My Cloud Computing and Data Engineering path in 2020 — How did I get 8 certifications completely free?
Who did I get 8 certifications in 2020 completely free? My considerations and tips about those achievements.
1 — Why Cloud Computing and Data Engineering?
As you may notice Cloud computing are transforming the business around the word. With less than 5 minutes you can get up and running a super infrastructure for your business — paying a salt amount. Also, data has been a major challenger for companies who want to be more competitive and take the bests decisions ever.
Mixing both, we end up with an amazing challenger that brings value to the business. Combine the flexibility and elasticity provide by cloud we can structure data came from various sources in different formats into a consolidate visions that support decisions makers.
2 — Short about me.
At the time I am writing, I am 24 years old, Brazilian, graduating in Eletronic Engineering with over 3-year experience, working with Back-End Deveolpment, Data Engineering and Cloud Computing. Pylover who loves open source Tecnologies, self-learning and hunger for knowledge. Contact with me in LinkedIn or GitHub.
In 2020, I had the opportunity to working quickly as Google Cloud Data Engineer in a challenger project with Cloud Spanner, creating Streaming and Batch pipelines written in Java e Python with Apache Beam deployed in Dataflow, consuming data from Cloud Pub/Sub. Later, I got the opportunity to work more with Azure, structuring Offshore data to monitoring retail and institutional clients.
3 — My personal route in 2020.
As shows, that was my certification calendar for 2020 — Yes, I prefer take the exams on Monday. Was tough keeping studying, but none of them was planned, the opportunities kept coming for free. Yea! All them were completely for free! (Include the fails exams), the total global price for those exams worth 1679 USD or a Brazilian price with discounts 1300 USD.
3.1 — Google Cloud Platform
For more information about my first data engineering and professional certification on GCP — Google Cloud Professional Data Engineer Certification — My personal road map and thoughts in 2020
My first love, I studied for about 10 moths till a take my first certification. Even been the third place, GCP is the lovely one, simpler, amazing user experience, balance between price and performance, a data stack completely outstanding and global networking ease to deal compere to other clouds.
Both certification I got in the free certification program open last year and early this year for Google, I just finished the courses and the labs, sent an email requesting the voucher and scheduled the exam. Therefore, I see GCP growing in the next years mostly in retail and small companies.
3.2 — Oracle Cloud Infrastructure
Meanwhile, Oracle offer free certifications in the OCI with free recourses. As basic concepts are transferable between clouds, you just need to focus on new recourses, most about the networking, recourses managements, permissions/access, dedicate computing recourses, new databases paradigm and regional issues. Then. I took foundations, Architect and fail in the Operations.
Oracle seems to invest more in cloud in past year but stills offer a poor experience for the developers and will face a super competitive scenario in the next years. In general, I liked the dedicate computing recourses and the whole family of Oracle Databases, seems to be a very solid technologies but still super expensive.
3.3 — Alibaba Cloud
That was a unique experience. I joined the Alibaba Cloud Day EMEA in April, so for those who answered a quiz and watched the event received the invite to take ACA certificate for free. I had to woke up in dawn and stay in a call with Alibaba Staff showing my notebook’s keyboard and screen.
Although, I did not work much and did just some labs and testing on the platform, but I would love to work more with orient’s costumer and use Alibaba as an infrastructure provider.
3.4 — Azure
Finally, as I changed job — previous working with CGP — in 2020, the current company uses a full Microsoft stack. Then, align with the fact that I had the curiosity of learning more about other providers I started to focus on Azure products.
I do not know when started, but Microsoft started release Azure fundamentals Webinars who gave free vouchers for the AZ-900. Then, As I already have took AZ-900 I tried to apply the voucher gave from Microsoft on other exams and guess what?! Worked, I took other 4 exams and passed in 3, Administrator path and Data Engineer path. I see Microsoft more for institutional and governmental institutions, in my perspective the whole platform is more complex and trick, seems like every blade is made to be complex and verbose.
4– What’s next?
I will take 1–2 azure exams, not sure if I go to solutions architect path or devops and security. But my focus on 2021 will be especially AWS cloud — close the occident trinity force.
Moreover, I love open-source technologies, then I will focus even more on cloud native stack and Devops culture especially DataOps and MLOps paradigms.
Finally, I really appreciate learning innovative technologies and paradigms so I will keep hungering for everything that is new in tech.
5 -Big take way for us!
The big take way for us this year are stay hungry for knowledge, stay alert to opportunities, have an open mid for new things and work hard and smart.
Any contributions and comments contact me on Linkedin, GitHub or here.
Thanks 2020 for the amazing lessons and opportunities. In 2021 I will back even more hungry and committed.
Thanks all.
