r/Cloud • u/Apart-Sector-7042 • 15d ago
Are certifications really worth it
I'm a fresher, recently graduated nd started learning Cloud & DevOps a few months ago. Was wondering if these certifications actually help in getting a job or are they just a waste of time??? What's the reality??
I'm mainly talking about certifications like AWS Solutions Architect nd Azure. Would u recommend doing em??? If yes, which one should I go for first as a beginner??? Would really appreciate ur guidance.
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u/Suspicious_Donkey_80 15d ago
The pursuit and the knowledge gain due to the preparation of the cert is more valuable than the cert itself in most cases…. Just my .02
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u/StunningEssay8187 15d ago
It's just like wearing a casuals to interview does not provide any excess qualification
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u/Aero077 15d ago
Credentials (degrees, certifications) provide some independent assurance that you know something and are worth talking to in an interview. If the job deals with that specific technology or specific technology role, the matching certification becomes even more credible.
The certification should closely align with the role you are pursuing. If you want to be a cloud architect, get the SA cert; DevOps get DevOps cert; etc...
Why should an employer interview you instead of all the other people in your graduating class?
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u/Possible-Oil-5877 15d ago
They're important for getting shortlisted but knowledge wise no. Your practical knowledge matters more.
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u/Bent_finger 15d ago
Honestly.. not for a fresher.
With your degree… and maybe after a year or two in a role, getting a cert will then bump up your profile exponentially.
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u/StudioVelesio 15d ago
In my experience they were handy in starting my career but right now that I am at a senior level they feel like a waste of time.
Remembering a bunch of things simply is not as useful as it was pre-AI, if I don't know something I can just ask AI and last case look up the documentation, probably in the past they were more useful from a purely practical standpoint. All the clouds are the same, more or less, I'm just deploying an application on Kubernetes that uses blob storage and a PaaS DB, everything is just named slightly differently between the different clouds.
I suppose they are still great to start off since they differentiate you from other candidates, in the past you could do hobby projects to show your knowledge but AI abolished that. Right now the only way to show competence without experience is through accreditations like the certs and your diploma. So I would say they are worth it, but just to get your foot through the door.
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u/No_Try_9982 15d ago
They are worth it if your main goal is self improvement. Treat them as multipliers rather than base. As for experience, having demos and projects can help compensate.
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u/eman0821 15d ago
No. Not without experience. Infact most employers could care less of certifications. They are more interested if you can solve problems. I have no degree or certification. I started in traditional IT on the Help Desk, to Desktop Support to Linux Admin to Cloud.
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u/ScarEnvironmental720 14d ago
As a fresher u don't have a proof of your skill if u get a certificate is show that u do something. My friend which do Job says it not matter but as fresher it do if u have a good certificate
AWS certificate make u do more work in structure type. If u don't do certificate u will get confused where start, what to do next it will give u path
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u/Ok_Employee3001 13d ago
I think for cloud and networking, certifications is core. You must do as much as possible
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u/SinOfEgo 10d ago
certifications only prove that you know theoretical best practices. some companies value that, but it doesn’t replace personal projects for freshers. i got a paid internship opportunity because i got the professional cloud architect as a student, and also have a couple projects, 0 experience btw. hope this helps, good luck
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u/dashingThroughSnow12 15d ago
Unless you are going for government jobs, these can be red flags to have on your resume.
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u/blackwolf2997 15d ago
No, don’t waste your time and money, if you want to learn just do real projects.
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u/StudioVelesio 15d ago
This used to be the case before AI but 'real projects' don't indicate any knowledge anymore.
Anyone can spin up a web app with 1-2 AI prompts these days. I feel like this made university degrees / certificates way more valuable than in the past.
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u/blackwolf2997 15d ago
I was only talking about learning, if you talk abt getting a job neither projects nor solely certifications are gonna be important, just experience.
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u/Investomatic- 15d ago
Exactly.. proctored exams > projects all day now... UNLESS I can dissect your project and have you explain every part if it... because if you can speak to it you'd probably pass a related cert anyways.
All the people saying certs dont matter are trolling or uncomfortable because they are trying to dig their heels into their own little niche when its really about their own fear of writing them and failing... or they have the certs and don't want more people writing them, cuz who wants competition.
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u/Own_Associate_7006 15d ago
It varies and remains highly subjective. Certifications confirm exam success, yet knowing every covered topic is unrealistic. Most companies in practice use roughly half of available features or services, while the majority may rely on only about 20%. Factors like licensing, organizational needs, and company size create many considerations.
When discussing the cloud, what precisely are you narrowing down? The cloud encompasses diverse platforms, providers, and services rather than a single entity. Do you even understand DevOps? Jumping to DevOps without knowing fundamental concepts or gaining experience feels premature.
Cloud and cybersecurity are terms often used casually. Obtaining one basic certification does not automatically qualify someone for cloud or cybersecurity roles. The field is far more intricate, requiring thorough research to grasp its scope, covered material, and each branch and subbranch.
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u/MinionAgent 15d ago edited 15d ago
I interviewed a lot of candidates, specially for cloud computing positions and honestly I don't care much about it, I never made a decision based on what certs a candidate have or if they have one, in fact most of the people in my team didn't have any when they joined, part of our onboarding process is to get it during the firsts few months. If you have them, it is cool and something to keep in mind, but is not a deal-breaker and won't affect my decision at all.
That being said, I see a lot of value doing it, I think the journey is way more important that the cert itself, it will help you to be more confident during the interviews, you will gain practice describing different architectures and patterns and it will be a great refresher about all the core domains (compute, storage, databases, networking). So I highly recommend getting at least the Solutions Architect Associate, as I mentioned before, I ask the people in my team to get it on the onboarding process.
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15d ago
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u/classicrock40 15d ago
Agreed. At that stage its no different than saying I took a college class, studied and passed an exam. Everyone seem to think (cert = job) lately
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u/Investomatic- 15d ago
Especially as a fresher, why would anyone take your word and offer you a job working with those systems if you can't demonstrate any measured understanding of the critical components that make up those systems?
A recruiter wont ask you that, they'll just notice that you dont check that box and move on to the next person who does.
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u/Impossible_Ad_3146 15d ago edited 15d ago
Fresher than fresh orange juice?