I got an entry level Kubernetes Cert
I got the KCNA cert and here are some tips to prepare for it yourself.
TLDR: I passed my KCNA and got it as reassurance I can pass the CKAD or CKA
You might be thinking what is an entry cert for Kubenetes (k8s)? Well it's the Kubenetes and Cloud Native Associate (KCNA) certification. Well actually let me back up and explain how I got here. October of last year I was looking to make a move to devops and I was like "Let me buy this Kubernetes cert. I think this what I need next." You have a year from purchase to set a date for the test. I never took the test I just wasn't confident in my skills. I also had a lot of family stuff going on and...well yea...that cert was irrelevant to me.
Anyway I recently attended KubeCon and I was feeling myself a bit when it comes to my understanding of the basics. They gave us a coupon code for attending but when it came time to make get the K8s Developer cert I choked. I don't really understand what's needed to pass other than a lot of lab time so I decided to pick something to boost my confidence. I think this was the smartest thing my fear has made me do (I have stories of me trying to face my fear of height. All kinda dumb lol).
What's needed for the Cert?
Honestly I bought the bundle for the class and cert from Linux Foundation, but here is where things are a bit different for me...I've used Kubernetes. I've read code for other people's setups, I've done a few demos for my own knowledge, and I'm still very much into cloud. This cert covers the basics of K8s and it's use in the cloud.
All that being said I think you should do the following:
- Get the class and cert bundle
- Try a k8s demo of your own. I found this one by digital ocean to be nice.
- Read some people's k8s code (just search on github)
- Checkout some cheat sheets for k8s cli
- Maybe watch this video (I didn't finish it)
Overview of Cert details
Here is a short list of things to know about the cert:
- 90mins
- 60 questions
- all multiple choice
- online proctor by PSI
This test being multiple choice is 99% of the reason I picked it first. Gives a nice confidence boost that you can move on to the cli and still kill it.
How'd I feel?
I'm a pessimist unfortunately so I thought I failed. I was confident that I knew the info, but in the middle of the test I kept hearing that youtube video repeat "you can miss 15 questions". I didn't have 15 questions I was unsure about (I had about 7). I'm not sure about others but I get super nervous when I'm calm/confident about things people "struggle" with. But overall I was leaning on the side of "I got this" because I google'd questions that stumped me after the test and I realized the way I was thinking was completely right.
How long did I study?
Ah I forgot this because I usually don't like answering this question. I studied for a week. Don't let my time determine your time. Take as long as you need to feel confident. Like I previously said I was a bit prepared before hand.
Worth It?
I'd say so. It's not going to get you pushed up on the list of container exerts, BUT it will give you the boost to know that your on the right track.