Recommended Certifications for Intelligent Applications
Certifications are a great way to demonstrate your expertise in a particular technology or domain. They are also a great way to learn new skills and stay up-to-date with the latest trends in the industry. In this guide, we will recommend some certifications that are relevant to building intelligent applications. This includes focus on cloud-native and AI certifications from major cloud providers like Microsoft, AWS, and Google Cloud, as well as certifications related to Kubernetes.
IAF's Recommended Certifications
In each tab below, we have listed some of the most relevant certifications for building intelligent applications. We have categorized them based on the provider, focus area, level, and priority. The priority is based on the relevance of the certification to building intelligent applications. Certifications with a higher priority are more relevant and should be pursued first. Certifications marked with optional are not mandatory but can be pursued if you are interested in the topic.
Level indicates the difficulty level of the certification, with beginner being the easiest, and advanced being the hardest. Current professionals may want to start with intermediate or advanced certifications, while beginners may want to start with beginner certifications.
| Certification | Provider | Focus | Level | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals | Microsoft | Cloud Native | Beginner | Optional |
| Microsoft Certified: AI Fundamentals | Microsoft | AI | Beginner | Optional |
| Microsoft Certified: Azure Developer Associate | Microsoft | Cloud Native | Intermediate | Priority 1 |
| Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Engineer Associate | Microsoft | AI | Intermediate | Priority 1 |
| Microsoft Certified: Azure DevOps Engineer Expert | Microsoft | Cloud Native | Advanced | Priority 2 |
| Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert | Microsoft | Cloud Native | Advanced | Priority 2 |
| Microsoft Certified: Azure Developer Associate | Microsoft | Cloud Native | Intermediate | Priority 2 |
| Microsoft Certified: Azure Security Engineer Associate | Microsoft | Security | Intermediate | Priority 3 |
| Microsoft Certified: Security Architect Expert | Microsoft | Security | Advanced | Priority 3 |
| Certification | Provider | Focus | Level | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner | AWS | Cloud Native | Beginner | Optional |
| AWS Certified Developer - Associate | AWS | Cloud Native | Intermediate | Priority 1 |
| AWS Certified Machine Learning - Specialty | AWS | AI | Intermediate | Priority 1 |
| AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate | AWS | Cloud Native | Intermediate | Priority 1 |
| AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional | AWS | Cloud Native | Advanced | Priority 2 |
| AWS Certified DevOps Engineer - Professional | AWS | DevOps | Advanced | Priority 2 |
| AWS Certified Security - Specialty | AWS | Security | Intermediate | Priority 3 |
| Certification | Provider | Focus | Level | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Cloud Associate Cloud Engineer | Google Cloud | Cloud Native | Intermediate | Priority 1 |
| Google Cloud Certified Professional Developer | Google Cloud | Development | Intermediate | Priority 1 |
| Google Cloud Professional Machine Learning Engineer | Google Cloud | AI | Intermediate | Priority 1 |
| Google Cloud Professional Cloud Architect | Google Cloud | Cloud Native | Advanced | Priority 2 |
| Google Cloud Professional DevOps Engineer | Google Cloud | DevOps | Advanced | Priority 2 |
| Google Cloud Professional Security Engineer | Google Cloud | Security | Advanced | Priority 3 |
| Certification | Provider | Focus | Level | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD) | CNCF | Kubernetes | Intermediate | Priority 2 |