How to Become an Azure Developer?

Cloud computing has been a formidable revolution in the recent decade. Many companies have been able to capitalize on cloud computing for a wide range of benefits. Now, businesses don’t have to spend loads of money on server installation or leasing servers from data centers. Therefore, cloud service providers have become notable names in the computing world presently.

One of the prominent names in today’s cloud computing marketplace is Microsoft Azure. The popularity of Microsoft Azure can be identified in the high demand for Azure Developer jobs.  If you want to start your career in Azure, you can choose to be an Azure Developer.

Path to Become an Azure Developer

It’s not simple to start a successful career in Azure; it involves a number of perks. So, it is important to start with the right step and follow the right track to reach the goal. The following discussion would help you find out basics on how to become an azure developer supported with an illustration of skills and the types of certification you need for the same.

Understand the Azure Basics

Before we start our discussion on the essentials for becoming an Azure developer, let us reflect on Azure basics first! Simply put, Azure is a cloud computing platform provided by Microsoft. It can help in providing resources to a business for running its computing operations on the cloud. The resources include servers, databases, analytics, storage, networking, and many others.

Companies can select any of the Azure services to obtain the necessary support for their business operations according to their requirements. Azure is presently used by almost 85% of Fortune 500 companies and is also suited for various small and medium-sized businesses.

Small and medium-sized businesses could be able to avoid huge capital investments in equipment, upgrades, and maintenance. The easy addition and removal of computing resources with Azure can improve flexibility for businesses. Therefore, Azure is a promising platform on which you can build your career in cloud computing.

Reasons to Choose Azure Developer Jobs

Now, let’s start our actual discussion by reflecting on the reasons for which you should become an Azure developer. As we have noted above, Azure provides promising features and services that improve its popularity. Azure is gaining almost 120,000 new customers every month (See the graph), and unique features of Azure complement this.

You can find Windows-compatibility, interoperability with hybrid cloud, ease of scalability, and reasonable pricing with Azure as the best features. This shows the reason for the high demand and popularity of Azure developer certification. Based on the observation of the growth of Azure, it is reasonable to point out towards better career opportunities.

Therefore, you can develop the necessary skills for making the most of the opportunities that are or will be available. Most important of all, the credential of being an Azure developer would add credibility and value to your resume. Professionals working as developers presently could be able to strengthen then professional credibility by gaining the right skills in Azure.

Basic Skills Required to Become an Azure Developer

Skills are the most crucial part of the answers on how to become an azure developer. Before you start preparations in an Azure training course, you need to find out the essential skills and areas of knowledge. We can start our illustration of azure developer skills by referring to the three fundamental skills. Perfection in these key skills can serve as a good foundation for your journey in becoming an Azure developer.

• The first fundamental refers to awareness of Microsoft products. You need to keep in mind that you will work with a Microsoft product. Therefore, you need to know clearly about products such as Office 365 or PowerShell because they integrated with Azure.
• The next important skill that you need is programming. You need to have special expertise in programming languages such as HTML5, JavaScript, and SQL Server. These languages are commonly used for app development on Azure.
• The third and most crucial skill that you need for securing developer jobs on Azure platform is cloud computing. You should have previous experience in working with anyone or all of the cloud computing platforms. That means, if you have never used Azure but have experience with Google Cloud or AWS, then it’s OK! All you need to do is obtain thorough knowledge regarding the functions of servers, databases, and networks in a cloud environment.

Focus on the Specific Azure Developer Skills

Apart from the above mentioned fundamental Azure developer skills, you also have to cover specific skills. These skills are highly important for software design and development on the cloud using Microsoft Azure. Take a clear look at them presented as follows.

• The foremost demand in an Azure developer job description is resource effectiveness. Organizations switch to the cloud for cutting their costs on resource usage. Since Azure charges pricing based on usage, good developers will always aim at development with attention to costs.
• Competent azure developers should be able to script their environments. This ensures access to the environment in the form of code. As a result of scripting environments, the development environment can be recreated quickly using the code. This is particularly helpful in scenarios involving disaster or quick and easy updates for the infrastructure.
• As an Azure developer, you should also learn about scaling applications and data. Scalability is one of the major imperatives in cloud computing. Therefore, you need to have skills for scaling your data and applications. This is essential to improve the flexibility of your applications. Also, it helps in better adaptability to changes in processing demand, usage, and storage requirements.
• You also need to have a special knack for planning out your development for unpredictability. Azure developers need to have a keen eye for most probable issues and their solutions. As a result, contingency measures could be put in place in the event of any unwanted event.
• The final specific skill required for a developer on Azure is the selection of right services. With over 90 main services on Azure, it is easy for developers to get confused! Therefore, developers need to have comprehensive knowledge of Azure services to select the right ones for their business.

The skills mentioned above are just a fundamental roster needed to become an Azure developer. However, there is no limit to the knowledge you can gain for developer job roles on the Azure platform.

Certification Needed for a Job in Azure Development

The most crucial aspect that can drive you towards getting a developer job role on Azure platform is certification. A certification is a promising tool for distinguishing yourself from the competition. With an Azure developer certification, you could be able to showcase your potential and necessary skills. Furthermore, it also verifies the skills of a professional to function effectively in the Azure cloud environment.

The certification can provide tangible proof of your expertise and knowledge of Azure development skills. Employers are more likely to choose certified professionals rather than candidates with inadequately defined experience in development on cloud platforms.

The Microsoft Certified Azure Developer Associate certification is one of the best alternatives to start your career in Azure development. The exam you need to take to receive this badge of Microsoft Certified Azure Developer Associate is AZ-203: Developing Solutions for Microsoft Azure.

AZ-203: Developing Solutions for Microsoft Azure exam will recognize and demonstrate your ability to develop solutions on Azure platform, develop for Azure storage, implement Azure security, optimizing and troubleshooting solutions on Azure platform, connecting and consuming Azure services and third-party services.

Abilities Tested in the Azure Developer Certification

The certification would verify Azure developer abilities mentioned below.

• Development for Azure storage.
• Security for cloud solutions and implementation of azure security.
• Development for the azure cloud model.
• Implementation of cloud integration solutions.
• Development of Azure PaaS and IaaS solutions.
• Developing Azure Bot, Cognitive Services, and IoT solutions.
• Connecting to and use of Azure as well as third-party services.
• Monitoring, resolving, and optimization of solutions.

Prerequisites for the Azure Developer Certification

Before you pursue the Azure Developer certification, you need to take a look at the prerequisites. The mandatory prerequisite is a minimum of one-year experience in the development of scalable solutions through all stages of development. Also, it is mandatory to have skills in at least one programming language supported by the cloud. You could also choose to complete a Microsoft Certified Azure Fundamentals certification (AZ-900 exam) before opting for the associate certification. However, this is an optional requirement, although with better promises to learn more about Azure technology before diving into development.

Essentials of the Azure Developer Job Description

The Azure Developer certification prepares you for the Azure developer job description that includes the design and development of cloud solutions on Azure. The other aspects that are included in the job description for an Azure development professional are as follows.

• Participating in all phases of development, starting with solution design.
• Proven expertise in developing and deploying applications on Azure.
• Testing and maintenance of applications.
• Proficiency in the use of Azure tools and technologies such as security, communications, compute and storage.
• Working in partnership with cloud administrators, cloud DBAs, clients and cloud solution architects.

Salary of Microsoft Azure Development Professionals

One of the prominent facts that should be included in this discussion is Azure Developer Salary. A look at the average payout in Azure development can motivate you to prepare effectively for the job. As per ZipRecruiter, the average Azure Developer salary in the US is estimated at $132,148 per annum. The entry-level job positions can fetch $97,000 per annum while experienced professionals could receive annual payouts up to $174,00.

What is the Azure Developer Associate certification?

 Azure developers design and build cloud solutions such as applications and services. They participate in all phases of development, from solution design, to development and deployment, to testing and maintenance. They partner with cloud solution architects, cloud DBAs, cloud administrators, and clients to implement the solution.

The Microsoft Azure Developer Associate certification is role-based and is designed to expand Azure development skills to meet future business needs. One exam is required to attain this certification: Developing Solutions for Microsoft Azure.

How will becoming a Microsoft Certified Azure Developer Associate impact your job and career?

According to the Global Knowledge IT Skills and Salary Report, certification value is at an all-time high. The IT industry continues to validate skills and capabilities learned via certifications with higher salaries. According to the report, 93% of IT decision-makers believe certification provides added value to the organization.

Individual benefits are obvious too—certified IT professionals in North America earn more than their non-certified peers. Cloud computing certifications, in particular, are associated with four of the top five highest IT salaries in the world.

Some additional benefits of certified personnel, according to IT decision-makers, include:

• Improved productivity
• Fewer skills gaps
• Faster project completion
• Quicker deployment of products and services
• Provides an edge over competitors

Conclusion

The discussion mentioned above focused on the different aspects needed to prepare for an Azure development job. The essential highlights covered in the discussion included a brief insight into Azure and its growing demand. Following that, the discussion outlined reasons to choose a career in Azure development.

As per the discussion above, it can be concluded that a job in Azure development can be a highly promising career option. So, if you aspire to become an Azure developer, you should start your journey now. As mentioned above, an Azure developer certification may take your Azure development career to the new heights.