Why the Professional Scrum Developer (PSD) Certification is Worth it
In this post I share my thoughts on pursuing the Professional Scrum Developer (PSD) certification from Scrum.org.
To achieve the certification I studied the resources from the Software Developer Learning Path, which includes a lot of useful posts, videos and books.
When discussing the usefulness of a certification, I like to consider two aspects: the learning journey, and the concrete advantage given by the certification on the job market.
The Learning Journey
The learning journey has been eye-opening. I have not taken any Professional Scrum Developer class, I just read and watched all the resources from the learning path, so I am only presenting my experience following the Software Developer Learning Path, not the class. I had worked in Scrum teams for about two years before starting studying for the PSD certification. Before that, I had only studied Scrum superficially and without commitment. While reading the articles and books from the learning path, I started to reflect on my own experiences, seeing how I could improve to become a better developer and team member. The Scrum values of focus, respect, commitment, courage, and openness, as well as the agile manifesto principles became more than just words, as I started reflecting on my actions and attitude through them. Finishing the learning path took me five months, a time that has had a profound impact on my way of thinking, and helped me internalize the Scrum, DevOps, and agile values overall. The value of the PSD certification is that it gave me a goal and the focus to follow the learning path until the end.
Advantage on the Job Market
I haven’t seen any job announcement requiring a PSD certification or similar, but I have seen many mentioning working in a Scrum team. While experience counts more than certifications, I don’t think the two are mutually exclusive. I believe a certification can further show your motivation and interest in a topic, and the willingness to invest time and money to improve. Many, including myself, have years of experience in something, but still know it on a superficial way. With a certification you can at least show that you put some effort to get deeper. I believe experience counts, until a certain point, after which it is not a guarantee of knowledge or wisdom. Instead, you must actively desire growth, and pursuing certifications is a way to do it. Personally, if one day I will have to hire someone for a software developer position, I will consider any PSD or similar certification on the CV a big advantage, even over years of experience.
Final Words
Finally a consideration on the nature of the Professional Scrum Developer certification. Compared to other certifications for software developers, the PSD is less technical and more about having internalized the Scrum, DevOps, and in general agile culture, values, and attitude. I believe this type or knowledge, or wisdom, is difficult to learn only through work experience. Instead, you must be open to the learning journey, willing to change as a person, accept guidance, and admit mistakes. Voluntarily undertaking the PSD learning journey sets you in that context, and the certification at the end is the prize and proof of your undertaking.
