If the Data Engineer Associate was the main quest, this badge was definitely a side quest worth taking.

After two months without writing about tech stuff, I decided it was time to share my experience earning the Databricks Administration Badge.

A couple of weeks ago, after some focused study, I unlocked this badge — and honestly, it felt like a satisfying power-up in my upskilling journey. I was already proud of holding the Databricks Data Engineer Associate certification, but during the last six months I’ve been leading a big project at my company, and that challenge made me realize I wasn’t fully prepared.

Basically, I’ve been responsible for building our data platform from scratch using Databricks. When I first took this project under my wings, the pressure was intense. Imposter Syndrome hit hard. It wasn’t just about plugging Databricks into a cloud provider and calling it a day. I had to think about security, data governance, the Medallion Architecture, permissions for reading and writing data, and much more.

At first, I couldn’t even get hands-on because of account setup blocks on the cloud provider side. The only thing I could do was study. That’s when I decided to go after the Databricks Administration Badge. There’s no formal certification for this track yet, but the badge turned out to be a great way to learn the concepts that run in the background of every Databricks workspace.

So, what does the badge cover?

• Managing identities (users, AD groups, admin groups) and when to use them
• Handling compute resources and setting up guardrails
• Understanding permission levels for different data assets
• Diving deeper into governance with Unity Catalog
• And more platform fundamentals

Compared to the Data Engineer Associate certification (which focuses on Python, Spark, and pipelines), this badge felt like taking a look behind the curtain — learning how engineers actually use all those components in a properly configured environment.

For preparation, I used the Databricks Academy course, which provided solid content and demos. Unlike the Associate certification, I didn’t need to chase extra courses or resources — this one was simpler, though not “easy.” I studied about four hours a week, taking notes and rewatching modules to really absorb the concepts.

One key lesson: Databricks is not just a platform — it’s an ecosystem. It powers secure data management and enables the AI era to grow at scale. On a daily basis, the most valuable takeaways for me were best practices around Unity Catalog, cluster guardrails, and learning how to avoid some of the mistakes I’ve seen in the current platform at work.

Now, I can say this badge is another skill tree unlocked in my portfolio. It strengthens the foundation of the Associate certification, helps me design healthier data platforms, and opens new doors for my career as a Data Engineer.

Would I recommend it? Absolutely. Especially if you’re an engineer who only knows Databricks from the “user side.” This badge can expand your perspective, add value to your CV, and unlock new quests in your career. And don’t worry — it won’t cost you any XP points from your RPG character.

What started as a way to fill a knowledge gap ended up being a big confidence boost in my daily work. The Databricks Administration badge might not be as flashy as the Associate certification, but it builds the foundation for everything else — and that’s what makes it powerful.