Hello, this is Nick from EC Incubation Development Department.
I am very glad to share my Kubernetes learning experience here.
What is Kubernetes
- A platform more than just managing containers.
- A platform supported by most clouds system.
- A platform which run on premium environment as well.
- A platform which is becoming more and more popular.
You can find more about Kubernetes.
My Background
Here is my background.
- An application engineer, not a DevOps/Infra engineer.
- A member of Rakuten Pay Online Service.
- A member of "CKAD Preparation Committee - 2021 2H”
I got Certified CKAD on Dec 29th, 2021.
I got Certified CKA on Jan 30th, 2022.
My learning processes
Make the learning processes as simplest as possible.
Learned the Vendor Courses on Udemy
I have learned three main courses on
- Kubernetes for the Absolute Beginners - Hands-on
- Kubernetes Certified Application Developer (CKAD) with Tests
- Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) with Practice Tests
Through these three courses, I not only master the knowledge of Kubernetes, but also succeeded in the exams.
- Watch the videos.
- Play the labs.
- Play the labs again.
- Play the labs again and again.
In conclusion, practice makes perfect.
Learned the Official Documentation (Kubernetes.io)
CKAD and CKA exams are performance-based tests. In the tests, you are granted to refer information in the official site. It is very important to be familiar with the site. You need to know where to find what you want as .
Of course, the Kubernetes.io is well documented. You can learn the technology in the most direct ways.
The site contains lots of information. What I mainly did is below.
- Read the Concepts.
- Practice the Tasks.
- Be familiar with the site.
Practice with the Official Exam Simulator (killer.sh)
The killer.sh is an important exam simulator. Most of the tasks are like those in the real exam. I got access to the side after I registered my exam day. I thought this practice on killer.sh is a MUST before taking the real exam.
What I did is below.
- Solve the tasks myself as many, as quickly as possible.
- Check the score to find the wrong ones and try to fix it again.
- Finally check the provided answers carefully to find the best, even the correct ones.
If you registered the exams. You can have these opportunities.
- 2 sessions with the same contexts for free.
- Each session accessible for 36h.
About CKAD & CKA Exams
The exams are online test, you can arrange it anywhere where the internet access is available.
The exams are also performance-based tests, so they test your ability. You do not need to remember lots of things but to know how to do. If not, you should know how to find similar solutions that help you.
You can get discount is some special events. They might be provided by training vendor or by official promotion sales. For example, special events in Christmas, new year, Chinese New Year, etc.
I found the maximum discount could be up to 65%.
So I recommend that you subscribe the mailing list to get information in firsthand.
The process to take the exam
- Max 12 months period between the purchase day and exam day.
- One free retake policy
You can purchase the exam at the best time and take the exam when you are ready. If you failed in the first attempt, you could try it one more time for free after you are well-prepared.
Some Useful Tips
I think these are important for us to play well with Kubernetes, not just only in the exam but also in our daily works.
- Use alias “k” for “kubectl”, use shortcut instead of fullname.
- Use imperative other than declarative (at the most).
- Use -h (help).
- Use "--dry-run=client -o yaml”.
- Familiar with one command line text editor (vi, vim).
- Double check the command.
(Deleting a bare POD somehow costs much time)
- Cluster corrects
- Namespaces correct
- All required specific correct
- The provided ways - The Official Documentation
- Keep pace and don't get stuck.
- A good exam environment - a big monitor, even a high spec PC.
Other than the Kubernetes (Job opportunities)
These job opportunities are available now. If you are interested, please do not hesitate to get access to these opportunities. You can find more information below.
- Producer, Rakuten Pay Online New Product Development Project - EC Incubation Department (ECID)
- Web Application Engineer Middle Class (Rakuten Pay Online New Product Development Project), Payment Solution Development Group - EC Incubation Development Department (ECID)
- Web Application Engineer (Middle Class), Payment Solution Development Group (Rakuten Pay Online) - EC Incubation Development Department (ECID)
I hope this article is useful to you.
Thank you.
