Why Certifications Matter in Magento 2 Development
How to find out that Magento developers you hire are true professionals? We asked 3 of our Magento developers why certifications are so important in their field.
There are plenty of companies offering Magento development services on the market, and often it is quite the challenge to choose the right one. It is clear how to compare tangible factors such as cost, estimate time-to-market, determine quality of already made projects described in case studies, but there is still the question of how to measure the team’s professionalism and experience?
In case studies, you may find details on already projects implemented by the company: whether the design is nice and appealing, whether the functionality on the front end works smoothly, whether they did something you are looking to implement into your very own project, etc. And, this may be a good indicator, too.
But there is no way to reveal how a website works under the hood and whether the code is clear and easy to maintain. The backend part is usually hidden from a visitor and the only way to get an idea of the quality of the code is to request a sample that may also always be a telling example and require a tech-savvy specialist on your side.
Fortunately, Magento provides the opportunity of developers’ certifications. These are the proof of professionalism, confirmation of profound knowledge and hands-on experience, which can be checked any time on the official Magento certification website. The data is free to access by anyone on the Internet.
Magento Certifications
Certifications are very convenient for merchants since it gives them the name of a company or names of developers. They can easily fill out the fields on the Magento U website and find out the level of expertise of the programmers and other specialists. Each certification consists of a particular list of subjects that are required to pass an exam. The list can be found on the page with descriptions of certifications.
The examinations are taken either online or in various testing centers all over the world. Both options are highly proctored. Those who take the exam online must set up several cameras and microphones so as to make visible every corner of the room and themselves as well. The rules for onsite examinations hardly differ. When a test taker enters the place where they will be testing, they are obligated to leave all their belongings before the test. During the examination, there are cameras everywhere and a proctor behind a test taker. There are no two identical exams because questions change from test to test.
When a programmer passes a certification a specific label shows up next to their photo on their profile on the Magento U website. In this way, you can make sure that a particular developer you are interest in working with on your project has the experience and knowledge necessary to create a high-quality website for you. Those programmers who don’t have certifications may be skilled as well, but you can’t verify it since they don’t have proof.
Currently, Magento provides the following certifications:
- Magento 2 Certified Solution Specialist
- Magento 2 Certified Professional Front End Developer
- Magento 2 Certified Associate Developer Exam
- Magento 2 Certified Professional Developer
- Magento 2 Certified Professional Developer Plus
- Magento 2 Certified Professional JavaScript Developer
- Magento Certified Professional Cloud Developer
Let’s have a look at each of them and find out about the areas of knowledge hidden behind the titles.
Magento 2 Certified Solution Specialist
This exam is for those professionals who know the platform perfectly from a user’s perspective. These experts have a deep understanding of business objectives and know how to align them with the opportunities of Magento. They know how to use the native features of the platform and avoid unnecessary customization. Also, they have an idea about the technical side of the work and serve as mediators between business team members and developers.
Solution specialists necessarily know about areas such as eCommerce, Magento Architecture, Magento Admin & Storefront, Business & Applications, and Catalog.
Magento 2 Certified Professional Front End Developer
The exam is designed for front end developers who have worked with Magento 2 for 1.5 years or more. These experienced professionals have a wide knowledge of Magento 2 theming components. They are expected to know how to create and customize all the elements of a user interface such as templates, layouts, translations, etc. Also, they know both CSS and JavaScript.
Magento 2 Certified Associate Developer Exam
This test validates the skills and knowledge of beginners who’ve recently started their careers with Magento. Such programmers are obligated to understand the following areas: database and functionality changes, catalog, UI and admin modifications, customizations, the structure of checkout.
Magento 2 Certified Professional Developer
This is for specialists with a deep understanding of the areas we’ve mentioned above. They have to know all the items from the Associate Developer exam, but they are also expected to have experience in checkout process customizations, order management integrations, order management customizations, etc.
The exam is designed for those who have been working with Magento 2 for more than 1.5 years.
Magento 2 Certified Professional Developer Plus
This exam is for highly skilled professionals with at least 2 years of experience in customizing various parts of Magento Commerce as well as leading teams and managing projects. These specialists must have experience in making key technical decisions and communicating with clients to establish the requirements of a project.
The certification confirms the knowledge of core architecture, UI modifications, catalogue, checkout, Magento Commerce functionality and security. In order to pass the exam, a test taker has to show the ability to make essential decisions and anticipate their results. This certification shows whether they have they core skills such as price calculation for a product, quote operations, etc.
Magento 2 Certified Professional JavaScript Developer
The exam is designed for professionals who have at least 1 year of experience in developing and customizing JavaScript modules for Magento 2. It confirms strong knowledge of Magento JavaScript framework and its core. Such a specialist deeply understands components of the core, can use them in a correct way, and knows how to customize existing elements as well as develop new ones.
There are not only questions about the in-browser JavaScript framework, but also ones concerning server-side configuration for layout, customer data sections, and admin HTML UI components. The latter is widely asked while taking the exam. A test taker has to prove that they understand the purpose, structure, and lifecycle of UI components.
Magento Certified Professional Cloud Developer
This exam is appropriate for developers and architects who have worked with Magento Commerce Cloud at least for half a year and have already experienced a couple of Magento Commerce Cloud implementations.
These specialists have to know how to deploy, test, and operate in the Magento Cloud environment. Also, they have to show good skills in integrations and troubleshooting as well as a deep understanding of Cloud platform features usage.
Magento 2 Certifications of Our Team
At Magecom we realize the importance of certifications and probably therefore 42 exams have been successfully passed by our team members. We are proud of:
- 21 Magento 2 Certified Developers
- 15 Magento 1 Certified Developers
- 3 Security Certifications ISO 27001
- 2 Zend Certifications
We’ve interviewed some of our certified developers and asked them about their certification experience. The most interesting responses we’ve included in this article.
Olha Burtyka
“Certifications help to confirm your knowledge, learn something new, and make the whole thing. I wish I passed them earlier because I learnt a lot while preparing and got a bigger picture of the system and its capabilities that go far beyond the usual tasks.”
Olha Burtyka, full-stack developer at Magecom
Olha has gotten through two certifications: M2 Front End Developer and M2 Professional Developer. Now she’s going to take the third exam and become a Magento 2 Certified Professional JavaScript Developer. As she said, when she passes it, she’ll get the Magento 2 Full Stack Developer certification badge. The label affirms that its owner has a strong command of both the front end and back end parts of the platform.
Oleh Volkov
“My life after certifications hasn’t changed at all. However, now meeting new people and learning they are certified by Magento, I know an expert stands in front of me. It’s like a visiting card.”
Oleh Volkov, backend developer at Magecom
Oleh has already collected three certificates: M2 JavaScript Developer, M2 Front End Developer, and M2 Professional Developer. He plans to earn the Magento 2 Professional Developer Plus certificate in the near future. Oleh says that this is kind of a challenge for him because the latter test demands the knowledge of things he rarely uses in his everyday work.
Oleksandr Kozyr
“There are two aspects of certification that really matter. First, it helps to structure existing knowledge and frequently learn something new. Second, it makes you much-in-demand on the labor market. This is because certification is a formal confirmation of particular knowledge.”
Oleksandr Kozyr, lead back end developer at Magecom
These are the certifications Oleksandr has passed: Magento 2 Certified Professional Developer, Zend Certified PHP Engineer, Security Certification ISO 27001. He is also planning to take the exam for the Magento 2 Certified Solution Specialist and get through one of the available Database Management System certifications.
Other Certifications
As we mentioned above, there are some certifications apart from Magento 2 that our team members obtain. All of them prove specific areas of knowledge which are significant for the IT domain. Since working with Magento requires knowledge of different programming languages, frameworks, and technologies, the following certifications become necessary as well.
Zend Certified PHP Engineer
This exam validates how deeply a person knows PHP, a programming language which was originally created for web development. The test consists of questions about functions, web features, databases, SQL, etc. Since it covers almost all necessary topics, it is recognized as an industry standard and its owner is considered as an expert.
Security Certification ISO 27001
ISO 27001 is a worldwide standard that includes all necessary elements to provide top-notch security. The certification confirms that a specialist knows all the tools to protect data and is able to use them properly.
Database Certifications
Magento 2 has a terrific database with numerous coupled objects and modules. To leverage it, the professional has to have a specific knowledge that could be validated by the certifications. There are a number of database certifications a developer can choose among, but one of the most respected is Oracle Certified Professional. This credential confirms that the specialist can work with MySQL Server, apply security, manage database backups, etc.
Final thoughts
Although a good professional may not have any credentials, certifications confirm their skills and knowledge. If working with professionals is a part of your plan, just check the certifications the company and its employees have obtained.
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