Top 10 Pipeline Operator Certifications

Certifications are an essential part of a pipeline operator’s job market success. Certifications demonstrate to employers that the operator has the knowledge and skills necessary to safely and efficiently operate pipelines. They can also show a commitment to safety, as many certifications require additional training and continuing education in order to maintain them. In addition, certifications can help operators stand out among other applicants when seeking higher level positions or promotions. Finally, certifications may be required for certain types of jobs or in order to work with certain companies, so having them can open up more job opportunities.

This article reviews some of the top certifications for Pipeline Operators and explains how they can help advance a pipeline operator's career.

What are Pipeline Operator Certifications?

Pipeline operator certification is a specialized certification designed to ensure that pipeline operators have the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to safely and effectively operate pipelines. This certification is usually provided by an industry-recognized organization such as the American Petroleum Institute (API) or the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

The benefits of pipeline operator certification are many. First, it ensures that operators have the necessary knowledge and experience to safely and efficiently operate pipelines. It also helps ensure compliance with industry codes and regulations, as well as local, state, and federal laws. Additionally, it can help employers meet their regulatory obligations by providing evidence of employee qualifications.

Furthermore, certified operators may be eligible for higher wages due to their increased level of expertise. Finally, having certified pipeline operators can provide assurance to customers that the products they purchase are being handled with care and expertise.

Overall, pipeline operator certification is a valuable tool for both employers and employees alike, helping to create a safer working environment while also providing peace of mind to customers who rely on pipelines for transporting essential products.

Pro Tip: When preparing for a pipeline operator certification exam, make sure to familiarize yourself with all applicable regulations and safety standards in order to ensure that you are prepared for any questions that may arise during the exam. Additionally, practice as many hands-on drills as possible to gain experience in operating the equipment.

Related: What does a Pipeline Operator do?

Top 10 Pipeline Operator Certifications

Here’s our list of the best certifications available to Pipeline Operators today.

1. AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional

AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional is a certification offered by Amazon Web Services (AWS). It validates an individual’s ability to design and deploy applications on the AWS platform, as well as to provide guidance on best practices for using the platform.

The certification exam consists of multiple-choice and multiple-answer questions that assess an individual's knowledge of various aspects of the AWS platform, including architecture, security, networking, storage, and data management. The exam also covers topics such as cost optimization, performance optimization, scalability, and automation.

It typically takes about 3 months to prepare for the AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional exam. To get ready for the exam you should have a good understanding of the AWS services and features and be able to apply them in real-world scenarios. You can find numerous online resources such as tutorials and practice tests that can help you prepare for the exam.

The cost of taking the AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional exam is $300 USD.

2. Certified Scrum Master (CSM)

Certified Scrum Master (CSM) is a professional certification program designed to provide individuals with the knowledge and skills necessary to become successful Scrum Masters. The CSM program is administered by the Scrum Alliance, an organization dedicated to promoting the use of Scrum in software development.

The CSM program consists of two parts: a two-day classroom course and an online assessment. During the classroom course, participants learn about the principles and practices of Scrum, including roles, artifacts, ceremonies, and tools. They also gain hands-on experience with real-world scenarios that help them apply their knowledge in practice. After completing the course, participants must pass an online assessment to earn their CSM certification.

The cost of becoming a Certified Scrum Master varies depending on location and provider. Generally speaking, it costs between $500 - $1,500 USD for the two-day course plus exam fees.

Once you’ve completed all requirements for the CSM program, your certification will be valid for two years before needing to be renewed. To renew your certification you must complete at least 20 hours of continuing education credits within those two years or retake the assessment exam.

3. Red Hat Certified System Administrator (RHCSA)

Red Hat Certified System Administrator (RHCSA) is a certification program offered by Red Hat, Inc. that demonstrates an individual’s knowledge and skills in managing and administering Linux-based systems. The certification is designed to validate the ability of system administrators to perform essential command line tasks and use Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) for their organization’s IT infrastructure.

The RHCSA certification requires a minimum of 200 hours of hands-on experience with RHEL systems. Candidates must demonstrate their ability to configure local storage, manage users and groups, deploy and manage network services, troubleshoot system issues, and manage security policies.

To get the RHCSA certification, candidates must pass the Red Hat Certified System Administrator Exam (EX200). The exam consists of 8 performance-based tasks that are completed in a lab environment using RHEL 8. The exam takes approximately 3 hours to complete.

The cost of the RHCSA exam varies depending on the country you are taking it in. Generally speaking, it costs around $400 USD per attempt.

4. Microsoft Azure Solutions Architect

Microsoft Azure Solutions Architect is a certification that demonstrates an individual’s expertise and knowledge in designing, building, and maintaining cloud-based solutions using Microsoft Azure technologies. It is the highest level of certification offered by Microsoft for Azure and it validates the ability to design, implement, monitor, and maintain secure cloud-based solutions.

It takes approximately 8-12 months to get certified as a Microsoft Azure Solutions Architect. To become certified, you must pass two exams: AZ-300: Microsoft Azure Architect Technologies and AZ-301: Microsoft Azure Architect Design. The cost of each exam is $165 USD.

In order to prepare for the exams, there are several resources available online such as practice tests, study guides, tutorials, and more. Additionally, there are instructor-led courses available through organizations like Microsoft Learning Partners or online learning platforms such as Udemy or Coursera. These courses can range from free to hundreds of dollars depending on the provider.

5. CompTIA Linux+ Certification

CompTIA Linux+ is a vendor-neutral certification that validates the skills and knowledge of IT professionals who use, deploy, manage, and support Linux operating systems. It is designed to demonstrate competency in system operation, open source technologies, system security, and troubleshooting.

The CompTIA Linux+ exam consists of two parts: LX0-103 and LX0-104. The LX0-103 covers basic concepts such as installation and configuration of the Linux operating system, command line operations, user management, file permissions, software package management, network services configuration and basic scripting. The LX0-104 covers more advanced topics such as shell scripting, networking services configuration (DNS, DHCP), SELinux security policies, storage administration (LVM), virtualization technologies (KVM), web server configuration (Apache) and mail server configuration (Postfix).

It typically takes about 6 months to prepare for the CompTIA Linux+ certification exam. To get certified you must pass both parts of the exam with a score of at least 750 out of 900 points. You can register for the exams through Pearson VUE or Prometric testing centers.

The cost for taking both parts of the CompTIA Linux+ exam is $349 USD.

6. Oracle Database 12c Administrator Certified Professional

Oracle Database 12c Administrator Certified Professional is a certification that demonstrates an individual’s expertise in administering Oracle Database 12c. This certification requires the candidate to have knowledge and experience with Oracle Database 12c, including installation, configuration, patching, troubleshooting, performance tuning, backup and recovery.

The Oracle Database 12c Administrator Certified Professional exam takes about 2 hours to complete and consists of 75 multiple-choice questions. The exam is based on the latest version of Oracle Database 12c. It covers topics such as database creation and management, database security, data manipulation language (DML), database objects, user management, performance tuning and backup/recovery.

To become an Oracle Database 12c Administrator Certified Professional you must pass the 1Z0-062: Oracle Database 12c: Installation and Administration exam. This exam can be taken at any Pearson VUE testing center or online through the Oracle University website.

The cost for taking the 1Z0-062: Oracle Database 12c: Installation and Administration exam is $245 USD. Once you have passed this exam you will receive your certification from Oracle University.

7. Apache Hadoop Certified Developer

Apache Hadoop Certified Developer (HCD) is a certification program offered by the Apache Software Foundation that validates an individual’s expertise in developing applications and solutions with Apache Hadoop. It is designed to demonstrate an individual’s ability to design, develop, deploy and maintain reliable and efficient data processing systems using Apache Hadoop.

The exam takes approximately three hours to complete. To get certified, you must pass a proctored exam that consists of multiple-choice questions covering topics such as:

• Core Hadoop concepts, components, and architecture
• Data ingestion, transformation and analysis
• System optimization and performance tuning
• Security best practices
• Deployment strategies
• Troubleshooting techniques
• Monitoring tools & techniques
• Cluster management & maintenance tasks.

The cost of the exam varies depending on the country or region where it is taken. Generally speaking, the cost ranges from $300 - $400 USD.

8. Splunk Core Certified Power User

Splunk Core Certified Power User is an entry-level certification designed to validate the skills and knowledge of Splunk users. It is ideal for individuals who are just getting started with Splunk and want to demonstrate their understanding of the platform.

The certification exam covers topics such as basic search, navigation, and reporting; creating alerts and reports; creating tags and event types; working with lookups; using field extractions; creating dashboards; using Pivot; and more. The exam consists of 60 multiple-choice questions that must be completed in 90 minutes or less.

To get the certification, you must first register for the exam by visiting the Splunk website. You will then need to pay a fee of $200 USD in order to take the exam. Once you have paid the fee, you will receive a confirmation email with instructions on how to access the exam.

Once you have taken and passed the exam, you will be awarded your Splunk Core Certified Power User certificate. This certificate is valid for two years from the date of issue and can be renewed by taking another exam at any time during that period.

9. Cloudera Certified Administrator for Apache Hadoop (CCAH)

Cloudera Certified Administrator for Apache Hadoop (CCAH) is a certification program that validates an individual’s expertise in administering and managing Apache Hadoop clusters. This certification is designed to recognize the skills and knowledge required to install, configure, maintain and secure Apache Hadoop clusters. It is intended for system administrators, data architects, data analysts, data scientists, IT professionals, and other roles that require knowledge of the Apache Hadoop platform.

To get CCAH certified, you need to pass the Cloudera Certified Administrator for Apache Hadoop (CCAH) exam. The exam consists of 50 multiple-choice questions and must be completed within 90 minutes. You will be tested on topics such as cluster planning and installation; configuration; monitoring; troubleshooting; security; performance tuning; optimization; backup/recovery; and more.

The cost of taking the CCAH exam varies depending on your location but typically ranges from $295 - $400 USD. Additionally, there are several online training courses available to help you prepare for the CCAH exam which can range from $500 - $1000 USD depending on the course provider.

Overall, it can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months to prepare for the CCAH exam depending on your experience level with Apache Hadoop and how much time you devote to studying for it.

10. Google Cloud Platform Professional Data Engineer

Google Cloud Platform Professional Data Engineer is a certification that validates an individual’s expertise in designing, building, and maintaining data processing systems on Google Cloud Platform. This certification is designed for experienced data engineers who have a strong technical background and experience with Google Cloud technologies.

To get the Google Cloud Platform Professional Data Engineer certification, you must pass two exams: the Google Cloud Certified - Professional Data Engineer and the Google Cloud Certified - Associate Cloud Engineer. Both exams are administered by Pearson VUE and cost $200 each. The exams take approximately 2 hours to complete.

In order to prepare for the exam, it is recommended that you have a minimum of one year of hands-on experience working with Google Cloud Platform services such as Compute Engine, App Engine, BigQuery, Datastore, Pub/Sub, etc., as well as knowledge of scripting languages such as Python or Java. Additionally, it is recommended that you have familiarity with database concepts such as normalization and indexing.

You can also take advantage of various training courses offered by Google to help prepare for the exam. These courses range from introductory level to advanced topics and cost between $50-$500 depending on the course length and complexity.

Overall, getting the Google Cloud Platform Professional Data Engineer certification requires passing two exams which cost $400 total plus any additional costs associated with taking training courses or other preparation materials.

Do You Really Need a Pipeline Operator Certificate?

The answer to this question depends on the individual and their goals. If someone is looking to work in the pipeline industry and wants to increase their employment opportunities, then a Pipeline Operator Certificate may be beneficial. The certificate is designed to provide operators with the necessary skills and knowledge for safely operating pipelines and related equipment. It also provides an opportunity for operators to demonstrate their commitment to safety, which can be important when employers are evaluating potential hires.

On the other hand, if someone is already working in the pipeline industry and has sufficient experience, then a Pipeline Operator Certificate may not be necessary. In these cases, it’s important for individuals to weigh the cost of obtaining a certificate against the potential benefits it could offer them in terms of job opportunities or promotions.

In summary, whether or not someone needs a Pipeline Operator Certificate depends on their individual situation and career goals. For those who are new to the industry or looking for ways to increase their employability, obtaining a certificate could be beneficial. However, those who have significant experience in the field may find that it is not necessary for achieving their professional goals.

Related: Pipeline Operator Resume Examples

FAQs About Pipeline Operator Certifications

Q1: What is a Pipeline Operator Certification?

A1: A Pipeline Operator Certification is a certification program that provides the necessary skills and knowledge to safely and efficiently operate a pipeline system. This certification is typically required by employers in order to work in the pipeline industry.

Q2: How do I get certified as a Pipeline Operator?

A2: To become certified as a Pipeline Operator, you must complete an approved training program and pass a written examination. You may also need to take additional courses depending on your specific job duties.

Q3: What types of jobs can I get with a Pipeline Operator Certification?

A3: With a Pipeline Operator Certification, you can find employment in various roles such as an operator or inspector for pipelines, oil and gas plants, refineries, terminals and other related facilities.

Q4: Are there any prerequisites for obtaining a Pipeline Operator Certification?

A4: Generally speaking, it is recommended that applicants have experience working with industrial machinery or have taken related college-level courses prior to applying for the certification program. Additionally, applicants should be physically able to perform the job duties associated with operating a pipeline system.

Q5: How long does it take to obtain a Pipeline Operator Certification?

A5: The length of time it takes to obtain your certification will vary depending on the type of training program you choose and how much prior experience you have with industrial machinery or related topics. Typically, courses are completed within two years and require an average of 400 hours of study time.