Following on from the last few posts on Microsoft certifications, there are now several practical, hands-on alternative learning options in the new Applied Skills series.
Traditional Microsoft certification landscape
Microsoft certifications as a general rule have the following attributes:
- Required for Microsoft partners
- Assume weeks of study across wide range of topics
- Require proctored exams
- Require renewals
- Exams are typically multiple choice or equivalent
The above points put together highlight a common perceived shortcoming - the certification assessment is very broad but generally lacks hands-on testing.
Initial complement - MS Ninja
The first series of Microsoft learning pathways that attempted to address the overly broad certification requirements were the various Microsoft Ninja series.
The aim was to step away from a two hour test of dozens of topics, and instead focus on a deep dive into one specific topic.
These are still available, however, the lack of hands-on testing is still a factor.
The Applied Skills difference
In contrast to the traditional certification pathways, the Applied Skills learning paths are:
- Targeted to be achievable in one day/weekend of solid study by an experienced professional
- Focused on a singular topic and related tasks
- Fully online, unsupervised lab assessment
- Not required for other certifications or partner needs
- No renewals needed
Overview
At the time of writing, the Applied Skills included 14 paths (13 only a few weeks earlier).
The range of topics is broad and the coverage seems well thought out.
Approximate categories are as follows:
- 3 Azure AI
- 2 Power Platform
- 2 Security
- 5 Azure cloud admin
- 2 Developer / DevOps
Note: these are very rough approximate categorisations - for example, most of the Azure admin tasks involve security work.
The takeaway is that there is something for everyone, and perhaps multiple paths can be of relevance.
Analysis and Summary
For my initial foray, I chose the developer task - "Develop an ASP.NET Core web app that consumes an API".
I have a background in development so I expected this to be challenging but doable, and I felt that I could use more of a challenge.
I have been working with topics like Defender for Cloud and Azure networking extensively so I felt that taking those paths would not give me the feeling of having learned from the material.
I covered the material in the timeframe expected, and promptly started the assessment.
The assessment is surprisingly well designed - unlike certifications, there is very little context switching required, all the information required is typically on one page.
The requirements have left little room for ambiguity as to what is needed - another good sign.
The requirements and the automatic assessment process have generally worked well, and the experience of having a specific list of requirements and the code base to work with is surprisingly realistic.
While the "Applied Skills" will likely not replace certifications any time soon, I don't thing they are meant to do so.
Rather, they are an excellent set of practical assessments that are a great way to test your skills in a set of manageable hands-on challenges.