Our advice is to stay with Azure for now. It is the cloud most asked for in data roles in the Netherlands, and most employers are happy when you can explain one cloud well. The concepts (storage, compute, managed databases, permissions, cost) carry over to AWS and Google Cloud, so learn a second cloud once a job needs it.
Exams are paid unless you get a voucher. Many employers pay for certifications, so ask about it when you start a job or during interviews. Studying for an exam helps even if you do not take it, and planning certifications shows employers you keep learning.
| If the role or your project focuses on… | Associate exam |
|---|---|
| Databricks, Unity Catalog, dbt on Databricks (Week 13) | DP-750 |
| Microsoft Fabric, OneLake, Power BI plus engineering | DP-700 |
Every exam has free official practice assessments.
Azure Data Fundamentals: entry level. Relational and non-relational data, storage, and analytics on Azure.
Azure Databricks Data Engineer Associate: intermediate. Ingestion, Unity Catalog, and pipelines on Azure Databricks. Closest to the Week 13 project.
Fabric Data Engineer Associate: intermediate. Pipelines, lakehouse, warehouse, and notebooks in Microsoft Fabric. See also the Fabric section in Other Common Tools.
For when a job asks for another cloud:
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