Q:

Salesforce Certification - Skipping To DEV401 Due To Experience?

I am in a position currently to (80-90% chance) have formal Salesforce Training, and I'd like input from those (especially Certified) SF Admins and Devs about this.

I am a lifelong computer "expert"
I never touched SF before Sept 2010 (now do Admin/Dev work full time for my company)
I have taught myself everything I currently know about SF (and in recent months have made great use of Stack Exchange especially)

I'm highly confident I would breeze though an ADM201 certification (even with whatever holes are in my knowledge since I only have my current company as my experience in the last 3 years; we don't use "every aspect" of Salesforce which I'm sure is common around the globe).
I'm fairly confident I could POSSIBLY pass an ADM301 certification (but the holes in my knowledge are probably more glaring there).
I currently write (in my opinion) low-level triggers, and am highly comfortable with Workflows and developing mechanisms within the GUI itself, I touch on Visualforce "as needed" (not heavily yet).  I am a very logical and organized person overall.
From my understanding, DEV401 has little to do (if at all?) with Apex code, trigger writing, etc.  I've been told it's really a "Super Advanced Administrator" versus "Developer" certification.  So apparently I'm teetering, experience-wise, very slightly already into DEV501 territory (which is not a short term or even long term goal right now).
Given this information, what is your input on my choosing to take the DEV401 class (not having taken ADM201 or 301) given my 3 years of on the job experience and lifetime of overall computer knowledge?  I don't want to short myself by ending up in something that is too far beyond me and which I don't benefit from (possibly wasting my company's monetary, time and ongoing investment in me in the process).

A:

I think it's important to note that despite the numbering of the certifications they aren't really a progression.
The administrator track goes ADM201 - ADM301
The developer track goes DEV401 - DEV501
Most developers that I know have not done the ADM exams. A typical first exam for a developer would be DEV401
I think it's great that your company are giving you the option of training. I would expect from your background that you will actually find the course too easy rather than too hard!

It sounds to me from the experience you have and the tasks you are currently undertaking that you could prepare for and sit the DEV401 without the class. If your company is offering to pay for the training though then go for it you may find something of interest on it.

A:

I would strongly recommend you to take DEV 401 and let me remove your wrong impression that DEV 401 exam will consists of apex and visualforce page concepts.
The exam is pretty basic and it will test your knowledge on 
**

1)workflows
  2)approval process
  3)whether
  you understand how to design a good data model(use of lookup,junction
  object and master details)
   4)Familiarity with reports and dashboards
  5)Concepts around security and sharing (OWD and Sharing model)
  6)Use
  and need for external fields
  7)basic questions on figuring validation rules
  8)Oder of exceution
  of triggers and actual use case for triggers

** 
With your vast experience and some homework and the training class  i am sure you will be ok

