CNCF Reveals New Certifications and Expanded Job Opportunities
LONDON — If you’re already a Kubernetes expert, the world is your oyster.
According to ZipRecruiter, a Senior Kubernetes Engineer can expect a mean annual salary of $204,500. Good work if you can get it!
But if you’re new to cloud native computing, it’s another story. Getting that first shot can be a pain. That’s where Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) certifications can be vital. Heck, even if you’re a grizzled IT vet but new to cloud native, a certification can help.
With so many IT workers now looking for jobs, these can be a real help. A recent Portworx report found that 80% of organizations plan to build most of their new applications on cloud native platforms within the next five years, while 75% face challenges due to a shortage of skilled personnel. If you can demonstrate your talent, the jobs are out there.
So it was at KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Europe that the CNCF made significant strides in enhancing its certification offerings and fostering job opportunities in the cloud native ecosystem.
In his opening keynote speech, Chris Aniszczyk, the CNCF’s CTO, announced new platform engineering certifications. “That’s because it’s a new, popular topic in the cloud native world, and there are a lot of CNCF projects and power platform engineering teams. We noticed, though, that a lot of the education and content out there is skewed toward a single vendor. They’re not very open source-friendly. So, we went together to work with our community and created two new certifications.”
These are the Cloud Native Platform Engineering Associate exams that are now available. The Cloud Native Platform Engineering certificate, which requires hands-on expertise, is still under development.
Additionally, CNCF has been expanding its project-specific certifications, including the Certified Backstage Associate (CBA), OpenTelemetry Certified Associate (OTCA), and Kyverno Certified Associate (KCA), which were announced at KubeCon North America in 2024.
CNCF Certifications
At the conference, the Golden Kubestronaut program was also launched. This recognizes IT professionals with all 13 CNCF certifications and the Linux Foundation Certified System Administrator (LFCS) certification. Color me impressed! The very idea of taking all these courses and passing the exams makes me tired. This elite designation offers exclusive benefits such as branded gear, professional development subscriptions, and discounts on future certifications.
Once armed with a certificate or two, if not the whole 13-certification set, you can try finding a job via the CNCF Job Board. This job-hunting site features a variety of positions that require cloud native skills.
The job board is free both for employers to post job listings and for applicants to apply. Job openings posted by CNCF member companies receive featured listings, which increases their visibility on the board.
The site also includes an interactive jobs map highlighting available jobs by location. Job seekers can also post profiles to indicate their talents, and employers can search for candidates by location or skill.
With an engaged audience of more than 700 members and tens of thousands of monthly visitors, this large and active community will help both you and companies seeking employees with the right stuff make the connections that will benefit each of them.
