In this article, we want to shed some light on the practical value of working with certified developers and help you understand how working with certified developers reduces risk and adds value for your company.
It's always asked: "Do I really need certified drupal developers for my project?" In this article, we want to shed some light on the practical value of working with certified drupal developers and help you understand how working with certified drupal developers reduces risks and adds value for your company.
Certification sounds nice, but clients can wonder about the real-world value of working with certified developers, especially when there are many more non-certified developers available to work on their projects.
Choosing a proven platform like Drupal is a great first step in getting your project set up and working right. However, like any robust platform, it takes several years for developers to learn how to program efficiently and effectively on Drupal. That's why using a non-certified developer can introduce unknown risks into your build.
Take Drupal best practices as an example. Unlike non-certified developers, certified Drupal developers are trained to follow Drupal best practices to ensure the maximum flexibility and scalability of sites built on the platform.
The risks of a developer not following best practices include:
By working with certified developers, you will avoid the majority of these challenges and ensure a stable, secure site that provides maximum flexibility and scalability for the future needs of your business.
So, if it is to your benefit to work with certified Drupal developers, what exactly should you expect from them?
Acquia, the firm behind Drupal’s source code, certifies developers according to different skillsets—front-end, back end, and different Drupal versions.
Acquia’s Drupal certifications consist of a series of 24 different exams representing the benchmark validation of a developer's expertise, ensuring they meet the standards of skill and best practice expected of a Drupal developer. To date, 7,639 developers have achieved full Acquia Certification worldwide—the premier professional certification program for Drupal and the Acquia Platform.
Thanks to these extensive requirements, you can be assured that working with a certified Drupal developer means working with a developer who understands best practices for front-end and back-end development. They have experience with security and performance and can customize and extend your site's functionalities in a sustainable manner.
To ensure high standards for our clients, Symetris ensures that all our in-house developers are Acquia certified. We also count two Acquia-certified Drupal Grand Masters amongst our ranks—out of only 26 in all of Canada.
Worldwide, only 510 Drupalists have achieved Grand Master status. To qualify, a candidate must successfully pass exams as an Acquia-certified Developer, Back-End Specialist, and Front-End Specialist within a year. Each exam validates skills and knowledge in different areas, from fundamental web development to Drupal Core API. This 'triathlon' of Drupal tests is based on real-world scenarios to ensure a breadth of prior experience that helps enhance development. Without first-hand knowledge of Drupal projects and the challenges faced by clients, it's impossible to pass the exams.
When working with a Grand Master Drupal developer, you are getting one of the top developers in the world, with the knowledge of Drupal best practices and efficiency in mind. Above all, the Grand Master ensures a broader vision for your project. A Grand Master developer understands the fundamental issues behind the code and the strategic objectives to be achieved. Your project is a platform for continuous evolution – and this is how a Grand Master approaches it.
We hope this article has helped you understand the benefits of working with certified developers and the potential risks of not doing so.
To maximize return and mitigate risks for your digital investments, we highly recommend that as a client, you require your agencies to have certified developers work on your projects.
Find out more about how Symetris' certified Drupal developers can help you on your project by getting in touch with us today.
