Datadog Certification — Are Engineers Just Jumping Through Hoops?

I was checking out Datadog’s certification program, thinking about how it might help DevOps professionals improve their skills.

And then, I saw this illustration on their website—dogs jumping through hoops.

Datadog Certification - Are Engineers Just Jumping Through Hoops? - Step 1

At first, I laughed. But then I thought… wait a minute.

So if I want to learn Datadog, if I want to get certified, if I want to prove my skills in observability…

Am I just a dog in training?

Jumping Through Hoops for a Badge#

Look at the metaphor. Dogs on a racetrack, performing tricks, jumping through hoops.

And who are these dogs supposed to represent? Us.

We’re running, jumping, performing tricks… all for what?

A Credly badge to show off on LinkedIn?

Want to prove you understand logs? Jump.

Want to monitor metrics? Jump higher.

Want that official certification? Jump through the final hoop!

And the best part?

You pay $100 to be trained like a good Datadog.

Once you pass the exam, you can proudly display your Datadog-certified badge on LinkedIn.

Imagine the conversation with recruiters:

“Wow, AWS, Kubernetes, Terraform… and oh, look! A Datadog-certified agility expert!”

Maybe we should update our job titles? “Senior DogOps Engineer”

Jokes aside, Datadog is a powerful tool and certifications can be valuable.

But let’s be real—maybe they could have picked a better metaphor?

Engineers aren’t circus animals.

We’re not jumping through hoops for treats.

Datadog, I’m NOT a dog.

If you’ve taken a Datadog certification, did you feel like an obedient pup by the end?

Drop a comment below—or better yet, tell me if they gave you a treat after you passed!

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