If you had asked me a year ago what I thought about certification exams, I would have advised against them for everyone, including myself. However, things have changed. For a fresher in the industry, negotiating a higher salary has become extremely challenging, and I believe these certifications can help.
I’m currently employed as a DevOps Trainee at AccuKnox and, if all goes well, will be joining them full-time in less than 4 months. Having these certifications may help me negotiate a higher salary or apply to a different company if needed. AccuKnox also has a corporate training budget, so I may be able to get some exam costs reimbursed.
Pros
- May help with breaking into the industry or finding a better job.
- Can assist beginners in assessing their Kubernetes knowledge.
Cons
- High exam cost (USD 1,095 for the CKA+CKAD+CKS bundle at the time of writing).
- Certifications are valid for only 2 (CKS) to 3 (CKA & CKAD) years, after which they need to be renewed by paying the same cost & reappearing for the exams again.