Are you a developer looking to boost your resume and your bottom line? Getting a Microsoft certification can help you do just that. Here are some of the best Microsoft certifications for developers.
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The Top Microsoft Certifications For Developers
Whether you are an aspiring developer or an experienced one, there are several reasons to get a Microsoft certification. First, Microsoft sits near the top of the tech industry since so many people use its products. In other words, it looks to stay relevant well into the future. Second, a Microsoft certification is a great way to enhance your resume, which can help if you are looking to break into the development field or want to move on to bigger and better things with another company. Third, a Microsoft certification can increase your earning power. Fourth, it can give you job security and keep you ahead of the competition looking to get hired by your employer and possibly take your job. And, lastly, the path to getting a Microsoft certification can teach you essential skills along the way by either strengthening your current skill set and knowledge or teaching you some entirely new things.
What are some Microsoft certifications for developers that are worth looking into? Here is a list of some of the best of the bunch that are highly sought after by employers.
Microsoft Certified: Azure Developer Associate
The Azure Developer Associate certification is worth going after if you already have one of the following certifications or are working towards them: MCSD: App Builder, MCSA: Web Applications, or MCSA: Universal Windows Platform. You should also consider getting the Azure Developer Associate certification if your current position has you working with all cloud development phases, such as development, requirements definition and design, monitoring, deployment, performance tuning, and maintenance.
Developers can begin training for the Azure Developer Associate certification via the Exam AZ-204: Developing Solutions for Microsoft Azure study guide. It will tell you what to expect on the exam and give you a summary of topics that the test may cover. The study guide also features additional resources, such as practice tests, that can help you fine-tune your knowledge before taking the exam. Microsoft Learn also offers self-paced training to help you prep for Exam AZ-204 with several modules on Azure development. There is also an option for instructor-led training through Course AZ-204T00: Developing Solutions for Microsoft Azure. This intermediate-level course takes five days to complete and teaches you how to develop end-to-end solutions in Azure. Lastly, the Microsoft Learn Exam Readiness Zone is filled with tons of tips and tricks from experts to help you prepare for the Azure Developer Associate exam.
Once ready, you can take and pass Exam AZ-204 (it costs $165) to earn your certification. It will measure several skills to ensure you are proficient in the material, such as developing for Azure storage, developing Azure compute solutions, connecting to and consuming Azure and third-party services, monitoring, troubleshooting, and optimizing Azure solutions, and implementing Azure security.
Once you get this certification, you can get hired as an Azure developer who designs, builds, tests, and maintains cloud apps and services.
Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365: Finance and Operations Apps Developer Associate
Are you a developer who specializes in finance and operations apps? Or can you answer yes to these questions?:
- Do you have the MB6-894 Financial Management in Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations certification?
- Do you configure options, security, and processes for Finance and Operations apps?
- Do you develop and test code?
- Do you apply dev tools to integrate and manage data solutions, implement reporting, and perform data migration?
Then the Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365: Finance and Operations Apps Developer Associate certification might be right up your alley.
Training for the Finance and Operations Apps Developer Associate certification involves the following. You can choose your desired path:
- Look at the skills outline guides for both the MB-300 and MB-500 exams that you will need to pass to earn certification
- Go through Microsoft Learn’s self-paced training
- Take two instructor-led courses: Course MB-300T00: Microsoft Dynamics 365: Core Finance and Operations and Course MB-500T00: Microsoft Dynamics 365: Finance and Operations Apps Developer
With training finished, you can first take the MB-300 exam, which costs $165 and measures skills like managing finance and operations data, configuring administrative features and workflows, and describing finance and operations apps and extending apps via Microsoft Power Platform technologies.
After the MB-300, you will need to pass the $165 MB-500 exam to get your certification. It will measure skills like implementing reporting, implementing security and optimizing performance, developing and testing code, applying developer tools, planning architecture and solution design, and integrating and managing data solutions.
With both exams passed, you can now become a developer who works with finance and operations apps in Microsoft Dynamics 365 to implement and extend apps to meet the business’ requirements.
Microsoft 365 Certified: Teams Application Developer Associate
The Microsoft 365 Certified: Teams Application Developer Associate certification is a good fit if you are a developer or responsible for apps that help your organization collaborate or boost productivity. If you design, build, test, or maintain solutions that serve such a purpose or already work as a developer, give this certification a strong look, as it could significantly help your career.
You will need to pass the $165 Exam MS-600 to get this certification so you can become a Team Application Developer Associate. It will measure such skills as implementing Microsoft identity, extending Microsoft Teams, building apps with Microsoft Graph, extending and customizing Microsoft 365 with SharePoint Framework, designing collaborative app solutions and existing app integration, and more.
How can you obtain and sharpen such skills? By going online and soaking up free Microsoft Learn modules, attending Microsoft Virtual Training days, or by going through five-day, instructor-led training in Course MS-600T00: Building Applications and Solutions with Microsoft 365 Core Services. All of these training options should serve as sufficient prep for the Exam MS-600. Pass it, and you can start designing, building, testing, and maintaining the latest enterprise-grade apps and solutions with Microsoft Teams that focus on helping organizations collaborate and become more productive.
Microsoft Certified: Power Platform Developer Associate
The Microsoft Certified: Power Platform Developer Associate certification is intended for developers, those who have a fundamental understanding of DevOps practices for Microsoft Power Platform, or those who have a solid applied knowledge of Microsoft Power Platform services, like capabilities, boundaries, and complaints.
The path to this certification involves passing the $165 Exam PL-400, which measures skills like configuring Dataverse, developing integrations, extending the user experience and platform, creating and configuring Power apps, creating a technical design, and more. You can prep for the exam with free online resources from Microsoft Learn or instructor-led training over five days via Course PL-400T00-A: Microsoft Power Platform Developer.
Pass the Exam PL-400, and you can officially become a Power Platform Developer Associate who develops, secures, and troubleshoots Power Platform solutions. Do not stop there, though, as you can continue to level up your skills and career by going for the Microsoft Certified: Power Platform Solution Architect Expert certification next.
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