Knowing the true Microsoft Azure Certification cost is simple, it is just a matter of choosing the certification you want to complete and adding up the cost of all the exams, right? Well, there may be a little more to it…
Why am I looking to earn a Microsoft Azure Certification?
Firstly, you need to know why you want to earn said certification. Let’s say I want to become a Microsoft Certified: Azure Solution Architect expert. I must first complete the pre-requisite certification exam which is the AZ-104, Microsoft Azure Administrator exam. Then I need to complete the AZ-305 Designing Microsoft Azure Infrastructure exam.
Now, this means there are 2 exams I need to purchase, each costing me £113 or $165. This is a total of £226 ($330). To me, that is a lot of money, but when we put it in the right perspective, we may then think it is not.
A good example of this would be that when I first started out in IT I joined a managed service provider as a 1st line support engineer. My starting wage was £18,000, a little over minimum wage, day-light robbery if you ask me… After 2 years I had built up some good experience, was keeping up with modern technology and was taking on some side projects for extra money. The problem I had was my wage was still that of when I started.
I saw a job posting online for an Azure Administrator role, the pay was double my current salary of £35,000. I met all the criteria of the job posted, except for being a Microsoft Certified Azure Administrator. So, I took a leap of faith. I paid for the exam and passed with my new certification. Ultimately, I didn’t get that job… but I did get a similar job 6 months later after a recruiter reached out to me on LinkedIn.
Thanks to an old college lecturer who ‘forced’ our class to create a LinkedIn profile at 17, I had kept it up to date for years, followed people and clients I knew and ultimately, posted my new Microsoft Certification on my profile. This is what the recruiter searched for when they found my profile!
When I look back at it now, I got almost a £10,000 pay bump from switching jobs, all thanks to the £113 I spent on myself.
What if I cannot afford the Microsoft Azure Certification Cost?
If you cannot afford to pay for the exams, it is completely understandable. Luckily you have some great options available directly from Microsoft! Firstly you should read this post on: How to get Free Microsoft Exam Certifications. It will take you through all the options for you to take any Microsoft certification without having to pay a penny!
I can certainly vouch for Microsoft here, over the last couple of years they have launched a huge upskilling promotion for engineers and newcomers to learn their products, get certified and become employable!
Now if for some reason you cannot get hold of a free Microsoft certification, or you have already exhausted these options, you should speak to your current employer! Hopefully, you find yourself in a position to be able to ask your employer regarding their personal development options. Especially if you work in IT, your employer needs to be invested in your growth, not just for your benefit, but for theirs to grow and protect their business.
Summary
There is a variety of factors when working out the true Microsoft Azure Certification Cost to you! At the end of the day, it is mostly always about money, you should be looking at investing in yourself where necessary to advance your career. Most of the time that investment does not even need to be monetary, as by reading above you should know where and how to earn your Microsoft Certifications for free.
