We|all|know that the IT industry is very dynamic and moving extremely fast. Cisco is leading the way in addressing the job requirements of tomorrow with a new set of certifications. In fact, the whole certification program from Cisco went through a massive update that affected all Cisco exams and certifications. The most impactful (in my humble opinion) are the DevNet Certifications launched early last year.

Building the DevNet certifications program

I had the honor of being involved with this program since it began more than 2 years ago. From reviewing and creating exam questions, to defining criteria for minimal qualified candidates, to creating exam blueprints, it has been an amazing experience.

I've been taking IT certification exams all my professional life, but up to this point it was always as a consumer and customer, not as an exam creator. I'm grateful and humbled by being given the chance to contribute to this next phase in the Cisco certification program. I must say I've thoroughly enjoyed the "sausage making" experience and can look back with pride at what the team has accomplished.

The book author team comes together

Besides being involved with certification exam definition and creation, I was also given the chance to become an author. I have always been an avid reader and sparse contributor on blogs.cisco.com. So, how hard could it be writing a whole book? I can say now that it was definitely a very challenging and eye-opening experience. Back in 2019 at Cisco Live San Diego when the new updates to the Cisco certification exams were publicly announced I had a half-joking-half-serious conversation withAshutosh Malegaonkar,who would become one of my partners in crime for writing the new official certification guide for the brand new DevNet Associate exam. Ashutosh at that point was like me, first time writer, never been published, not knowing exactly what to expect.

We needed someone with experience, someone that has been writing these sorts of books before. From the first time I metJason Gooley, I've had in the back of my mind a possible collaboration with him on a Cisco Press book. Jason is a prolific writer for Cisco Press who had several books under his belt by that time. So, it was only natural that I would reach out and see if he would be interested in joining Ashutosh and myself in this Sisyphean challenge of writing the new DevNet Associate official certification guide. The stars were definitely aligned and all three of us were on board to get started as soon as possible.

We wanted to release the book before the exams were going live a bit more than six months away at that point. With this additional constraint in place Jason brought inChris Jackson, another Cisco Press heavy hitter, to co-author the book with us. At this point we had the team in place and the blessings and approval of our management teams to proceed with the book. Several months of long nights and weekends spent researching and writing ensued. A deadly world pandemic slowed down everything down a bit, but we eventually made it!

Our book is now out and you can order it from Cisco Press or Amazon.   

Meet the book author team at Cisco Live

We've written this book to help you in your attempt at passing the DevNet Associate exam, but more than that we want you to get the skills and knowledge for the jobs of the future. We wanted to have as much hands-on content as possible. so throughout the book you will find all sample code, Postman collections and small Python applications as well as sample testing questions.

Put it in your schedule to join us for a virtual
meet the authors session at Cisco Live Global
April 8th between 11:oo AM and 12:00 PM PDT  |  1800 -1900 GMT|  1800 -1900 GMT

• Jason Gooley, Technical Solutions Architect, Cisco Systems, Inc. - Distinguished Speaker
• Chris Jackson, Distinguished Sales Architect, Cisco Systems, Inc. - Distinguished Speaker
• Ashutosh Malegaonkar, Distinguished Engineer, Cisco Systems, Inc.
• Adrian Iliesiu, Software Engineering Technical Leader, Cisco Systems, Inc. - Distinguished Speaker

If you have any questions for us, or would like to just drop by and say "hi," make sure you join us at that time.

• Order the book from Cisco Press or Amazon
• Meet the authors at Cisco Live
• Learn more about the full range of DevNet certifications

We'd love to hear what you think. Ask a question or leave a comment below.
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