Getting Ready for Training

Developers come to Sitecore Certified Developer training with varying levels of experience. In general, we recommend the following guidelines for attendees:

1) At least 12 months’ experience with ASP.NET.
2) Be able to reference at least one in-production ASP.NET project.
3) Work with ASP.NET on a regular basis.

While the training itself doesn't include a deep discussion of Sitecore and ASP.NET, confidence with ASP.NET development practices is always a significant predictor of success.

There are exceptions to this rule. Many experienced Java developers have shown success in the training. A commonality between their experience and that of ASP.NET developers can be distilled into the following attributes:

1) Experience with OO concepts
2) Knowledge of web application architectures
3) Production-level experience with web application development and deployment

One other category of students have shown great success in SCD1: developers with experience implementing CMS systems. If you already have worked with other CMS's (and not just home-grown site administration tools), the Sitecore training will likely be easy for you.

What if you are new to .NET and/or new to CMS? The class will be a (hopefully fun) challenge. The key predictor of success in this case is the availability of time to practice using the CMS before and after the training. Sitecore has a steep, but short learning curve. The initial training may be challenging; but, with practice, the concepts will sink in and become obvious over time.

For those new to .NET and CMS, make sure your first project is either a prototype or a "phase I" implementation. Don't take on too much complexity out of the gate. Experience your growing pains in small-scale, low-stakes projects. If that is not an option, seek out professional services from an experienced partner or Sitecore to help you through your first implementation.

You may also be interested in "project review" services. Sitecore can provide architectural feedback on your initial architecture design. Talk to your sales person if you are interested in this option, as it is well worth it. Experienced partners can also offer this service.