Docker Certified Associate

Earlier this week I passed my Docker exam, and so I can call myself now Docker Certified Associate. For the official certificate, check here. Achieving this certification is the first step in the path to Docker Accredited Consultant. Next step is attending the DAC (Docker Accredited Consultant) workshop which I attended in the second week of July.  This certification is also a part of the shift I want to make to more cloud native and also moving away from the infrastructure layer higher up in the stack.

Preparing for the exam

Like most of the IT-based exams, only following a training doesn't help you pass the exam. Training is of course good as base but the real added value you get from hands on experience. This also applies to the Docker exam. There are of course different ways to prepare for the exam. For me the path started already in 2016 when I followed two Docker trainingen. The certification path didn't exist at that time. Last year Docker announced the certification and also offered new classroom based training oppurtunities. I chose not follow another classroom training but follow a training on Udemy by Brett Fisher, Docker Mastery the complete toolset of Docker Captain and on Pluralsight some of the trainingmodules provided by Nigel Poulton. I also bought the book Docker Deep Dive from Nigel Poulton. Next to the study material I installed the trial version of Docker Enterprise Edition several times on different Linux based operating systems and platforms to get experience with the products. I also made use of the exercises and possibilities of 'Play with Docker. The last piece I used was the the Docker Certified Associate study guide. This guide provides you with all the information about the topics that are covered in the exam.

Next steps

So I'm now certified but I really see this as the starting point of my journey into cloud native, containerization, etc.  I want to expand my knowledge with products that are part of the ecosystem around Docker. I think, I will focus first at Kubernetes, Ansible and Jenkins but also on a product like Twistlock. I believe that the strength of containerization lies in the sum of the products.

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