Is the AZ-104 Certification Enough to Get a Cloud Job?

Of course, AZ-104 is a great starter kit for your Cloud learning, and a strong credential for entry-level cloud roles. But does it fit the market demand and standards for someone to start right away and get their certification and job? Let us dig deeper into the nuances and breakdown of the AZ 104 certification to get a cloud job in 2025.

Table of Contents
ToggleThe Evolution into Cloud-First Infrastructure Why do companies choose Certified Professionals?What is the AZ-104 Certification?Overview of Microsoft Azure Administrator AssociateExam Prerequisites and FormatIs AZ-104 a Good Entry Point to Azure Cloud Jobs?Roles Targeted by AZ-104 (Administrator, Support, Operations)What are the Azure Job Market Trends in 2025 Like?Key 2025 Job Trend revolving around AZ 104Recruiter Expectations vs. Certification-Only CandidatesWhat Kind of Jobs Can You Get With Just an AZ-104?Limitations in Relying Only on AZ-104Why AZ-104 Alone May Not Be Enough for Mid-Level Roles?How to Strengthen Your Profile Beyond AZ-104?Tips from Successful AZ-104 Learners●      Lab First, Theory Later●      Join Study Groups●      Document EverythingTo Sum up

The Evolution into Cloud-First Infrastructure 

In the recent cloud-first era, there are obvious career surges fueled by global digital transformation. The demand for remote work, rapid technology like AI, DevOps, and Data analytics is highly adopted in all sectors, from finance to healthcare. This increases critical workload in platforms like Microsoft Azure, AWS, and Google Cloud to manage and sustain their scalability, flexibility and cost efficiency. Therefore, this creates a huge demand for professionals and certified individuals to take up Cloud administrator, Cloud support engineer,  and DevOps Associate roles.

Why do companies choose Certified Professionals?

In this competitive landscape, Certifications help hiring cut down certain layers and choose the right candidates, especially for the entry level. Serving not only as a proof of technical knowledge but also recruiters and automated systems to use in shortlisting candidates. These certifications also open doors to professionals from non-traditional backgrounds, validating their skills in times of career changes. Certification like Microsoft AZ-104 extends credibility and clear signalling for commitment, which makes them stand out in the job market. These certifications majorly bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and job readiness.

What is the AZ-104 Certification?

The AZ 104: Microsoft Azure Administrator Associate certification is a role-based credential by Microsoft Azure. It validates the ability of the candidate to manage cloud services on the Microsoft Azure Platform. The certification is for IT professionals looking to kickstart and grow in their cloud administrator career. The certification validates the ability to implement, manage, and monitor identity, governance, storage, computer, and virtual networks in a cloud environment. As the AZ 104 certification is considered the stepping stone for a cloud career in the Microsoft Azure path, it is perfect to start with for roles like system administrators, network administrators, and those transitioning into cloud-focused roles.

Overview of Microsoft Azure Administrator Associate

As the main focus of AZ 104 is to validate real-world job skills over theoretical knowledge, for those transitioning into cloud, here are your typical responsibilities as an Azure Administrator.The certification maps directly to the role for individuals to work with deploying and managing infrastructure in Azure. Makes it a practical and job-ready credential for entry and mid-level cloud jobs.

Exam Prerequisites and Format

There are no particular formal prerequisites to take the AZ-104 exam. However, it is recommended to have at least 6 months of hands-on experience in Azure administration tasks. Being familiar with core services like VMs, storage accounts and Virtual networks, it can be extremely helpful before attempting the exam.As the exam is given via Pearson VUE – online proctoring or test centre, including real-world scenarios that test decision-making and troubleshooting abilities over theoretical recall.

Is AZ-104 a Good Entry Point to Azure Cloud Jobs?

The AZ 104 Microsoft Azure Administrator Associate certification is a gateway to Azure-based careers that align with real-world job roles, market expectations, and hiring standards in 2025.

Roles Targeted by AZ-104 (Administrator, Support, Operations)

This role-based AZ 104 Certification is designed for individuals to maintain and operate Azure environments, which necessarily build them from the ground up. Here is the list of roles aligned to this certification.

Azure Administrator

The Core responsibilities are to configure VMs, manage virtual networks, and ensure identity & access control.

Cloud Support Engineer

Troubleshoot user issues, VM outages, misconfigurations, and performance problems.

IT Operations / SysAdmin Roles

Handle migration of on-prem resources to Azure, monitor usage, and enforce security policies.

DevOps Support (Entry-level)

Though it’s not a DevOps cert, AZ-104 skills form a base for junior DevOps support roles focused on infrastructure-as-code and automation tools.
If you’re targeting support, operations, or administration roles, AZ-104 certification aligns directly with job responsibilities and tools for daily usage, especially in companies adopting or scaling with Azure.

What are the Azure Job Market Trends in 2025 Like?

The cloud job market in 2025 is currently seeing a two-fold shift,
1. Cloud specialisation by platform
Organisations hire based on cloud vendor expertise like AWS, Azure, or GCP rather than generic cloud engineers, which requires Azure-specific certification.
2. Rise in platform operation roles.
The increased need for professionals who can maintain uptime, optimise performance and ensure governance that focuses on areas of AZ 104.

Key 2025 Job Trend revolving around AZ 104

Azure is growing its adoption in the Government, Manufacturing, Finance, and Education sectors due to compliance features.
Massive shift towards a hybrid cloud model, where the Azure Arc and on-prem integrations are strong for administration.
Increased hiring for Cloud operation, FinOps and Support roles, which are especially needed for mid-sized companies lacking large SRE or DevOps teams.

According to IDC and LinkedIn reports

Azure Administrator is in the top 5 in-demand roles
Over 60% of Azure Job descriptions in 2025 have “Administration Experience”  or “Monitoring and Configuration”  are key skills, which are directly mapped to AZ 104 domains.

AZ 104 certification aligns with market growth, with hands-on cloud operators, not just architects.

Recruiter Expectations vs. Certification-Only Candidates

Just having an AZ 104 certification won’t guarantee a job, but it has all the possibilities to improve your profile when it’s combined with the right content.
1. What is the recruiter’s expectation?

Basic cloud literacy + hands-on familiarity
Ability to navigate the Azure portal, manage VMs, set up storage & networks
Experience with identity management (RBAC, Azure AD)
Awareness of security controls and monitoring tools

2. Where will a certification-only candidate fall short?

Often lacks practical application.
To practically know how to troubleshoot a VM that won’t start or set up a load balancer for autoscaling.
Over-reliance on memorisation

The recruiters test for scenario-thinking, not textbook recall.

Struggle in interviews

When asked about cost optimisation, governance setup, or hybrid deployment scenarios.
The Best Candidates are those who can use AZ 104 knowledge as a foundation in real time. Pair it with labs and document hands-on projects or stimulation on GitHub or LinkedIn to show their extensive knowledge and interest in the skill they have.
The Recruiters do respect AZ 104 certification as a baseline for refining candidates, but demonstrated problem-solving and context-building skills are highly considered in the hiring process.

What Kind of Jobs Can You Get With Just an AZ-104?

The AZ 104: Microsoft Azure Administrator Associate certification evaluates a candidate’s core infrastructure and operation skills in Azure. But not open doors for advanced roles like engineer or Architect.
1. Typical job titles as Entry-level Cloud Support / IT Admin Roles

Cloud Support Associate (Azure)
Azure Administrator – L1 or L2
Junior Cloud Operations Engineer
IT Systems Administrator (Cloud-focused)
Azure Infrastructure Support Technician

These roles involve tasks like creating and managing virtual machines, handling Azure subscriptions and RBAC, monitoring resources and responding to alerts, managing Azure Storage, networking, and backups and performing basic security and compliance configurations.
AZ 104 directly covers skills to aid in getting practical admin-level knowledge, no high-level design, but just day-to-day infrastructure work.
2. Service Desk to Cloud Ops Transitions

Cloud Operations Analyst
Azure Migration Technician
DevOps Support Engineer (Entry-level)
IT Ops with Azure Focus

IT support, desktop engineering, or system administration, AZ-104 strategically upgrades to signal your ability to operate in the cloud.  This transitions you from on-prem servers to Azure VMs and services, from manual maintenance to scripted deployments and monitoring and hardware tickets to cloud incident response and automation.
As AZ 104 demonstrates hybrid knowledge, it helps companies that want to reskill or hire candidates who understand both legacy and transformed cloud environments.

Real-world Job Listings That Require AZ-104

Azure Administrator – Tier 1
Junior Cloud Engineer (Azure)
IT Support Specialist with Azure Experience
Cloud Service Desk Technician (Azure

As companies are increasingly building roles around platform certifications to streamline hiring. And the current job market reveals thousands of listings for AZ 104 requirements. AZ-104 acts as a trust signal for recruiters scanning for cloud readiness.

Limitations in Relying Only on AZ-104

1. Skill Gaps: DevOps, Scripting, and Networking Depth
When AZ 104 covers Azure administration tasks like VM management, storage, identity, and basic networking, its focus is on otherwise not in detail.

DevOps tooling – CI/CD pipelines, GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps
Infrastructure as Code – ARM, Bicep, or Terraform in practice
Advanced Networking – Routing, firewalls, load balancing strategies
Automation/Scripting – Minimal coverage of PowerShell, Azure CLI

This limits the ability to handle real-world automation and deployment tasks, which more often play a major role even for juniors. To note, hiring managers look for basic scripting or IaC exposure even for administration or operations roles. AZ-104 alone doesn’t prove that unless backed by portfolio work.
2. Experience vs. Certification Dilemma
“You need experience to get the job, but you need the job to get experience” is a common catch. With AZ-104, you gain the knowledge, but that does not replace hands-on experience. Without:

Lab projects
Open-source contributions
Internship or freelance experience

AZ-104 is not enough to stand out from other candidates, especially in saturated markets. When you pair your certification with proof of execution, like a GitHub repo, LinkedIn demo, or simulated project, you can bridge the gap effectively.

Why AZ-104 Alone May Not Be Enough for Mid-Level Roles?

AZ-104 is an Associate-level cert. When you’re aiming for roles like Cloud Engineer, DevOps Engineer, Solution Architect (Cloud) and Site Reliability Engineer (SRE). You will need more in-depth knowledge of

High availability designs
Cost optimisation strategies
Policy and compliance automation
Hybrid or multi-cloud infrastructure setups

They fall in the AZ 305 Architect and AZ 400 DevOps territory. The AZ 104 certification gives an overview but not the full picture in depth for mid-to-senior roles.

How to Strengthen Your Profile Beyond AZ-104?

1. Practice and build with Hands-on Labs and Sandbox Environments to simulate enterprise-level tasks. The platforms listed below offer extensive experience. The labs are used to re-create use cases like “Deploy a scalable web app using Azure Load Balancer and VMSS” from a job listing. These can be added to your GitHub repo or LinkedIn post as a record.

Microsoft Learn Sandbox
Whizlabs Hands-on Labs
GitHub Projects
Azure Free Tier

2. Learning Azure CLI, PowerShell, Bicep, or ARM Templates to go beyond the portal UI. By building basic scripts and templates, you can set your resume apart from the competition.

Deploying resources via Azure CLI or PowerShell
Creating repeatable infrastructure using ARM or Bicep
Troubleshooting issues programmatically
Automating backups, scale sets, and cost-saving schedules

3. Adding Other Certs (AZ-900, AZ-305, AZ-400) and Projects as a combination improves Azure skill and your profile value.

AZ-900 – if you’re starting (solidifies fundamentals and shows your breadth)
AZ-305 – for those aiming architecture path, opens doors to design-focused roles
AZ-400 – for DevOps-oriented learners, demand for automation and release pipeline roles is high.

Tips from Successful AZ-104 Learners

●      Lab First, Theory Later

Practice deploying and troubleshooting resources, and do not memorise everything. Platform like Whizlabs, cloud-based ed-tech, provides hands-on labs, sandboxes and Practice tests along with Video courses to aid your preparation for certification and jobs.

●      Join Study Groups

Discord, Telegram, or Reddit groups have the momentum and help by sharing real-time doubts. Being active here benefits you by building social skills to getting first-hand experience.

●      Document Everything

Create a blog or LinkedIn series where you can share your journey and lessons learned for employers to notice your consistency and clarity in the skill and knowledge. Therefore, bringing more opportunities. And don’t miss taking Mock Interviews often to stay updated when you prepare for job interviews.

To Sum up

The AZ 104 Microsoft Azure Administration certification is a strong and highly in-demand certification in 2025. However, that certification alone will not help you land your dream job or start your career. There is more skill, learning and hands-on experience required to excel and stand out in the market demand. Going above and beyond with only contextual knowledge is more often a prototype, not the outcome. Hands-on practice and proof are where your success is defined with AZ 104 certification. And alongside endless learning and a curiosity drive to overall success.