Hello everyone! I’m running non-stop towards becoming a ‘Golden Kuberstronaut’. It feels like just yesterday I was boasting about opening my eyes to monitoring after passing the PCA, but this time, I’m here with news of passing the seventh hurdle: OTCA (OpenTelemetry Certified Associate)! π₯³
However, this success story will have a quite different tone from previous ones. Until now, I had been on a sort of undefeated streak, passing all exams on the ‘first try’. That record was broken with this OTCA. To be honest, it’s a very valuable certification earned after several painful failures. π
π “Surely I won’t fail, right?” The Disaster Brought by Overconfidence
Was it because my confidence soared too high after passing the PCA? I approached it with the complacent thought, ‘OpenTelemetry will probably be similar.’ But reality was harsh.
There were two main reasons why this exam was particularly difficult.
- The Swamp of English Sentences: Beyond the technical content itself, the English passages were quite tricky. Subtle differences in nuance determined the correct answer, and the sentences were confusingly structured, often leading me to waste time on interpretation and choose incorrect answers.
- Mistakes Caused by Overconfidence: I missed very basic and simple fact-checking questions that I had dismissed with “This is obviously it.” When reviewing my incorrect answers later, I found I had made mistakes in areas that were so easy I hadn’t even doubted them. In retrospect, it was the price of neglecting the fundamentals.
It wasn’t until I tasted the bitterness of several failures that I snapped back to reality. “Ah, this isn’t something you can just wing.”
π Blessing in Disguise: Thanks to It, I Mastered the Theory Completely
Paradoxically, after failing a few times, I became more determined. Instead of just memorizing dumps or guessing, I started rebuilding my theoretical foundation by thoroughly reading the official documentation from beginning to end.
If I had been lucky enough to pass on the first try, I would have only superficially understood the content. This opportunity allowed me to delve into it truly deeply.
- Interrelationships of Trace, Metric, Log
- Details of the Collector’s pipeline structure (Receiver -> Processor -> Exporter)
- Precise specification of the OTLP protocol
As a result, when I finally held the certificate, it was more than just passing an exam; I felt confident that “now I can explain OpenTelemetry’s theory to anyone.” I paid a hefty exam fee as tuition, but since the depth of my knowledge increased proportionally, I’m trying to think positively. (Still, it stings a bit π)
π― Advice for OTCA Challengers
To avoid struggling like I did, please keep the following in mind.
- Read English passages carefully: Sentences that assume a situation or ask about exceptions are quite confusing, more so than simple ‘A is B’ statements. Don’t rush to pick an answer just by looking at keywords.
- Don’t neglect the basics: Focusing too much on complex architectures might lead you to lose points on fundamental facts like basic port numbers or data types (Fact Check).
- Humility is the best secret to passing: When you think you ‘know the content,’ it’s necessary to doubt and verify it one more time.
β¨ Overall Review: There are Trials, but No Failures
This 7th certification was a grateful exam that once again reminded me of ‘humility’ and the ‘importance of theory’. If PCA opened my practical ‘eyes’, OTCA ingrained the ‘principles’ of the information those eyes receive deep into my bones.
Now I’m about halfway to becoming a Golden Kuberstronaut! I’ve achieved 7 out of 15. Using this failure as fertilizer, I must approach the rest of the journey with an even more solid and humble attitude.
Although the process was arduous, I applaud myself for not giving up and ultimately succeeding. Please look forward to the eighth challenge! (Please, let me pass on the first try next time… π)
May everyone have a joyful cloud-native journey!
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