Which DevOps certifications are worth it?
CKA, AWS, Terraform: which ones employers actually care about.
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Certifications are a touchy subject in tech. Some people collect them like badges. Others say they're worthless and only experience counts. The truth is somewhere in the middle.
A certification won't replace real experience. But the right one can help you learn in a structured way, get past CV filters, and show commitment, especially early in your career or when changing direction. Here's my honest view of the ones that matter for DevOps.
When certifications help
- Early career or career change: when you don't have years of experience to show, a respected cert proves you've put in the work.
- Getting past filters: some companies, recruiters and public sector roles explicitly ask for them.
- Consulting and partners: cloud partners often need certified staff, so certs directly matter to employers.
- Structured learning: a clear syllabus and a deadline are great motivation.
When they matter less
- When you already have strong, demonstrable experience.
- When the cert is multiple-choice and easy to cram without understanding.
- For senior roles, where interviews focus on depth and judgement.
Kubernetes certifications
These are run by the Linux Foundation / CNCF, and are highly respected because they're hands-on: you solve real tasks in a live terminal under time pressure, not multiple-choice questions.
- CKA (Certified Kubernetes Administrator): cluster setup, troubleshooting, networking, storage, upgrades. The most valuable for DevOps and platform roles. The curriculum was updated in 2025 to include more modern topics like Gateway API and Helm.
- CKAD (Certified Kubernetes Application Developer): deploying and configuring applications on Kubernetes. Good for developers and a nice first step.
- CKS (Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist): securing clusters and workloads. Requires an active CKA. Excellent if you want to specialise in security.
- KCNA and KCSA: entry-level, multiple-choice associate exams covering cloud-native and security basics.
Get all five, and you're a Kubestronaut, a CNCF programme with some perks and a lot of bragging rights.
Hands-on exams are the ones I respect most. You can't fake your way through a broken cluster with a timer running.
Cloud certifications
Pick the cloud that's most common in the jobs you want.
AWS: - Cloud Practitioner: basic, aimed more at non-technical roles. Skip it if you're hands-on. - Solutions Architect – Associate: the go-to cloud cert, broad and well-recognised. A good first step. - SysOps Administrator – Associate and Developer – Associate: more focused on operations or development. - DevOps Engineer – Professional: tough, but highly valued for senior roles.
Azure: - AZ-104 (Azure Administrator): the core operations cert. - AZ-400 (DevOps Engineer Expert): CI/CD, infrastructure as code, monitoring on Azure. - Very common in European enterprises and Microsoft-heavy companies.
Google Cloud: - Associate Cloud Engineer: a solid first step. - Professional Cloud DevOps Engineer: SRE-flavoured, focused on reliability and delivery.
Other useful certifications
- HashiCorp Terraform Associate: covers Terraform fundamentals. Fairly easy, widely recognised, and Terraform knowledge applies to OpenTofu too.
- Linux: LFCS (Linux Foundation Certified System Administrator) or RHCSA (Red Hat). Both hands-on. RHCSA is especially valued in Red Hat environments.
- GitHub Actions and GitHub Advanced Security certifications: newer, useful if you work heavily with GitHub.
- Security: CompTIA Security+ as a foundation, CKS for Kubernetes security.
- Prometheus Certified Associate (PCA) and OpenTelemetry Certified Associate (OTCA): smaller, but growing as observability becomes more important.
Worth the money?
Rough return on investment, from my perspective:
| Certification | Value for DevOps roles | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| CKA | Very high | Medium–high (hands-on) |
| AWS Solutions Architect – Associate | Very high | Medium |
| AZ-104 / AZ-400 | High (esp. in enterprises) | Medium / high |
| AWS DevOps Engineer – Professional | High for senior roles | High |
| CKS | High for security focus | High |
| Terraform Associate | Medium | Low–medium |
| RHCSA / LFCS | Medium–high | Medium (hands-on) |
| Cloud Practitioner / KCNA | Low for technical roles | Low |
Exam prices are typically a few hundred euros or dollars each, and many employers pay for them. Linux Foundation exams often go on sale (Black Friday, Cyber Monday), and usually include a free retake.
How I'd combine them
A strong path for someone starting out:
- One cloud associate cert (AWS Solutions Architect – Associate or AZ-104).
- CKA.
- Terraform Associate, if you want a quick win.
- Later: a professional cloud cert, or CKS if security interests you.
And for every certification, build a project that uses what you learned. A cert plus a GitHub repo showing real work is far more convincing than either one alone.
So, are they worth it?
The hands-on ones and the major cloud associate certs, yes, especially early in your career. Beyond that, depth of experience matters more than the number of badges.
My take: certifications open doors. Experience keeps you in the room. Get a couple of the right ones, then let your work do the talking.
— Desly