Certly Q4 certification trend report: interest in cloud native, data and expert-level increases

Every quarter, we review the trends in technical certifications based on our data and insights. We identify and analyze trends and look at what the technical sector is focusing on in the field of professional development. In this article we look at the developments around the fourth quarter of 2022.

Cloud Native certifications

A trend that has slowly but surely built up in recent years is the growth of cloud native certifications. We expect that this trend will continue strongly in the fourth quarter of this year. Cloud native stands for the way applications are created. The ‘how’ of development is central. Where applications were previously designed for use from an internal server, cloud-native applications are specifically designed for use from the cloud.

More companies want to focus on the flexibility and power of cloud native applications, which increases the demand for knowledge and skills in this regard

Techniques and applications around this area include Kubernetes, Docker and Terraform. For Q4 we see that the trend around cloud native continues and with it the popularity of related certifications is also increasing. Relevant certifications include Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA), Terraform Associate or Docker Certified Associate.

Data focused certifications

Data refers to data about your business processes, products and customers, which are available in digital form. Using ICT solutions, large amounts of data can be stored in a standardized and structured manner. While the use of data in, for example, business analytics is not new, the tools around it are in constant development. For the fourth quarter, we see a strong increase in certifications that address data engineering and analytics.

The knowledge and skills surrounding making data-driven decisions are increasingly being built up through certifications, as we see in the trends

It is common to use various cloud tools to manage and analyze large amounts of data. This is why the certifications of the major cloud providers are especially popular. Among others, Microsoft Azure Data Fundamentals, Google Professional Data Engineer and Databricks Certified Professional Data Engineer are certifications that are in high demand.

Pro-level certifications

In addition to certifications that focus on special products and techniques, we also see a trend around levels. We find that several certification programs have reached a mature status and that professionals from the field are investing more and more time and effort to go through the different programs.

The higher level certifications carry more and more class and value within the professional field

The value of a technical certification is increasingly recognized and recognized by both employer and employee. For the fourth quarter of this year, we therefore notice the trend that more professionals aspire to expert-level certification.

Certifications that fall within these criteria include Red Hat Certified Architect, Project Management Professional, and AWS Solutions Architect Professional.

Interested in ways in which you can build up technical knowledge and skills within your organization? Contact us to discuss opportunities and possibilities.