When you're the one making the call, who checks your thinking?

Because the real work happens when you have to defend the trade-offs in your own context. This cohort gives you the confidential peer group and an experienced facilitator to do that work, and you'll earn the InfoQ certification as a result.

Participants who registered for the online cohorts will receive an email with detailed instructions on how to join the sessions. This email will be sent out during the week prior to the start of the cohort, so be sure to check your inbox (and spam folder, just in case!) for the access information.

No. Sessions are not recorded. This is a deliberate choice to keep all conversations private and confidential, so that participants feel safe sharing real challenges, ongoing decisions, and truthful perspectives from their organizations.

Participants are expected to attend at least 4 out of the 5 live sessions. Consistent attendance is one of the criteria for receiving your InfoQ certification.

If you do need to miss a session:

• Connect with your peers through the private Slack channel to catch up on key discussions.
• Review the session materials and slides shared in the Google Drive folder.
• Complete the homework assignment for that week.
• Post any questions in Slack — your facilitator, peers and the InfoQ team will be available to help.

This is for senior software practitioners with at least 5 years of experience who are involved in setting technical strategy.

Certification is awarded based on two factors: consistent attendance and active participation in the live sessions, and the successful completion of the group Capstone project.

Because the real work happens when you have to defend the trade-offs in your own context.

This cohort gives you the confidential peer group and expert mentorship to do that work, and you'll earn an InfoQ certification as a result.

This program assumes you already have deep technical expertise. Each week is structured around a real decision you are working on, not a case study. The focus is the skills that senior engineers find hardest to get from inside their own organization: pressure-testing decisions with peers, articulating tradeoffs to stakeholders, and making the kind of decisions that are difficult to reverse.

Each weekly session is a 4-hour deep-dive workshop. This is a significant time investment because we are not just watching talks.

We are undertaking the challenging, practical work of applying these frameworks to real-world challenges alongside your senior peer group.

To ensure an optimal experience, you will need:

• A stable internet connection: High-speed access for video conferencing.
• Zoom: The latest version of the Zoom desktop client.
• Slack: Access to our private workspace for peer networking and coordination.
• A laptop or desktop: While mobile devices are supported, a computer is highly recommended for collaborative work and session participation.

The program consists of live sessions held over consecutive weeks. Each session lasts between two and four hours, depending on the program. In addition to weekly practical assignments (2–3 hours/week), participants join a private Slack workspace for peer discussion and collaborate in small groups to produce a Capstone article for publication on InfoQ.com.

Yes, alumni enrolling in a second Certification program receive a $147 discount. To claim your alumni code, please email certification@qconferences.com when ready to register for your second program.

We accept PayPal and major credit cards. A payment charged to your credit card or PayPal account is processed directly by us in the funds stated on the website. Please note that QCon and InfoQ are trademarked and wholly-owned brands of C4Media Inc., which is located in Canada. Customers outside Canada or cards denominated in other currencies may incur foreign transaction or exchange fees from their issuing bank. C4Media does not control nor collect these fees.

You can opt to pay by invoice during the registration process by selecting the "Do You Want to Pay Later by Invoice?" checkbox.

Your invoice reflects the ticket price in effect at the time your payment is due. Invoices are generally due 30 days from the date the order is submitted, or 7 days before the event start date—whichever comes first. To ensure all funds are cleared, the "Pay by Invoice" option will be disabled 14 days prior to each event (subject to change without notice). All invoices must be paid in full no later than 7 days before the event begins.

Please note that only participants who have paid in full will be admitted or receive access credentials. Credit card or PayPal payment is required if you are registering after the invoice deadline or prefer immediate confirmation. Once processed, a receipt marked "Paid" will be emailed to you for your records.

You can contact us for any payment questions at payments@qconferences.com .

Yes, in-person cohorts are offered at select QCon conferences, such as QCon London and QCon San Francisco.

We've developed a template you can use to explain to your manager how you can benefit from the cohort participation.

Registration fees are not refundable.

The Terms of Participation can be found at https://certification.qconferences.com/terms-conditions .

QCon does not sell attendee lists or provide your contact details to data brokers. If you receive unsolicited emails claiming to offer QCon attendee data, these are not authorized by us. Should you feel that someone is using the QCon name in an inappropriate or misleading way, please email us at certification@qconferences.com .

At the event, sponsors can only access your contact information if you choose to share it by allowing them to scan the QR code on the back of your badge. This is entirely your decision, and no sponsor can access your details without your active participation.

For full details, see our Policy Notice .

Yes. The program is open to freelancers and the self-employed. When registering, simply enter your trading name or "Independent" in the Company Details section.

We are dedicated to providing a safe and inclusive experience for everyone. Our Code of Conduct can be found at https://certification.qconferences.com/code-conduct .

The InfoQ Online Certification is a collaborative initiative between InfoQ and QCon, designed to help professionals advance their expertise in modern software development.

InfoQ is a practitioner-driven community news site focused on facilitating the spread of knowledge and innovation in professional software development.

We do not offer scholarships or complimentary seats for the InfoQ Certification at this time. Should this change for future cohorts, we will announce it via our official channels.