RPA Certifications – worth the trouble? We think so.
Most certification programs come with a catch - big costs, challenging exams, time intensive coursework. The most notable certification programs across all industries have strong common themes that address those concerns: short, effective, self-paced, and most importantly - free! We'll take a look at a few notable certification programs, and explain why it's worth it to get ahead of the competition and pursue an RPA certification.
Why do you need it?
RPA is an emerging technology and competition is fierce. Your certification is one of the few ways you can actively differentiate yourself from the sea of competition. Certifications also provide a way to engage with the platform in use cases that you will not immediately experience when implementing RPA in the real world. Understanding how huge RPA platforms like UiPath and Automation Anywhere want their software to be used gives you a unique, valuable perspective when implementing RPA. They have been drivers of innovation since the technologies inception, and making yourself familiar with their platform is key to staying up to date with the latest advances in RPA technology.
What are the benefits?
UiPath, BluePrism, and AutomationAnywhere all offer significant benefits to companies with developers who are certified with their respective platforms. From publicly visible partnerships to access to specific toolkits. RPA implementations will be easier when working with certified developers. Working through a certification program provides you with countless real-world examples from industry leaders before you begin your first project. The success of your RPA implementation can hinge on your understanding of the concepts outlined in these courses.
What are your options?
There are tons of courses out there, many are paid, but some of the best are free. You have to take a look at what are looking to get out of the course, evaluate what is available, and make a judgement call. The number of FREE courses available from some of the largest players in the game make it a hard sell to start elsewhere.
Here are some of the most popular certification courses:
UiPath Academy Online Training and Certification
Cost: FREE
What Certifications: UiPath Certification
UIPath offers an incredibly comprehensive training platform that caters to a number of different positions within a company that offers RPA, but has a strong focus on development. They provide free training documentation, a community to learn with, all housed within their e-learning platform.
Automation Anywhere University
What Certifications: Automation Anywhere Certification
AAU offers many certifications and programs all built around its platform, with comprehensive courses broken down by category. Their program has been expanded to include non-developer roles and has a wide range of learning opportunities. Their program ranges from 5 to 50 hours and are all free.
Udemy
Cost: Course dependent. $9.99 - $200
What Certifications: None through Udemy – but many learning opportunities that can translate into certification exam readiness.
Udemy is one of the largest open e-learning markets in the world. They have numerous RPA offerings across every possible application. The platform currently has 121 RPA related courses and that number is steadily expanding. Udemy is not sponsored or affiliated with any of the largest RPA platforms so you will not gain progress towards one of their certifications, but many of the courses have exceptional reviews and have been completed over 5000 times.
DWF Academy
Price: Not listed.
What Certifications: UiPath, AutomationAnywhere, BluePrism
DWF Academy offers a number of certifications and courses that are highly specialized to each of the individual platforms. They are certified gold providers of UiPath and BluePrism training, as well as certified Automation Anywhere training providers. They offer the most specific training on the market and can provide build out plans of any size for entire organizations while remaining an extremely viable option for individuals.
Interested in working with fivestar*?
If you decide that it is valuable and profitable for your business to have custom software, fivestar* can develop solutions that centralize workflows, optimize processes, and enable decision-making through real-time data and business intelligence.
About the Author: Cameron Avrigean
Cameron Avrigean is a Marketing Coordinator at fivestar*. Cameron is an analytics fanatic with a penchant for copywriting and social media. He works with the marketing team to create engaging content, and is looking for the next big thing. Cameron holds a B.S. in Business Management from Point Park University.