This has been something I have wanted to do for a while but put it off because it’s pretty expensive to take the Laravel certification exam if you pay for it yourself, and I wasn’t even sure if I would pass on the first try. The fact that Belgium charges 21% tax on digital purchases did not help this matter. However, in the last months, TableTopFinder has made enough revenue to be able to pay the entrance fee for me!
The most important reason for me to take this exam is to build up more self-confidence. I’m one of those people who always fear everyone is much smarter than I am (a.k.a. Impostor Syndrome). So, being able to say that some of the great minds behind the Laravel community call me a certified Laravel developer will most certainly help me overcome these feelings.
How to prepare for the exam
As most future participants probably will do, I looked at other certified developers to find out how the exam will be taken and what the most prominent categories are.
What I would recommend, and this is what I did as well, is to read through the official Laravel documentation before taking the exam. It’s a long read, but you can probably skip some big parts you’re already familiar with. I have been using Laravel for at least 5 years now, and because of this, I don’t go through the documentation very often anymore. So when I read the documentation again there were a few nifty tricks I learned I didn’t even know were in the framework.
Overall, if you use Laravel daily and use a lot of the features in the framework, I think a light refresher would be enough to take the exam.
Would I recommend it?
Honestly, it depends. I’m very glad I took the exam, and I’m proud to be able to say that I succeeded. However, there are only a handful of companies in Belgium that do full-time Laravel development and probably even fewer that will consider this certification.
Remember that this certification shows that you have an excellent knowledge of the technical details of the Laravel framework, but it does not prove that you know how to use them in a real-world application, which is just as important. So if you take the exam hoping to get a better job, try finding out if the companies you contact recognize this certification.
In closing
From now on, you can call me “Sir Jeroen Certified Laravel Developer”…
In all seriousness: I’ll be advertising the certification on my website, but I won’t add it to my CV.
I believe that, when looking for a job, proving that you know how to make a web application and maintain it is more
significant than having a paper saying that you took an education or certification. This does not diminish the fact that
I am very proud of myself and would do it again in an instant!
