Certification & ITBA

2024 was the year the most things happened in the least amount of time. Three big processes, almost overlapping, each with its own weight. It was also the year I set out to build new projects and work on v2 of my portfolio - a version that ran its course but one I'm genuinely fond of.

In April I enrolled in an intensive Código Facilito bootcamp focused on the AI-102, a certification that was new at the time. The program had only 500 spots for all of Latin America. Getting one of those spots was already an achievement in itself.

The weeks were intense. Two-hour classes, a lot of content, expert tutors and teachers. A real opportunity to gain ground in the Cloud and AI world. Those who completed the bootcamp successfully received a free Microsoft voucher to take the AI-102, which also opened the door to Microsoft's Innovation Challenge Hackathon - an event you could only access if you held that certification along with certain applied skills.

The exam had to be taken before May 25th to be eligible for the hackathon. I scheduled it for the 24th.

That left me just over a month to prepare for an exam most people recommend studying two to three months for. The AI-102 has case studies, trick questions and analysis scenarios that don't appear anywhere else. I was genuinely afraid I wouldn't make it. I studied for weeks, reviewed Azure services I'd never touched in depth, and on exam day there were still questions that made me doubt myself. After two hours online, I passed. Seeing the approval screen and then the certificate appear on my Microsoft profile was a moment that stayed with me.

The Innovation Challenge was the first time I worked in an environment that genuinely resembled something professional with real pressure. I didn't necessarily want to win. I wanted to prove to myself that I could function there, make quick technical decisions, work with a team under time pressure and deliver something that made sense. I didn't win, but the experience was complete and enjoyable. Seeing teams from different parts of the world participate, and being there with an exclusive Microsoft invitation, isn't something that happens every day. I left with more confidence than I arrived with.

Selected among 60 nationwide spots at one of the most important universities in Latin America. Intense, but the best part of the year.

The selection process was already demanding. Making it into 60 people nationwide for a Full Stack certification at ITBA doesn't happen without preparation. What came after was even heavier: eight sprints under Scrum, real architecture decisions, intensive classes, activities and a technical interview near the end of the program. DuckBank was the final project. It wasn't perfect but it was honest, and I learned more in those months than I had in a long time before. Concepts I already knew, techniques I didn't, and the feeling that environments like that change the way you see development.

I ended the year with over 30 badges accumulated and with the certainty that 2024 had demanded something from me that the previous years hadn't been able to. It was a full year of progress and new knowledge.