles you desire from the option as many as shown here.
Microsoft Learn offers free sandboxes which can run Azure and run commands, deploy virtual machines, databases, web apps, and more. With this, you need not spend the credit in Azure itself and learn to perform tasks and complete lessons from Microsoft Learn courses. Microsoft Learn consists of over 1100 modules dedicated to Azure alone for you to learn from not just for the Certification itself but to build your skills on Azure. No matter your skill level, from novice to expert, there is always room for growth. Learning with experimenting and getting your hands dirty will outclass any other methods. Try it yourself more than just watching videos or reading articles or blogs; Learn a new module and play with Azure, this experience will be embedded into you and will have higher retention of memory with a real-life experience.
Sandbox
Azure Sandbox, mainly known as the Microsoft Learn Sandbox, provides an environment that can be used to explore and learn Azure from the Microsoft Learn modules, all free of cost. One of the benefits of the Sandbox is, it is not necessary to have an Azure account. You neither need to pay nor even use your free credits. With Microsoft Account alone, you can access, use and learn with the Sandbox environment. This makes it really easy to learn for the certification courses on Azure.
How long will the subscription last?
The credit is for 2 hours daily. Howsoever, it is not a test environment, but a short-term environment to try out and learn.
If you watch to dive more on Microsoft Azure Certification and Microsoft Learn, Check out this video,
Gamification in Microsoft Learn
The Microsoft Learn platform has been designed and developed with gamification experience in mind. There are points to gain and levels to achieve which makes it a fun experience and you can even challenge within the team which motivates individuals to learn more and grow.
The Microsoft Internal teams from the field and engineering teams also use Microsoft Learn. It’s a platform for everyone. It may give a notion of dogfooding while it’s not. Microsoft Learn is immensely vast and deep and caters to all levels such that you could start from the beginner level today but will also be your companion as you rise in your skillsets. Even for seasoned professionals, this platform has so much to offer.
Microsoft is often organizing Cloud Skills Challenges. There is multiple curated collection of challenges from learning modules. Taking part in challenges and competitions with the motive to learn will always help us grow which will always come in handy in our workforce and during certifications.
Why get the Certifications and what are the benefits of Microsoft Certification?
Certification adds value to your resume. It is great for asking for a raise at your job or asking for more roles and contributions to the team. As your skillsets grow while learning and preparing for the Certifications themselves, it builds competence within you. The certified professionals always deliver more than what they could earlier and there are only benefits of the Microsoft Certifications.
With updated knowledge and skill, there is a sense of personal confidence and satisfaction one feels. There will be a rise in career opportunities for you, get a sense of validation from people in your network working on technology, and mostly always, changes for a higher salary.
Microsoft Azure Cloud Certifications are mainly role-based certifications. These certifications focus on job roles - Data Administrator, Business Analyst, Associate Level Developer, Expert Level Azure, and so on. For instance, if you already have been certified as an Azure Developer Associate, the question that arises to most is, what next certification should I take? Rather, the question should be what are your goals, what are you going to do at your work, what more or different skillset would you need for it and where do you want to go ahead. You need to have a plan of what you want to do and where you want to go. When your desires are clear, there is always a path, Microsoft will be able to support you with. Thus, it’s conventional thinking to take certifications on the same platform rising over the ladders of the difficulty levels, but it is also great to explore and build different skillsets which will help you grow into the technologist, you can become.
Thus, we learned about Microsoft Azure, the certifications it provides for individuals of all desires and levels, and the pathways to learning this amazing platform. Microsoft Learn provides courses and modules to learn Microsoft Azure and its constituent technologies but also far more other services. Explore the Microsoft Learn and take a step to a Microsoft Certification. It can set you on a growth trajectory beyond your expectations and imagination.