NOTE: This post was written years ago. Ever since Magento became a part of Adobe in 2018, the company has rebranded everything including developer certifications. Adobe Commerce certifications are now set under Adobe Digital Experience Certification Program. We have following certifications:
- AD0-E722 Adobe Commerce Architect Master
- AD0-E721 Adobe Commerce Front-end Developer Professional
- AD0-E712 Adobe Commerce Business Practitioner Professional
- AD0-E708 Adobe Commerce Business Practitioner Expert
- AD0-E727 Adobe Commerce Front-End Developer Expert
- AD0-E725 Adobe Commerce Developer Expert
- AD0-E724 Adobe Commerce Developer Professional
Posts from 2017
According to the original Exam Study Guide, a Solution Specialist is “an expert user of Magento platform who can efficiently align business objectives with Magento functionality, optimize use of native features and avoid unnecessary customization”.
In a nutshell, a Magento Certified Solution Specialist (who will be known around Magento community as MCSS) is your go-to person when it comes to planning your new Magento store or improving the existing one.
Sounds good, right? So what do they actually do on a project? These people are here to first and foremost ensure that you can achieve your goals with Magento implementation – if needed, they’re also here to help you modify your goals and set clear expectations on what’s possible with standard set of Magento features and what may need further customizations.
These are the people who are an invaluable liaison between you, the creative and development team and they (at least in our case) help establish lasting partnerships rather than mere client-agency relationships.
If you’re a merchant, you should be able to rely on these people to provide additional value to your scoping process and assist you with some of the basic as well as more advanced usage of Magento and its features. Magento Solution Partners who will have certified solution specialists on their teams will show an even greater commitment to the platform than earlier.
Add some solution specialists to your frontend and backend certified developers, and you’ll have yourself a winning recipe for tackling virtually any kind of ecommerce project out there.
What does it take to get certified?
I can tell you one thing from taking a look at the study material – it’s not exactly a walk in the park. Candidates will need to show knowledge and experience in four main content areas:
- eCommerce – 13%
- Magento Architecture – 27%
- Elements of a Magento eCommerce site – 35%
- Applying Magento knowledge to business goals – 25%
Who is the test for?
Well, if you’re trying to be an organization that boasts itself in being a full-service Magento agency, you won’t want to miss out on this – again, the certificate itself is not a proof of value any individual can add to a project, but it does show clear commitment to the area you’re getting certified in.
Project managers, business analysts, ecommerce consultants, UX designers, even developers – everyone’s invited 🙂
Is this a good thing?
In my book, definitely, and this is why:
- Magento – well, they’re starting the business-oriented certification branded with Magento name. With development and now business certification, it’s going to be perceived as a good long-term choice for merchants across the globe.
- Partners – certification will enable some of the partners who have already shown great results to position themselves as more than “just” design and development agencies, they’ll now be recognized for their ability to add value to their clients’ bottom line, providing a more comprehensive set of ecommerce services.
- Merchants – when you’re investing your time and money in a new project, you’d like to surround yourself with experts, right? Well, certificates are one way of hinting towards someone’s credibility and expertise – granted, there are no guarantees, but you can certainly feel you’re in good hands if you go with a product that cares enough to put up and manage its own certification program, and a company (you can choose from a variety of solution partners) that has both a proven track record and certified developers and consultants across the board.
What’s in it for you?
If you’ve selected Magento as your platform of choice, who better to select to help you plan, deliver and optimize your eCommerce project then those certified to do exactly that?
Get in touch and let’s see how we can help you out!
