The IT Skills Taught in Kafka by Confluent Training
For many decades, enterprise messaging was only handled with two main patterns: queues and topics. Around 2010, LinkedIn needed a pub/sub stream that could hold messages for a period of time to be consumed by a number of different consumers. Eventually, they open sourced this product as Apache Kafka. As lead architect for data infrastructure for LinkedIn at the time, Jay Kreps named Apache Kafka after his favorite author because it was “optimized for writing.”
The scale and throughput of messaging that Kafka allowed was ideal for organizations to use as they started moving to microservice-based architectures, and the open source project became wildly popular. Kreps and colleague Jun Rao left LinkedIn to start Confluent and build a commercial event-streaming platform around Kafka. The list of companies that use the Confluent platform continues to grow, because it makes access to enterprise data as easy as real-time streams.
Whether you are a customer of Confluent or you are just looking to hone your skills on Apache Kafka, Confluent training offers a number of courses developed by the team who developed Kafka. And these courses are now available through ExitCertified. If you are a developer who knows Java, C#, Python or Node.js, then you can jump into the Confluent Developer Skills for Building Apache Kafka. Then, you could follow it up with further training on stream processing. If your role is more on the operations side of the house, then you may want to start with the Apache Kafka Administration by Confluent course, followed by the advanced skills class to learn about Kafka optimization.
What Confluent courses do I start with?
Confluent training courses assume a basic knowledge of Apache Kafka. To find out the right entry course, we recommend you complete a skills assessment.
Kafka by Confluent Certification Paths
Benefits of Kafka Certification
Achieving an Apache Kafka certification through Confluent will recognize your skills in Apache Kafka and the Confluent platform through an official credential. You will receive a digital certificate and have use of the official logo to proudly display your expertise. Having a Kafka certification is useful in salary negotiations and promotion opportunities both with your current employer or to stand out from competitors when looking for a new job.
About Confluent Certification Exams
A Confluent certification is achieved by passing 90-minute multiple-choice exam online. The exams are proctored and require the candidate to have a webcam. To register for the exam, a candidate must first create a user profile through Examity, then schedule their exam. The candidate will be asked to agree to an NDA to preserve the security and value of the certification program. As soon as the exam is complete, the candidate will receive the results on the test screen. Upon successful completion of the exam, your Kafka certification will be valid for two years. To prepare for the exam, it is best that you work with the product for a minimum 6-12 months. The best preparation is to attend the recommended class, depending on the certification.