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Warning: Certifications May Cause Unexpected Side Effects, The Goal Was One... The Journey Had Other
At the beginning of this year, I had a very simple goal.
"Let's complete at least one Atlassian Professional Certification this year."
Simple.
No pressure.
No crazy certification roadmap.
Just one.
Fast forward to the beginning of Q3...
That "one certification" somehow turned into:
✅ ACP-120 – Jira Administration for Cloud
✅ ACP-520 – Jira Service Management for Cloud
✅ ACP-620 – Managing Jira Projects for Cloud
...and now I'm already preparing for the remaining two certifications.
It's funny how learning works.
You prepare for one certification thinking,
"This should be enough for this year."
Then you clear it...
Your brain immediately says,
"That wasn't too bad... let's do one more." 😄
And before you know it...
You're already planning the next one.
Does the Order of Certifications Matter?
One question I get quite often is,
"Which certification should I start with?"
If you're planning to complete the ACP series, I'd recommend going from basic to advanced.
Personally, I feel completing ACP-620 before ACP-420 gives you a much better understanding of how Jira Projects work before diving deeper into administration concepts.
Did I intentionally follow that order?
Honestly...
I still don't know. 😂
I completed ACP-120 first, then ACP-520, and then directly jumped into ACP-620.
Planned?
Maybe.
Accidental?
Maybe.
Useful?
Definitely.
Sometimes your learning journey creates its own roadmap.
The Real Motivation Isn't the Badge
People usually think certifications are all about collecting badges.
For me...
It's something completely different.
It's the momentum.
The first certification gives you confidence.
The second one proves it wasn't luck.
The third one makes you believe,
"Maybe I can actually complete the whole series."
That's exactly what happened to me.
At the beginning of the year, one certification felt like a big achievement.
Today, I'm working toward completing the remaining two.
That's the fun part about learning.
Every certification teaches you something new, but more importantly...
It gives you the confidence to chase the next challenge.
My Preparation Strategy
If you've read my previous articles, you'll probably know my favorite study partner already.
How I Achieved My ACP-120 Certification (With a Little Help from AI)
Swimming Through the Atlassian Ocean 🌊 | My ACP-520 Journey - Funny M
Yes... ChatGPT again. 😄
No, it didn't write the exam.
It simply helped me prepare smarter.
My study approach is always the same.
📖 Read the official Atlassian documentation.
🧠 Understand one topic completely.
🤖 Ask ChatGPT to generate difficult, exam-style MCQs based only on that topic.
If I answered confidently...
I moved to the next topic.
If not...
Back to the documentation.
Repeat.
Repeat.
Repeat.
It sounds simple.
Because it actually is.
The goal isn't to memorize answers.
The goal is to understand why the answer is correct.
That's what makes the difference during the exam.
What I've Learned Along the Way
If there's one thing these three certifications have taught me, it's this:
Learning is addictive.
Not in a bad way.
In the best possible way.
Every certification opens the door to something new.
Every challenge makes the next one feel a little less intimidating.
And suddenly, your biggest competition isn't the exam anymore...
It's your own curiosity.
Now, only two more remain:
🎯 ACP-420
🎯 ACP-220
Hopefully, I'll be writing another article soon saying...
"Well... there goes another certification!" 😄
Until then...
Happy learning, keep exploring, and don't be surprised if "one certification this year" turns into three.
Because trust me...
That's exactly how it starts. 😉🚀
Now if you'll excuse me... I have two more certifications patiently waiting to remind me that weekends are apparently meant for Atlassian documentation. 😂📚
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Thanks!
Hari Krishna
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