One of the goals that I set for myself in 2020 was to start a newsletter. While I really enjoy creating (and watching) videos, a good part of my job involves writing (scripts and slides). So writing a newsletter like this is a natural fit.
Every two weeks, I want to send out 2 or 3 things that caught my eye that you might also be interested in. These will be in the form of news articles, videos, or blog posts from other Azure community members that I think you might be interested in.
ONE.
The big news of the last week was the changes to the Azure exams that are coming up in February and March. Microsoft outlined that changes are coming here.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/learning/community-blog-post.aspx?BlogId=8&Id=375281
There are no details in terms of the changes to the content of the exams.
Now, the exams do change every few months normally. Azure changed a few of the exams in December in fact. But, it seems to be an annual event where they make major changes to the exam, not minor ones.
There’s really nothing we can do today in advance of these changes. If you were about to take the current exams, I would go ahead and do that. You’ll still be awarded a certification if you pass, and that certification is valid for two years.
If you haven’t started studying yet, it might make sense to wait to see what is changing with the exams. But it will take another two months (March 2020) before that is clear.
You can be sure that I’ll cover the changes here when more details announced.
NOTE, After the publication of this newsletter, Microsoft has since come out with the details, which I cover here.
TWO.
According to careers website Indeed.com, Azure remains a highly searched skill. In fact, people searching for jobs using the keyword Azure increased, while searching for AWS or Google Cloud has decreased in the past year.
https://virtualizationreview.com/articles/2020/01/22/cloud-jobs.aspx?m=1
As far as jobs go, the number of jobs being posted continues to increase for all cloud platforms.
I don’t know why they put AWS in blue and Azure in gold. Poor UI choice if you ask me. But if you can ignore the colors, it appears that the growth in Azure jobs slightly outpaces the growth in AWS jobs.
It’s a good time to be a cloud practitioner.
Multi-cloud is continuing to be a trend, as knowing more than one cloud platform sets you apart from the competition in the job market.
THREE.
It looks like Microsoft Ignite will be in New Orleans this year, instead of Orlando! To me at least, that’s unexpected. I just assumed it would be in Orlando every year.
The date has been pushed back to September. September 21–25, 2020. So a bit earlier than in past years.
I’ve never been to New Orleans, so that should be interesting.
I’ve already reserved my spot, although tickets are not yet available.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/ignite
AZURE PLATFORM UPDATES.
I realize that Azure goes through periods of intense announcements and periods that are quieter. But here are a select few announcements you might be interested in:
- Azure Storage – ability to create SAS tokens for Active Directory access
- Azure Functions runtime 3.0 is now GA
Be sure and check out the Azure Updates page if any of these affect you.
COMING UP FOR ME.
I just wrapped up scripts and slides for two new Linkedin Learning/Lynda courses. Flying down there next week to record. I do love working with that team.
Once I get back, I’ll look into the changes to the core Azure exams, and have some interesting things coming up after that.
WHERE TO FIND ME.
Thanks for sticking it out this far! This is the end of issue 1.1! Hopefully, you found it valuable, at least a little bit!
What is your favorite platform to be on? Perhaps we can connect there.
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See you in two weeks!