Is It Possible to Get a Free Certification? Oracle Options and Not Just

If you have encountered formal technical certification, or at least wondered about it, you know that the qualification exams require payment of a registration fee. Moreover, it is often necessary to go through a training program to prepare, which also costs some investment. And this is understandable since prestigious certificates are constantly updated products of intellectual property, which simply cannot be in free or free access.

But still, sometimes, even well-known vendors are spotted with their offers of free training and accreditation. These can be called promotions, which are related to different circumstances.

For example, Microsoft has an offer available through the end of 2021 for some Fundamentals and Associate level accreditations for USD15. This promotion applies to people whose careers have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, to confirm your participation and take the qualifying exam at $15, all you need to do is complete the appropriate training and prove that you were laid off or unable to find a job because of COVID-19.

Still, this article is about free qualifications. And believe it or not, there are such opportunities. Let’s start with Oracle’s offering.

Free Oracle Certification Track

In September 2021 it was announced that Oracle is launching a free training program regarding Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, as well as several free certificates related to OCI and Oracle Autonomous Database, which can be obtained by passing the appropriate tests by the end of 2021.

This is aimed at helping both Oracle partners and customers improve the skills of their employees and individuals expand their competencies to become more marketable in the workplace. Especially now that Oracle Cloud Infrastructure is so in demand as it allows thousands of users and companies to run their application portfolio as well as important workloads in the cloud. Thus, OCI is one of the most sought-after cloud platforms, which provokes the need for appropriate specialists. As a result, this offering will be useful to administrators, architects, and developers of enterprise applications related to the process of moving IT functions to the cloud.

Thus, the following appointments are available to interested specialists:

• Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Foundations Associate
• Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Developer Associate
• Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Cloud Operations Associate
• Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Architect Associate
• Oracle Autonomous Database Specialist
• Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Architect Professional

And if you’re just getting started with Oracle Databases and Oracle Cloud, there are entry-level study courses and related qualifications available that will bridge you to more advanced training. These can include:

• Oracle Database/SQL Explorer
• OCI Explorer
• Autonomous Database Explorer

As part of this initiative, the candidates will have access to free qualifying exams in Oracle University, and three attempts to get the desired certificate in their chosen field. This will be a great opportunity to learn from real experts to use Oracle Cloud products today.

Other Free Accreditation Options

Few people know that Microsoft, through the Microsoft Virtual Training Days program, offers the opportunity to be trained in the basics of cloud computing models, concepts, and services, as well as to learn PaaS and SaaS. So, by registering for any of the upcoming training sessions, you not only qualitatively prepare for Microsoft Azure Fundamentals certification but also get a free voucher for the corresponding AZ-900 exam. By the same token, you can take the following tests for free:

• AI-900 Exam: Microsoft Azure AI Fundamentals
• DP-900 Exam: Microsoft Azure Data Fundamentals

At the same time, Google Analytics Academy offers free courses with official certificates. So you can learn Google’s measurement tools as well as intelligent data analysis and collection through the following accreditation pathways:

• Google Analytics for Beginners – creating an account, posting tracking code, setting up tracking, and analyzing basic reports.
• Advanced Google Analytics – advanced Google Analytics features including data configuration, data collection, and more sophisticated marketing tools
• Google Analytics for Power Users – hands-on analysis to track business performance and advanced Google Analytics features
• Getting Started With Google Analytics 360 – Google Analytics 360 features and benefits of integration with Google Platforms and BigQuery products

In addition, Google also offers the Microsoft Advertising Certified Professional qualification, which will certify that you have a sufficient level of proficiency in Microsoft Advertising, can optimize advertising campaigns, and have membership status in the Advertising Learning Lab.

Moreover, IBM Cognitive Class offers some learning pathways regarding Big Data Fundamentals, Data Science Fundamentals, Reactive Architecture Foundations, Data Science with Python, Blockchain for Developers, as well as Containers, k8s and Istio on IBM Cloud. Each of these programs includes a number of courses, after completion of which the student receives the corresponding certificate.

The Cisco Networking Academy offers the Introduction to Cybersecurity program that allows students in 15 hours to learn about cybersecurity and its impact, understand the most common threats and vulnerabilities, gain an understanding of how to protect your company, and review the latest trends in cybersecurity. And, as you’re expected to do, you’ll receive a certificate upon successful completion.

Meanwhile, Scrum offers a free Scrum Fundamentals Certified accreditation to learn more about Scrum, the basic concepts, and how the Scrum framework works to drive successful projects. After taking this course and the free test, you’ll be officially accredited as having a basic understanding of Scrum.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are plenty of opportunities. It all depends on your professional goals and interests. So, whether you are going to start a new career, or you just want to expand your horizons, you can start with free training and certification tools to find out if this field suits you or not. And the more so, you can’t miss out on the opportunities offered by prestigious vendors like Oracle, Google, and Microsoft. So, the choice is yours!