Symetris Lead Developer Achieves “triathlon of Drupal certifications”

We are thrilled to announce that Heath Stannard, one of Symetris' lead developers, has earned the Acquia Drupal 8 Grand Master certification! This is the most prestigious Drupal certification, and makes Heath the fourth Grand Master in Quebec, the 17th in Canada, and one of just 308 around the world.

Heath’s certification reinforces the leading position held for several years by Symetris as the agency with the largest team of Drupal-certified developers in Quebec. Indeed, all of our developers are certified in a range of Drupal competencies. That’s quite a badge collection!

Acquia Drupal 8 Grand Master Certification: the triathlon of Drupal certifications

Acquia is the leading open-source digital experience platform built around Drupal. Acquia offers the premier professional certification program for Drupal and the Acquia Platform, and certification is a trusted benchmark for excellence and mastery of Drupal.

To achieve the prestigious Grand Master accreditation, a candidate must pass the Developer, Front End, and Back End Acquia certification exams within a year. Each exam validates skills and knowledge in different areas, from fundamental web development to Drupal Core API. This is no easy feat! It is the highest-ranking Drupal certification available, and the triathlon of development requires expertise in multiple areas of focus.

The real-world scenarios included in the testing process 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.

What does an Acquia Grand Master bring to your digital project?

Passing three of the most challenging Drupal certification exams is a daunting task and doing so in less than a year is a brilliant achievement. But how does the time and effort needed to pass these certification exams translate to your project success?

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. Staying up to date on industry trends gives him a unique perspective on each Drupal challenge.

Plus, your solution will be influenced by someone with a well-rounded background of the entire development Drupal landscape, not just specialization in front end or back end development. This full-stack capability helps the developer better understand how the different pieces of a project come together to create a powerful, flexible, and scalable digital platform.

Above all, the Grand Master ensures a broader vision for your project. Beyond the quality of the code and the experience, what a Grand Master developer brings is an understanding of the real issues behind the code and a precise alignment with the strategic objectives to be achieved. Your project is a platform for continuous evolution – and this is how a Grand Master approaches it.

Once again, congrats Heath Stannard!