As an engineer, should I consider getting a certification? What makes a certification valuable to me or my employer? How do I pick which one to get? Will these really help me build stateful applications on Kubernetes? In this talk, we will discuss the relative value of certifying on different technologies, with a specific focus on CNCF certifications for administration of k8s and developing Kubernetes-native applications. In this session we will discuss: - The pros and cons of getting certified - Why your current and future employers might care about your certifications - What are other things you can do to make yourself a more attractive candidate in this cloud-native landscape And of course, since Keith is a long-time database geek, we'll talk about how these might help you (or not) build stateful applications on Kubernetes.