I just passed my AZ-900 (Azure Fundamentals) exam and I'm looking to transition into an Architect role. Should I go straight for the AZ-305 or is it mandatory to clear the AZ-104 (Administrator Associate) first? I have about 2 years of experience in IT but I'm relatively new to professional cloud management.
3 answers
While you can technically sit for the AZ-305 (Solutions Architect Expert) exam, you won't actually receive the Expert certification until you pass the AZ-104 (Administrator Associate) as it is a prerequisite. More importantly, the AZ-104 gives you the hands-on knowledge of how Azure actually works—networking, compute, and storage—which is vital for any architect. An architect who doesn't understand the underlying administration usually designs solutions that are impossible to maintain or far too expensive.
Are you more interested in the infrastructure side of things, or are you looking to specialize in Data Engineering or AI as well
Focus on hands-on labs. Certifications look good on a resume, but being able to explain a complex migration in an interview is what gets you the job.
Spot on, Karen. I used a sandbox environment to practice everything I learned in AZ-104, and it made the AZ-305 design scenarios much easier to visualize.
If you want to be a generalist Architect, stick to the AZ-104/305 path. However, if you enjoy coding, the AZ-204 (Developer Associate) is a fantastic alternative to the admin exam. It covers how to build scalable apps using Cosmos DB, Service Bus, and Key Vault, which are high-demand skills for modern cloud architects in 2024.