CKA vs CKAD: Which Certification is Best for My Career?

Certifications Kubernetes and Cloud Native Associate (KCNA)
#1

Hi everyone,

I’m a data engineer with 10 years of experience, and over the past year, I’ve been deploying data-related apps (like Airflow) on AKS using Helm charts. I’m considering taking a Kubernetes certification and am deciding between CKA (Certified Kubernetes Administrator) and CKAD (Certified Kubernetes Application Developer).

From what I understand:

  • CKA focuses on Kubernetes cluster management (scaling, networking, etc.).
  • CKAD focuses on developing and deploying apps within Kubernetes.

Given my experience deploying data-related applications on AKS, that abstracts the Cluster Management, CKAD seems like the better fit.
However, after 10 years in the industry, I’m wondering if a certification still holds significant value for career advancement or if hands-on experience is enough. Put it short, Does it help you land an interview? :slight_smile:

Now that the Black Friday sale is ongoing, it would be the right time to get the Certification pass cheaply!

I’d appreciate any feedback from those who’ve taken either certification or have insights on their relevance for experienced professionals.

Thanks!

#2

I’m not sure how the data science community values certifications, TBH, and you sound like an experienced data-ops/ML ops guy. You may want to ask in a place like Reddit; here’s a sample thread where people preferred CKAD as well. Is it worth it for you? Hard to say.

#3

One thing to also consider: data related certifications in AWS, Azure or GCP on ML, which I see mentioned after a quick web search.