Climbing the Cloud: From One to Fourteen Certifications

Author

Natalie Brooks

Strategy & GTM Leader, IBM Center for Cloud Training

Why do you certify?

This is one of my favorite questions when I meet learners.

The answers vary.

It’s personal – for the challenge, for your career.

It’s professional – for your client, for your company, for your next project.

It’s planned – for the first one.

Once again, I am reminded that it can be all the above.

Meet Matheus Viana, Cloud Integration leader

Our IBM Training team recently sat down with Matheus Viana, IBM Business Partner in São Paulo, Brazil to celebrate his achievement of earning all 14 IBM Cloud role-based and specialty certifications. During our conversation, he shared some advice for other learners considering cloud certification.

I hope this story helps you define your reasons to certify and inspires you to earn one or more IBM Cloud certifications.

A day in the life

Matheus is a cloud integration leader with CXP Brasil Consulting. On a typical day, he works with clients to develop and deploy architectures with IBM Cloud. In addition to 11 years of infrastructure experience and five years of leading cloud integration projects, Matheus brings an enthusiasm for learning and applying new skills to his projects.

And in the course of only a year, Matheus earned all 14 IBM Cloud certifications. It started simply with earning one.

Why did he certify?

“Certification was a differentiator for me, my company, my clients, and my next project,” Matheus explains.

It was personal. Matheus, an avid learner, looks for opportunities to keep improving and building new skills. Earning a certification achieves that goal.
It was professional. His consulting group and clients value the latest cloud skills. Matheus understands that certifications benefit his clients and company today and tomorrow.
It was planned — partially. In the beginning, back in December 2022, Matheus had one learning goal: to earn his IBM Cloud Technical Advocate certification. But after earning this first one, Matheus modified his plan, and set out to earn all 14 IBM Cloud certifications.

With the completion of each certification, Matheus found he had gained more confidence in his approach to clients. He discovered new Cloud features and deepened his knowledge in areas that he did not work with daily. So, Matheus expanded his learning journey, earning all 14 IBM Cloud certifications by December 2023.

Preparing for certification and beyond

Like so many successful Cloud learners, Matheus noted that IBM’s flashcards and quizzes – part of the IBM Cloud Prep app – are extremely helpful resources. This study and prep content are very similar to the content of the test. He felt prepared for every cloud certification exam.

When we asked what advice he would share with other learners, he offered this perspective:

“Challenge yourself,” Matheus says.

Be willing to step outside of your comfort zone. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable.
Look for new opportunities.
Be open and ready to pursue a new path.

Looking ahead

Though now fully certified, Matheus has not stopped learning. Next, he plans to develop his communication skills, which he believes are just as important as technical skills.

Sharpening these skills will help him to better explain the new design for a client’s cloud integration project. As LinkedIn’s 2024 Most In-Demand Skills list reveals, communication is at the top of the “soft skills” list.

Follow his example

As we learned from Matheus, one certification opens the door to many opportunities – new skills, new clients, and new projects. Sometimes, one certification leads you to the path of earning more certifications.

So, as you evaluate your next steps, consider both technical and essential soft skills.

And remember that not every step has to be planned today.

Because you never know where your learning path may lead.

I invite you to start (or expand) your journey!