As organizations transition toward cloud-native infrastructures, Kubernetes has emerged as the foundational platform for managing containerized applications. Mastery of Kubernetes is increasingly viewed as a highly valuable skill in the modern IT landscape. Professionals seeking to validate their Kubernetes capabilities often consider two major certifications: the Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) and the Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD). Both certifications serve distinct purposes and cater to different professional roles.
In a competitive job market where employers prioritize demonstrable expertise, certifications such as CKA and CKAD stand out. They not only reflect deep technical knowledge but also a commitment to continuous learning. Understanding the structure, intent, and advantages of each certification can help aspiring candidates make informed decisions.
This article offers a detailed examination of these two prominent credentials, providing clarity on their objectives, target audiences, content areas, and real-world value.
A Look Into Kubernetes Certification Options
Professional certifications provide a structured approach to learning and validating knowledge. In the case of Kubernetes, certifications focus on practical skills, as the technology itself is hands-on and task-driven. Kubernetes is no longer a niche tool reserved for a few organizations—it has become an industry standard for managing workloads across distributed systems.
Kubernetes certifications reflect competency in different facets of the ecosystem. One focuses on operational expertise and infrastructure management, while the other is tailored toward application development and deployment within the Kubernetes platform. Both share a performance-based format but differ in focus, prerequisites, and intended outcomes.
The two primary certifications recognized globally are:
- Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA)
- Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD)
Both are maintained by the organization responsible for supporting cloud-native technologies. These certifications have become benchmarks for identifying professionals capable of working with Kubernetes effectively.
Understanding the Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA)
The Certified Kubernetes Administrator designation is ideal for professionals involved in managing Kubernetes clusters. This includes tasks such as configuring network policies, maintaining storage, scaling clusters, and handling security issues. The exam is designed to reflect real-world scenarios, focusing on the practical application of skills.
The structure of the exam emphasizes task-based learning. Instead of selecting from multiple-choice answers, candidates perform actual administrative tasks using a command-line interface. This ensures that individuals earning the credential are well-prepared to handle production environments.
The exam is two hours long, delivered online under supervision, and requires completing various hands-on tasks. Upon passing, the certification remains valid for three years.
Key Topics Covered in the CKA Exam
The CKA exam spans several core domains. Each domain is weighted to reflect its importance in a real-world administrative context:
- Cluster Architecture, Installation, and Configuration – 25%
- Workload Scheduling and Management – 15%
- Networking and Services – 20%
- Storage Management – 10%
- Troubleshooting and Recovery – 30%
This coverage ensures that administrators understand the entire lifecycle of a Kubernetes cluster—from setup to day-to-day operation and troubleshooting.
Skills Validated by CKA
Professionals who pass the CKA exam typically demonstrate a strong grasp of:
- Initial cluster setup and bootstrapping
- Deploying and managing system services
- Configuring network interfaces and service discovery
- Integrating persistent storage
- Diagnosing and resolving performance issues
- Implementing security controls
These skills are vital for anyone managing large-scale container orchestration environments, where high availability, reliability, and performance are paramount.
Professional Benefits of Holding a CKA Certification
Achieving CKA status offers multiple career advantages. For starters, it signifies readiness for roles involving platform reliability and DevOps engineering. It also serves as a stepping stone for more specialized infrastructure certifications.
Earning this certification can lead to:
- Higher salary potential
- Access to senior-level roles
- Greater credibility among peers and employers
- Confidence in managing real-world Kubernetes platforms
It also prepares professionals to contribute meaningfully to architectural decisions involving cloud infrastructure and automation frameworks.
Exploring the Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD)
While the CKA focuses on the underlying platform, the Certified Kubernetes Application Developer certification addresses the developer’s interaction with Kubernetes. It assesses the candidate’s ability to build, configure, and deploy applications that run efficiently within a Kubernetes environment.
Developers often work closely with infrastructure teams, but their concerns are centered around how applications are structured, packaged, and operated within the platform. This certification focuses on those concerns, emphasizing tasks such as defining configuration files, managing secrets, handling deployments, and ensuring observability.
The CKAD exam shares the same delivery format and duration as the CKA. It is conducted online under proctoring and consists entirely of performance-based challenges completed using a command-line interface.
Areas Covered in the CKAD Exam
The exam evaluates knowledge across several essential development areas. These are carefully chosen to mirror the daily responsibilities of Kubernetes developers:
- Application Design and Build – 20%
- Application Deployment – 20%
- Observability and Maintenance – 15%
- Configuration and Security – 25%
- Networking and Service Interaction – 20%
Each topic targets real tasks developers must perform when working with applications deployed in Kubernetes.
Skills Validated by CKAD
Certified individuals are expected to demonstrate proficiency in:
- Writing configuration manifests
- Using labels and selectors for application grouping
- Exposing applications to the internet or internal services
- Managing container lifecycle hooks and probes
- Debugging failing applications
- Implementing secure practices for secrets and configuration
This certification showcases that a developer is fluent in the principles of cloud-native design and capable of deploying scalable, secure applications using Kubernetes.
Career Advantages of the CKAD Credential
Developers holding a CKAD certificate often find enhanced opportunities in roles such as DevOps engineer, software developer, and application architect. It also allows for deeper collaboration with infrastructure teams, as it provides insight into how applications behave in production.
Some benefits of this certification include:
- Stronger developer productivity through understanding of platform behaviors
- Improved deployment practices
- Opportunities for contributing to architectural planning
- Enhanced ability to participate in continuous delivery workflows
In teams that embrace agile methodologies and containerized deployment, this certification helps bridge the gap between development and operations.
Distinguishing Between the Two Certifications
Although both certifications validate Kubernetes expertise, they target different aspects of the ecosystem. Understanding the distinctions can help you align your learning with your career ambitions.
Focus and Objective
The CKA emphasizes operational tasks, including node management, system services, and networking. It is designed for those responsible for maintaining and optimizing Kubernetes infrastructure.
In contrast, the CKAD targets application-related skills, such as configuring deployments, monitoring application health, and handling runtime configuration. It caters to those building solutions for Kubernetes rather than maintaining the environment itself.
Recommended Background Knowledge
Candidates considering the CKA should have experience in Linux systems, knowledge of networking principles, and familiarity with Kubernetes operations. Those aiming for the CKAD are expected to understand containerized application development, be proficient in programming fundamentals, and know how to interact with Kubernetes API resources.
Examination Structure and Style
Despite their differences in content, both exams are similar in how they are conducted. They are:
- Task-based
- Command-line driven
- Time-constrained to two hours
- Delivered remotely and monitored
They both emphasize practical skill application rather than theoretical knowledge.
Certification Duration and Cost
Both credentials have a three-year validity and are offered at a similar price point. Candidates are given one free retake in case they do not pass on their first attempt.
Determining Which Path Fits Your Role
Your professional background and responsibilities are critical factors in selecting the right certification.
- If you manage clusters, maintain uptime, troubleshoot system issues, and design scalable environments, the administrator path is better suited for you.
- If you build applications, handle deployments, optimize application performance, and collaborate closely with infrastructure teams, the developer path is more appropriate.
Some professionals choose to pursue both certifications to gain a complete understanding of the Kubernetes platform. This combination is especially valuable in organizations that expect cross-functional collaboration.
Industry Demand and Career Outcomes
The job market continues to reflect the growing importance of Kubernetes. Both certifications are seen as valuable assets by hiring managers. However, the specific credential that holds more weight depends on the role being hired.
For infrastructure-centric roles, employers tend to favor candidates with the CKA. These professionals often handle sensitive tasks related to uptime, cost optimization, and platform scalability. On the other hand, those working in development or DevOps environments benefit from the CKAD, which proves that they can integrate applications into container environments efficiently.
Industry salary surveys indicate that professionals with Kubernetes certifications command strong compensation packages. While the actual salary can vary by region, experience, and company size, certified professionals consistently earn more than their non-certified peers.
Kubernetes has become the backbone of cloud-native architecture, and acquiring a recognized certification is a powerful way to establish credibility. Whether you aim to manage the platform or build applications on top of it, the right certification can help you stand out and advance your career.
The Certified Kubernetes Administrator certification equips individuals with the tools and knowledge to manage complex Kubernetes infrastructure. Meanwhile, the Certified Kubernetes Application Developer focuses on empowering developers to work effectively within that infrastructure.
By evaluating your goals, existing skills, and future aspirations, you can determine which certification aligns best with your path. For those who want to be well-versed in both development and operations, earning both certifications creates a comprehensive foundation for success in Kubernetes-related roles.
Diving Deeper into Certified Kubernetes Administrator and Developer Certifications
The demand for Kubernetes knowledge continues to grow as companies expand their use of containerized infrastructure. Certifications such as the Certified Kubernetes Administrator and the Certified Kubernetes Application Developer have gained strong recognition for validating a person’s capability to work effectively with Kubernetes. While both certifications cover different aspects of the technology, understanding their practical relevance, comparison points, and preparation strategies is crucial for achieving success.
This article provides an in-depth comparison of the two credentials, focusing on content differences, real-world applications, and practical advice for mastering the exams.
Comparing the Focus Areas: Platform vs Application
One of the clearest distinctions between these certifications lies in their core purpose. Both rely on the same underlying technology—Kubernetes—but each looks at it from a different angle.
The Certified Kubernetes Administrator places its emphasis on platform stability, scalability, and operability. It is meant for individuals who ensure that Kubernetes clusters operate efficiently under varying conditions. This includes tasks such as managing node health, applying networking configurations, and scaling services.
The Certified Kubernetes Application Developer, by contrast, explores how developers build and deploy software that runs on Kubernetes. It evaluates how well a candidate can use Kubernetes primitives like deployments, services, and secrets to deliver applications that are reliable and manageable.
These certifications therefore support two key functions of modern DevOps and cloud-native teams: the infrastructure side, where clusters are provisioned and monitored; and the development side, where applications are packaged and released.
Skill Sets Measured in the Exams
The Certified Kubernetes Administrator exam is structured to measure the operational capabilities of an administrator. Candidates are evaluated on how well they can manage system components, troubleshoot issues, and configure core Kubernetes resources to support cluster functionality.
The Certified Kubernetes Application Developer exam is crafted to assess how a developer uses Kubernetes features to build and manage applications. Rather than infrastructure tuning, the focus is on deploying workloads, using ConfigMaps and secrets, creating health checks, and managing application state.
The skills measured in each certification serve different goals. One ensures reliability of the Kubernetes system as a whole, and the other guarantees efficient deployment and management of software within it.
Structural Overview of the Exam Format
Both exams follow a practical, task-based format conducted through a command-line interface. Each exam is two hours long and consists of various real-life scenarios that candidates must solve within the time frame.
Rather than traditional multiple-choice or theoretical questions, candidates complete hands-on challenges in a simulated Kubernetes environment. Each task carries a certain weight and may involve building, modifying, or diagnosing Kubernetes resources.
Because of this practical approach, success in either exam depends heavily on direct experience with Kubernetes tools and workflows. It’s not enough to memorize documentation; candidates must be capable of performing tasks quickly and accurately under time pressure.
Certification Validity and Renewal
Each certification remains valid for a period of three years. Once the validity period ends, professionals must retake the exam to maintain their status. This renewal cycle encourages certified individuals to stay current with the latest Kubernetes updates and best practices.
The exams are regularly updated to reflect new developments in the Kubernetes project, including changes to APIs, new features, and revised best practices. Professionals are therefore encouraged to continue learning even after earning their credentials.
Evaluating Prerequisites and Background Requirements
While there are no formal prerequisites for either certification, success depends on having a solid foundation in several key areas.
For the Certified Kubernetes Administrator, a strong background in Linux system administration is helpful. Candidates should understand network configuration, security best practices, shell scripting, and the basic architecture of distributed systems. Prior hands-on experience running Kubernetes clusters—either on cloud platforms or in local environments—is essential.
For the Certified Kubernetes Application Developer, experience writing and deploying containerized applications is a key advantage. Candidates should understand the application lifecycle, configuration management, and service exposure techniques. Basic familiarity with container images, development workflows, and continuous integration practices will significantly boost readiness.
While both certifications require familiarity with Kubernetes fundamentals, the areas of focus—platform management versus application lifecycle—demand different practical experiences.
Salary and Job Opportunities
Both certifications are associated with career benefits, although the roles they support differ in scope and function. Certified Kubernetes Administrators often qualify for system engineering, DevOps, platform reliability, and cloud architecture positions. These roles typically involve configuring systems, maintaining uptime, and ensuring security and compliance.
Certified Kubernetes Application Developers are well-positioned for roles such as software engineer, DevOps developer, cloud-native application designer, and CI/CD specialist. These positions focus more on designing software that can efficiently run in containerized and scalable environments.
Data from compensation surveys reveals that professionals holding Kubernetes certifications tend to earn above-average salaries. Roles involving deep infrastructure responsibilities often come with higher compensation due to the critical nature of the tasks, while application-focused roles offer strong career progression and technical leadership opportunities.
Choosing the Certification That Matches Your Role
Professionals deciding between the two certifications should reflect on their current responsibilities and long-term goals.
Those who spend more time managing servers, automating infrastructure tasks, configuring networks, or troubleshooting system issues are best suited for the Certified Kubernetes Administrator. It aligns with operational excellence, infrastructure resilience, and system-level oversight.
Those who focus on coding, application design, release management, and feature deployment will benefit more from the Certified Kubernetes Application Developer. It confirms their ability to deliver software that behaves well in dynamic container environments.
However, some professionals straddle both areas. In such cases, pursuing both certifications can offer a balanced and comprehensive skill profile. Understanding both the platform and the application layers provides a strong foundation for senior DevOps, cloud architecture, and site reliability roles.
Preparation Strategy for Success
Because both certifications are hands-on and performance-based, preparation requires practical engagement with Kubernetes. Below are techniques that improve readiness for either exam:
Establish a Practice Environment
Creating your own Kubernetes lab is essential. This can be done using local tools or through access to cloud environments. The goal is to recreate the scenarios you may encounter during the exam. Try deploying workloads, simulating failures, and exploring configuration options.
Focus on Official Resources
Familiarize yourself with the structure and layout of the official documentation. Both exams allow access to this documentation during testing. Knowing where to look for key information, such as command syntax or resource configuration, saves time and reduces errors.
Master Time Management
The time limit of two hours can feel short during the exam. Practice solving tasks under timed conditions to improve your efficiency. Prioritize tasks that are high in point value and skip those that feel overly time-consuming—return to them if time allows.
Reinforce Core Concepts
For CKA, concentrate on system setup, network policies, resource limits, and troubleshooting. Understand how services are created and maintained, how pods behave under load, and how storage is provisioned.
For CKAD, focus on manifests, environment variables, probes, volumes, and service exposure. Get comfortable using labels, selectors, config maps, and deployment strategies such as rolling updates.
Use Practice Challenges
Working through mock exams and lab scenarios reinforces knowledge. Choose challenges that replicate the exam format and gradually increase difficulty to simulate real testing conditions.
Join Study Groups and Forums
Collaborating with others can help fill in gaps in understanding. Many learners benefit from joining online communities where questions are discussed, errors are analyzed, and preparation strategies are shared.
Avoid Relying Solely on Passive Learning
Watching tutorials or reading documentation can only go so far. Interacting with the tools directly through trial, error, and correction helps internalize knowledge and improves response speed.
Tips for the Exam Day
- Before starting, review the exam environment and navigation tools
- Read each question carefully to understand what is being asked
- Keep a notepad ready to track which questions to revisit
- Save your work frequently and validate configurations
- Use kubectl shortcuts and tab-completion to speed up command entry
- Test deployments and verify output where required
- Don’t panic if something breaks; stay calm and troubleshoot step by step
The Role of Certification in Professional Development
Kubernetes certifications are more than just credentials—they represent a milestone in the journey toward cloud-native maturity. Whether you’re part of a startup, an enterprise IT department, or a DevOps team, having professionals with Kubernetes certifications adds confidence to operations.
Certification also encourages best practices and structured thinking. Candidates who go through the process develop habits that lead to fewer deployment issues, better resource allocation, and more efficient collaboration between teams.
As cloud adoption grows and platforms become more distributed, the value of Kubernetes skills will only increase. Having formal recognition of your abilities can open up opportunities that might otherwise be inaccessible.
Choosing between the Certified Kubernetes Administrator and the Certified Kubernetes Application Developer certifications comes down to your current focus and future ambition. Both options offer practical, real-world validation of skills that are highly sought after in modern IT roles.
The administrator path is best suited for those managing system health, performance, and scale. The developer route is better aligned with those crafting applications designed for cloud-native platforms.
Whichever path you take, the journey itself enhances your understanding of Kubernetes and strengthens your position in a competitive job market. With thorough preparation, hands-on practice, and a focused mindset, either certification can serve as a launchpad toward greater career success.
Advancing in the Kubernetes Ecosystem After Certification
Earning a Kubernetes certification—whether as an administrator or developer—is not the end goal but the beginning of a long-term journey toward cloud-native expertise. Kubernetes continues to evolve at a fast pace, and staying current means embracing new practices, exploring deeper functionality, and stepping into more specialized roles.
Certified individuals gain a strong foundation, but true mastery comes from applying those skills in real-world environments and evolving alongside the ecosystem. This section discusses the path forward after achieving certification, how to deepen your skills, and how to use your credentials to unlock further opportunities in the cloud-native space.
Transitioning from Certified to Expert
The leap from certification to expertise is marked by practical implementation. Certifications provide a solid structure for understanding Kubernetes features and functions, but practical deployment in complex environments is where true expertise is formed.
After certification, professionals often start working on more challenging tasks such as:
- Building fault-tolerant systems across multiple regions
- Optimizing workloads for cost and performance
- Creating and maintaining Helm charts or customized operators
- Managing clusters across hybrid or multi-cloud environments
- Implementing observability tools and tuning alerts
These tasks require deeper insight into Kubernetes internals, service meshes, policy engines, and third-party integrations.
Staying close to real deployments, contributing to architectural discussions, and handling production outages all serve to mature one’s abilities far beyond what the exam measures.
Expanding Your Role in a Cloud-Native Team
Earning the Certified Kubernetes Administrator or Certified Kubernetes Application Developer credential often leads to new responsibilities. Certified individuals may be asked to train teammates, lead platform migration projects, or design system improvements. In some organizations, they serve as the go-to resource for all Kubernetes-related inquiries.
As trust builds, these professionals are often promoted into roles such as:
- Site reliability engineer
- Kubernetes platform engineer
- DevOps lead
- Cloud architect
- Solutions engineer
- Technical project manager
The skills developed through certification are applicable beyond container orchestration. They touch areas such as infrastructure-as-code, CI/CD pipelines, system design, and service monitoring. Professionals who continue learning in these adjacent areas find themselves growing into leadership and strategic positions.
Bridging Knowledge Gaps Post-Certification
Certification provides a focused introduction to Kubernetes, but there are always areas left unexplored. To continue growing, certified professionals should identify and close the following common knowledge gaps:
Security and Policy Management
After certification, it’s important to deepen your understanding of Kubernetes security, including:
- Role-based access control mechanisms
- Pod security standards
- Network policies
- Secrets encryption
- Admission controllers
These concepts help secure workloads in multi-tenant and regulated environments.
Monitoring and Observability
Learning to integrate monitoring tools that track resource usage, application logs, and service metrics is essential. Understanding how to define alerts and track performance trends strengthens reliability engineering skills.
Resource Optimization
Resource requests and limits, autoscaling, and capacity planning are foundational to efficient operation in production. These topics ensure that Kubernetes clusters don’t just function but also scale economically.
Backup and Disaster Recovery
Understanding stateful workload backup strategies, restoring cluster components, and designing high-availability configurations are essential in production environments. These concepts go beyond the scope of basic certification but are critical for business continuity.
Advanced Networking
Certified professionals should further explore ingress controllers, service meshes, and multi-cluster networking. These concepts are essential for companies that require complex routing, encryption in transit, and fine-grained traffic control.
Pursuing Specialized Learning Tracks
After certification, professionals often explore additional tools and frameworks that extend Kubernetes functionality. Some of the areas for continued specialization include:
Service Mesh Technologies
Service meshes provide granular control over communication between services. Understanding tools that manage service discovery, retries, load balancing, and observability at the network layer can be useful in microservices architecture.
GitOps and Continuous Deployment
GitOps principles automate Kubernetes deployments using version control as the source of truth. Learning GitOps tooling provides an efficient and auditable way to manage infrastructure.
Kubernetes Operators
Operators extend the capabilities of Kubernetes by automating the management of custom resources. Professionals interested in building reusable management logic often learn to develop and deploy operators.
Multi-Cluster and Hybrid Deployments
As businesses expand their architecture, they often maintain multiple Kubernetes clusters. Managing federated services, global ingress, and unified monitoring becomes critical in such setups.
Cost Optimization
Resource management, auto-scaling, and monitoring consumption help reduce infrastructure costs. Certified professionals should also explore how to right-size workloads and use spot instances for non-critical applications.
Building a Reputation in the Kubernetes Community
Beyond technical skills, certified professionals can enhance their career by engaging with the broader Kubernetes community. This may include:
- Contributing to open-source Kubernetes projects
- Writing blog posts or technical guides based on real experiences
- Speaking at conferences, meetups, or webinars
- Participating in online forums to assist others
Being active in the community builds visibility and credibility, which often leads to new job offers, invitations to collaborate, and opportunities to shape future technologies.
Many Kubernetes contributors began their journeys with certifications and continued learning by engaging with community projects. This path offers a chance to influence the evolution of Kubernetes itself.
Maintaining Certification Over Time
As Kubernetes releases new versions and deprecates older APIs, certified professionals must stay informed to maintain relevance. Since certifications are valid for three years, maintaining readiness for renewal is essential.
To prepare for renewal:
- Stay updated with release notes and new features
- Revisit official learning resources
- Refresh hands-on experience in test environments
- Note any changes to exam content structure or weighting
Treating certification as an ongoing journey, rather than a one-time milestone, helps maintain confidence and credibility.
Planning a Long-Term Kubernetes Career Path
The world of Kubernetes offers many paths for long-term career growth. Once certified, professionals can evolve toward different trajectories depending on their interests and workplace demands.
Platform Leadership
Those who enjoy automation, architecture, and system reliability can move into roles responsible for building and managing platforms used by entire development teams. These roles often involve standardizing practices, evaluating tools, and setting organizational direction.
DevOps Coaching and Enablement
Professionals with a knack for teaching may take on coaching roles, helping teams adopt DevOps principles and Kubernetes practices. They guide cultural and technical transformation, supporting widespread adoption of cloud-native workflows.
Cloud Architecture and Strategy
Certified professionals with a broad understanding of application development, infrastructure, and business goals can grow into cloud architecture roles. These roles involve planning large-scale deployments and aligning technology decisions with organizational strategy.
Technical Product Management
Individuals who enjoy combining technical expertise with customer-facing skills may enter product management roles for cloud-native tools. Understanding Kubernetes helps shape the features and capabilities of the products being built.
Embracing a Culture of Lifelong Learning
Kubernetes does not exist in isolation. It connects with a wide range of technologies, methodologies, and frameworks. To remain competitive and capable, certified individuals must embrace continuous learning.
This means engaging with areas such as:
- Container security and compliance
- Microservices design principles
- API management and gateway tools
- Serverless workloads
- Automation platforms
By expanding your scope beyond just Kubernetes, you become more effective in designing and maintaining complete systems.
Curiosity, experimentation, and an open mindset are essential qualities for navigating the fast-changing cloud landscape.
Practical Advice for the Post-Certification Phase
Here are specific tips for certified professionals looking to move forward:
- Set personal projects to test new ideas
- Join a mentoring program to support others
- Volunteer in Kubernetes-focused open-source projects
- Subscribe to mailing lists or technical newsletters
- Document your learning and publish your insights
Doing so helps reinforce your knowledge and builds your public portfolio, which can be useful when applying for new roles or promotions.
Certification as a Gateway, Not the Destination
A Kubernetes certification opens doors, but the effort doesn’t stop there. What sets outstanding professionals apart is what they do after certification. Whether it’s helping a company adopt containerization, improving operational efficiency, or enabling faster delivery pipelines, the real value comes from applying knowledge effectively.
Professionals who continue evolving, take ownership of their career development, and contribute to the community often find that their influence—and impact—grows significantly over time.
Final Thoughts
Kubernetes certifications are powerful tools for establishing credibility in the cloud-native world. They serve as launchpads for professionals who want to deepen their expertise, specialize in emerging areas, or contribute to shaping the future of software delivery.
Whether you’ve earned the Certified Kubernetes Administrator, the Certified Kubernetes Application Developer, or both, the journey ahead is full of opportunities for growth. By engaging with real systems, expanding your knowledge base, and collaborating with the community, you can move from certified to expert and ultimately to industry leader.