I want to be up front and honest: I suspect I\u2019ll fail this. However, I’m going to try. I\u2019m registered for it, so no backing out now. In this article, I’ll run through everything I’m doing to prepare…for the exam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That’s right – exam<\/em>. And a PostgreSQL<\/a> one, at that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What<\/em> exam, you might ask? Isn\u2019t PostgreSQL open source? Who could possibly provide a certification to open-source software? Enter the Open Alliance for PostgreSQL Education<\/a>, who recently started building out full independent certifications for PostgreSQL – as in, they’re not tied to a vendor or company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They’ve just completed the first draft of an entry-level PostgreSQL certification, and the exam for that will be given for the first time at pgConf.eu in Valencia, Spain<\/a>, this October.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n And – more fool me – that’s<\/em> the exam I’ll be taking.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019m not a fan of certifications<\/a>.<\/strong> I\u2019ve only earned a couple, way back in the early 90s (yes, we had computers then). They didn\u2019t do much for me or my career. Then, I watched people get 2, 3, 20, certifications, frequently by studying question dumps – further devaluing the certification in my eyes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Then, of course, there\u2019s the fact that I\u2019ve moved around and up within my career without ever<\/em> having a certification. So, personally speaking, I see just shy of zero value for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alternative view<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Microsoft are retiring role-based certifications. Greg Low outlines why they shouldn’t.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Why you should still become SQL-certified in 2026 (and how to achieve it)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Is certification worth it?<\/a><\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div> \n\n\n However, to a whole slew of people, I\u2019m just flat wrong. I won\u2019t argue. In fact, here are some of the positives of certifications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n First up – and most importantly – nearly every certification gives you a study guide, a list of topics that you need<\/em> to know. The Open Alliance cert is no different<\/a>. Having a structured study guide helps a whole lot of people in their learning, so this alone is an invaluable resource. Even if you never take the test, just using the study guide helps you learn the tool – in this case, PostgreSQL.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Next, some employers truly believe in certifications as proof of knowledge, so having one (or more) can improve employment prospects. Maybe you need one to get your ‘foot in the door’, so to speak, or perhaps it acts as the tie breaker between you and other qualified candidates. It\u2019s a good way to show \u201cyes, indeed, I do have some knowledge\u201d<\/em> – and that’s especially helpful in the early stages of a career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some employers want certified people for more selfish reasons, too. For example, having a number of their employees certified on a specific platform could lead to a better partnership with the platform vendor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s not necessarily the same in the open-source world, but even here, a consulting company may brag about the number of certified people just the same as they brag about having contributors and committers within the PostgreSQL community<\/a>. Getting your certification could certainly help you progress within your organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let me know if you think I was unfair with any of these positive<\/em> reasons to get a certification, or if I missed any out, but I think I covered them well enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fair question. First, I want to test my knowledge. I\u2019ve done a ton with PostgreSQL over the last four years. I’ve taught courses, have written many<\/em> articles<\/a>, wrote half a book<\/a> (the easy half), experimented, learned, and grew. I now want to see how I stack up against the certification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I also see taking the exam as another way to support the PostgreSQL community – even if that’s just by just saying “hey, I\u2019m taking this exam, maybe you should too.”<\/em> Then, once I’ve taken (and probably failed) it, I can provide feedback to help make it better going forward. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, it gives me fodder for a few articles, and maybe some presentations…but, urgh, I probably need to actually pass the thing <\/em>for that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here’s what’s included in the exam<\/a> – so that’s everything I need to study. The very first thing I did was create a markdown checklist of those data points, marking the areas I believe I have a decent handle on (describe the role of schemas and search_path\u201d<\/em>, for example), and ones I’m less sure of. \u201cDescribe the role of the postmaster process\u201d<\/em> was left unmarked…<\/p>\n\n\n\n From there, I\u2019m reviewing<\/em> the stuff I marked and studying<\/em> the stuff I didn\u2019t. So, I\u2019m using it as intended: a study guide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Next up, I\u2019m re-reading the Introduction to PostgreSQL for the data professional<\/a><\/em> book I helped Ryan Booz<\/a> write (he did the heavy lifting, I assure you). Sure, a bunch of my chapters I\u2019m already familiar with, but I want to double down on Ryan\u2019s chapters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The book was written before this certification was created, but we pretty closely follow the structure of the study guide. Clearly, this will be a handy resource. The book is free to download<\/a>, or you can pay for the paper<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You may also be interested in…<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Common misconceptions about Microsoft certification exams<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n How to efficiently prepare for a Microsoft exam: a complete guide<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n How to pass Microsoft certification exams: tips and guidance<\/a><\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div> \n\n\n As usual, I\u2019ll also be leaning heavily on the PostgreSQL documentation<\/a>. I\u2019ve said it before, will say it again, and will probably continue saying it – this is some of the best documentation I\u2019ve seen. It\u2019s extremely thorough, detailed, and I absolutely love it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The one shortcoming I see in the documentation, though, is a lack of guidance. Just what are the most important topics? That’s OK for this situation, though, as I\u2019ve got the study guide. For example, I can search the documents for Certifications and I<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
If I\u2019m against certifications, why am I going for this one?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How will I study for the PostgreSQL exam?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The importance of official documentation <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
VACUUM<\/code><\/a> in order to meet the \u201cexplain what VACUUM<\/code> is, and why it’s needed\u201d<\/em> requirement.<\/p>\n\n\n\nHow I’m using AI to help me study for the exam<\/h3>\n\n\n\n