How to Become a Certified Apache Kafka Expert ft. Niamh O’Byrne and Barry Ballard

It’s one thing to know how to use Apache Kafka® and another to prove it to the world that you know. Niamh O’Byrne (Certification Manager, Confluent) and Barry Ballard (Senior Technical Trainer, Confluent) discuss Confluent’s Certification program, including sample test questions, bootcamp, exam details, Kafka training, and getting the necessary practical hands-on experience.

It’s no secret that the entire world of work has changed, and now we expect to communicate across a vast number of digital platforms. In this new age, Barry predicts three primary skills that will become more important than ever to employers as they seek to hire a candidate:

1. Emotional intelligence
2. Building your personal brand 
3. Digital security knowledge

With emotional intelligence, we're really talking about effective communication and soft skills. This means understanding how to achieve consensus on utilizing digital technology, specifically Apache Kafka, which we test for in the Certification exam. 

This will help you stand out all around—on paper, in interviews, and in knowledge too. Especially as more and more businesses rely on Kafka, and as cybercriminals take their savviness to a new level, strong security expertise will truly set you apart.

EPISODE LINKS

• Confluent Certification 
• Get in touch about the Certification at certification@confluent.io
• Using Event Modeling to Architect Event-Driven Information Systems ft. Bobby Calderwood
• Learn Apache Kafka to build and scale modern applications
• Project Metamorphosis
• Join the Confluent Community Slack
• Learn more with Kafka tutorials, resources, and guides at Confluent Developer
• Live demo: Kafka streaming in 10 minutes on Confluent Cloud
• Use the code DEV21CERT for 20% off certification
• Use 60PDCAST to get an additional $60 of free Confluent Cloud usage (details)

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