Hello everyone! I’m back with the 13th story of my unyielding ‘Golden Kuberstronaut (15 certifications)’ challenge.
The joy of passing CNPA, which captured the essence of platform engineering, was short-lived, as I then challenged the CGOA (Certified GitOps Associate) exam. To be honest, I underestimated this exam and paid the price. To cut to the chase, I passed after a retake. π
Since there was a lot of overlap with tools I’d previously covered, like ArgoCD, I took the first exam with the complacent thought, ‘I can probably pass without studying,’ and predictably failed. However, I didn’t give up. I delved into it intensively for three days, and in the second attempt, I proudly secured my passing certificate with a high score of 90 points!
I’m sharing the in-depth insights into GitOps and exam tips I gained through this CGOA exam.
π The Pitfalls of the First Exam: Seeing Only the Tip of the Iceberg
The scope of the CGOA exam was much broader and more detailed than I expected. While it might seem easy due to overlap with tools like ArgoCD, that was just the tip of the iceberg.
The core of this exam wasn’t simply ‘Do you know how to use GitOps tools?’, but rather, ‘How deeply do you understand the philosophy and Best Practices (BP) of GitOps?’ It turned out to be an exam that you absolutely couldn’t pass without a clear understanding of BPs.
After failing the first exam, I created an error log and began to meticulously dissect GitOps Best Practices.
π‘ Key to Conquering CGOA: GitOps Best Practices
After three days of intensive study, I discovered the crucial points that determine success in the exam:
1. Harmony of Pull-based vs. Event-Driven Approaches
The fundamental philosophy of GitOps prefers a ‘Pull-based approach.’ However, in practice, code deployment speed is also important. The exam clearly emphasizes the importance of ‘maintaining the stability of the Pull-based approach while combining it with Event-Driven methods (e.g., Push hooks) to ensure fast code deployment.’
2. ‘Manually’ is Wrong, ‘Automatically’ is Right
The core of GitOps is automation. If an option in a question states “handle manually,” it is highly likely to be incorrect. In almost all situations, choosing “Automatically” is closer to the correct answer.
3. For Risky Updates, Canary Instead of Blue/Green?
This part was the most confusing and a major reason I made many mistakes in the first exam. Based on my usual experience, I thought Blue/Green deployment, which allows immediate rollback if issues arise, was safer.
However, according to the GitOps BP standards defined in the CGOA exam, the correct answer is ‘Canary deployment should be used in risky update situations.’ It views a phased approach, verifying by gradually routing traffic, as the safer standard. It was crucial to shift my thinking to align with the BP standards required by the exam, rather than relying on my empirical knowledge.
π Exam Review: Unexpected Challenges Beyond Difficulty
The technical difficulty of the exam questions themselves wasn’t too high once I understood the BPs. However, there were unexpected challenges.
- Unfamiliar English Expressions: Unnecessarily uncommon English words appeared, which was quite confusing for a non-native speaker. While I should blame my English proficiency, I had to expend unnecessary energy on interpreting the questions.
- Insufficient Explanations: As mentioned in the Canary vs. Blue/Green example, there were cases where the exam required a specific BP as the correct answer without sufficient background explanation, which was perplexing. Even if I wondered “why?”, I had to adhere to the exam’s standards.
β¨ Concluding: Only 2 Left! The Golden Kuberstronaut is Within Reach
I was caught off guard and took a hit, but thanks to it, I had a valuable opportunity to organize my understanding of the essence of GitOps much more deeply. Learning standards beyond my usual knowledge is perhaps the charm of pursuing certifications.
Now, I’ve achieved 13 out of 15 goals. Only 2 certifications remain! ποΈ
I will continue to push forward without getting exhausted. I’ll be back with news of my 14th challenge. Your support is greatly appreciated! Thank you. π
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