Why Cloud Certifications Aren’t Enough and What You Can Do About It
- aferencz21
- Oct 14
- 3 min read
Microsoft Azure is one of the leading cloud platforms in the world, and earning certifications like the Azure Fundamentals or Azure Solutions Architect Expert is a smart move. But certifications alone won’t get you hired. They show that you understand the concepts, but they don’t prove that you can apply them in real-world scenarios.
Employers are looking for professionals who can design, deploy, and manage cloud solutions using Microsoft technologies. They want to see practical experience, not just theoretical knowledge. So how do you go beyond the certs and build the kind of experience that gets you noticed?
Why Certifications Fall Short (without experience on top)
Certifications are theoretical. They test your understanding of Azure services, but not your ability to solve real business problems.
Certifications are becoming more common. So, they no longer set you apart by themselves, you need more to prove yourself.
Certifications don’t show impact. Employers want to see how you’ve used Azure to improve performance, reduce costs, or increase scalability.
How to Gain Real-World Experience Using Microsoft Cloud Technologies
If you have a job, even if your current role isn’t cloud-focused, you can still build Azure experience.
Volunteer for Azure-related projects. Offer to help migrate on-prem systems to Azure, set up Azure DevOps pipelines, or implement Azure Monitor for observability.
Automate tasks with Microsoft tools. Use PowerShell, Azure CLI, or Bicep to automate infrastructure provisioning and management.
Shadow Azure engineers. Learn from your team’s cloud experts by joining architecture reviews or incident response sessions.
Document your work. Keep a portfolio of your Azure projects, including the challenges you faced and how you solved them.
If you don’t have a job, you can still build a strong Azure portfolio on your own.
Build Hands-On Projects
Deploy a web app using Azure App Service. Connect it to Azure SQL Database and secure it with Azure Active Directory.
Create a serverless API using Azure Functions. Integrate it with Azure API Management and monitor it with Application Insights.
Set up a CI/CD pipeline with Azure DevOps. Automate deployments to Azure Kubernetes Service or Azure Web Apps.
Document your projects on GitHub and write blog posts or LinkedIn articles explaining your architecture and decisions.
Contribute to Open Source
Find projects that use Azure and contribute to infrastructure, automation, or documentation. You can also start your own open-source project using Azure services.
Use the Free Tier
Azure offers a generous free tier. Use it to experiment with services like Azure Blob Storage, Azure Logic Apps, and Azure Virtual Machines. Track your usage and optimize costs to show you understand cloud economics.
Simulate Real Scenarios
Practice disaster recovery by setting up geo-redundant storage and simulating failovers. Implement role-based access control and security policies using Azure Policy and Defender for Cloud.
Engage with the Microsoft Cloud Community
Join Microsoft Learn, attend Azure meetups, and participate in virtual events like Microsoft Ignite. Follow Azure architects and engineers on LinkedIn and engage with their content.
Microsoft certifications are a great foundation, but they are just the beginning. To truly stand out in the cloud tech world, you need to build real solutions, solve real problems, and show real results. Whether you are employed or not, there are countless ways to gain hands-on experience with Azure and prove your skills.
Don’t just study Microsoft cloud technologies. Build with them, break things, fix them, and learn. That’s how you get hired.
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