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Best Certification to become a Scrum Master

 
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Welcome Darcy!

I am a long-time test engineer and deputy project manager for a contract and my employer has even had me acquire a PMP (Project Management Professional) certification. It seems to be higher level management and covers different project types. I would like to get into the field of Scrum Master and wasn't sure if the PMP is good enough or if I should acquire something more direct. Thank you for your feedback!

 
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Apologies for the contrarian tone...

Becoming a Scrum Master has nothing to do with certification. There are many bad Certified Scrum Masters out in the wild, just as there are many (and increasingly more) bad licensed drivers out there on the road. Both are equally dangerous to your health and well-being.

If you take the certification process seriously and apply what you learned and continue to learn, then you might one day become a (good) Scrum Master. Unfortunately, the certification alone doesn't make you one.
 
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Junilu Lacar wrote:Apologies for the contrarian tone...



I always find it is best to support people and encourage others when they are interested in pursuing a new career path, and I'd never discourage anyone from pursuing an accreditation in the field of their choosing.

It's true, a certification will not turn you into the greatest Scrum Master to ever walk the Earth.

And there is no guarantee anywhere that says if you pass a certification exam you are guaranteed a job. That goes for every certification.

However, I found pursuing the Scrum Master certification came with many rewards.

Setting Goals and Adjusting Plans

In Scrum, we talk about setting goals and then planning to achieve them.

Getting Scrum Master certified was a goal I set. The exam objectives were clear and helped guide my studies. And of course, finally passing the exam was extremely rewarding.

The goal achievement system in your brain is what most illicit drugs actually activate. Never underestimate how great it feels to achieve something you set your mind to!

Which Cert is Best

There are many certs available, including the SAFe Scrum Master Certification, the CSM from Scrum Alliance and the PSM from Scrum.org.

From what I've seen, the Scrum.org certification is the most widely respected.

It concentrates on core Scrum concepts, while the SAFe certification has a slightly broader set of criteria. That's understandable, because SAFe is about more than just Scrum.

The ScrumAlliance certification requires you to take training beforehand, which can cost anywhere from $500 to $2500. Plus, you have to renew that cert every few years. I'm not a big fan of that business model.

With scrum dot org's Professional Scrum Master exam, you only need to prove your competency. No expensive training is required, and the certification on that version of the Scrum Guide never expires.

To me, that's the way certifications should work, so I always recommend that one. I think the exam is now $200, but before November of 2023 I think it was only $100 or $150.

Pursue what calls to you

If you think you'd be a great Scrum Master, and the concept of Agile software development calls to you, I definitely recommend pursuing this career path.

And if you're looking for motivation to learn, and you'd like to add a respected accreditation to your resume, I think a Scrum Master certification is a great way to go.

As it has been said, this won't turn you into the worlds greatest Scrum Master overnight, but it's one way to begin your journey, and who knows, perhaps with some hard work, some dedication and time coaching and facilitating teams, maybe you will just win the Oscar for best performance in a Scrum role!

(BTW, we call the Scrum Master an accountability, not a role. Call it a role in the Scrum Community and they cut your tongue out.)







 
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I agree with Junilu Lacar's take on this
My two cents, i have personally benefitted from it, those were the days when you couldn't even apply for jobs if you do not have it on your CV,  i  did SCJP1.2 I think it was early in 2000's(the Java certification
from the sun microsystem,  this might sound ancient)And I landed my first job. After that I got a kick for it, I liked to validate my knowledge and one way to do it is by doing these certifications.


Now more and more this has become a money chruning machine for companies ... that's the bad part of it.

Thanks
Sathya

 
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Junilu Lacar wrote:. . . . Both are equally dangerous to your health and well-being. . . .
.

You sure about that? I think you can harm more people faster by bad programming than byt bad driving.
 
Matthew Nelson
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Thank you, Darcy, for your insight! I know the certification won't make you a scrum master but it will either validate the knowledge you have or be a badge to show potential future employers that you have the knowledge.

I still communicate with some former project/employer scrum master and even my current employers lead who is somewhat of a scrum master and their only negative things they talk about is they started as programmers and got to this role and now they don't program anymore and they miss that part but for me. I have done very little programming since I've come from the test side of software development.
 
Darcy DeClute
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Matthew Nelson wrote:They started as programmers and got to this role and now they don't program anymore and they miss that part but for me. I have done very little programming since I've come from the test side of software development.



Product development is a multi-faceted endeavor, and it requires participants with a variety of different skills.

The fact is, often a junior programmer will be recognized as a great employee or a leader amongst peers, and they will quickly be promoted out (laterally moved?) of software development.

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  • The problem with being amazing at everything is people want you to do everything. It's hard for a great developer to remain a great developer. You really have to want it to make that happen!
     
    Darcy DeClute
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    satya Priya Sundar wrote:

    Now more and more this has become a money chruning machine for companies ... that's the bad part of it.



    And let's not forget to mention those detestable grifters trying to sell books on the topic!
     
    Junilu Lacar
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    Darcy DeClute wrote:

    Junilu Lacar wrote:Apologies for the contrarian tone...


    I always find it is best to support people and encourage others when they are interested in pursuing a new career path, and I'd never discourage anyone from pursuing an accreditation in the field of their choosing.


    Please don't get me wrong, I have nothing against trying to better yourself and open doors for opportunities. Certified Scrum Master was in fact the first non-developer certification I took, way back in the mid-2000s. I've never re-certified. Years later, I would become colleagues with my CSM trainer, Brian. The company we worked for was a relatively small but competitive (back then) boutique Agile consultancy which was acquired by one of the Big Three consultancies. Our little group of about 100+ had many people who were very highly regarded in the industry, even by those who liked to rail against the so-called "Agile Industrial Complex."

    Many trainers and authors are actually very good agilists. Again, there's nothing wrong with getting a competitive edge in the job market; I've done it, too. But there are certain certifications I'd rather not take, even just for the sake of being able to tack on another "official" designation to my signature. It's safe (wink, wink) to say though that CSM is not one of those I'd tell people to avoid if they can.

    Hope you have a good week with us, Darcy, and apologies again for starting out on a sour note.
     
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