The process of being certified as an Agile/Scrum Master involves attending two and three-day classroom sessions (respectively), at the end of which the certificate is awarded. The certification is not awarded based on any formal exam conducted to evaluate how proficiently you have grasped the concepts of Agile/Scrum. You might admittedly be skeptical about how much of Agile or Scrum are you going to master in these two days? If not, is there a need to be certified at all? Will having an Agile/Scrum Master certification automatically further your career?
To put it simplistically, the answer to the above questions would be a NO. You cannot become an Agile/Scrum Master in two days and being certified does not automatically propel you into having a successful career in managing software development. However, the answer is not such a simple “no”.
Concepts of Agile/Scrum are vast and complex and cannot be mastered in a two-day classroom training session. The only way to truly master Agile/ Scrum is to internalize the concepts and practice them on a daily basis. It takes several months to years of such practice, depending on how well you have implemented the practices, to master Agile/ Scrum. The two days of classroom sessions, however, puts you on the right track and makes you more focused about using the tools and knowledge outlined in the domains. The principles of Agile/Scrum are worded in a simple language, however, the essence of these methods lie in how the tools can be implemented effectively. Such insights are best provided by trainers who have firsthand experience in implementing them.
As Agile/Scrum Methodologies become more widely adopted in the software development industry, it is not uncommon for several job recruiters screen applications based on a criteria of Agile/Scrum Certification. It can act as a gateway to a career as an Agile/Scrum Master. It is important to remember that a certification does not act as a substitute for hands-on learning that is gained from implementing the knowledge in a work environment.
