Okta Certification Community Spotlight: Ryan Stewart

Ryan is a Senior IAM Engineer at Sony Interactive Entertainment. He holds the Okta Certified Professional and Okta Certified Administrator credentials and has his eye on the Okta Certified Consultant (let's go!). He is also a founding member of the Okta Certification Circle. Read on to learn about Ryan's path to getting Okta Certified, how it has added value to his organization, and what his go-to song is when he needs to focus on a complex technical problem.

The Road to Okta Certification

What was the specific moment or project that made you realize you needed to pursue this certification?

Although there wasn’t anything specific that required me obtaining a certification, as my job became entirely focused on administering and engineering Okta, I felt that getting my Okta certification would prove to myself, my team members and my management the skills I had working with Okta. Also as I continue to move to higher level certifications, the process forces me to become proficient with parts of the product I don’t use every day.

Describe your study process. What resources or hands-on experiences were most critical to your success?

For the Professional and Administrator certifications, most of the material covered are things I work on every day in Okta. The study guides and practice exams helped me understand what answers the tests were looking for. As I study for the Consultant certification I will again be using those study guides in addition to the Okta learning portal to improve my skills in the parts of Okta I don’t use every day.

What was the most difficult technical concept to master, and how do you apply that knowledge today?

From a testing perspective, getting org to org attribute mapping lined up correctly was probably the most difficult part of the test. I rely heavily on attribute mapping from multiple identity sources in my daily work.

You’re Okta Certified, Now What?

How did your day-to-day work change after becoming certified?

The biggest immediate gain for me was validation. Certification didn’t suddenly change my daily tasks, because I was already heavily focused on Okta, but it did confirm that my hands-on experience was backed by Okta’s own standard. That gave me greater confidence in my day-to-day work and in the decisions I make when designing or supporting identity solutions.

Can you share a specific instance where your certification opened a door to a new project, promotion, or networking opportunity?

The impact has been more gradual than dramatic. My certification didn’t instantly change my career path, but it did strengthen my professional profile and give me a clearer platform to build on as I continue growing into more advanced Okta certifications and broader identity leadership opportunities.

What does being Okta Certified mean to you?

Being Okta Certified means I can approach my work with greater confidence, knowing that my practical skills have been tested and validated.

How has your expertise directly benefited your organization?

In my role, business value often comes from enabling the organization rather than from one visible outcome. My Okta knowledge helps our team implement and support identity solutions that improve security, streamline access, and give the business a reliable foundation to operate on. Certification reinforces that expertise and gives leadership additional confidence in the capability of our team.

Looking Ahead

What trends do you see emerging in our industry, and how does your certified knowledge help you stay ahead?

AI-driven identity is one of the biggest trends emerging in our industry. As organizations move quickly to adopt AI, there can be pressure to give these systems overly broad access. I believe identity teams play a critical role in making sure AI is implemented securely, with permissions tied to the human operator and clear attribution for the actions it takes. My Okta certifications help reinforce the importance of those controls and give me added credibility when advocating for secure, well-governed identity practices.

Ryan, Unplugged

We had the chance to get to know Ryan on a different level. Can you guess his favorite song when locking in to solve those critical identity challenges?

If you could have any superpower to help you in your daily technical role, what would it be and why?

My superpower would be the ability to pause time while troubleshooting. Sometimes the hardest part of technical work is just having uninterrupted time to think through a problem carefully. A few extra hours of quiet analysis without the clock moving would be incredibly useful.

What is your "go-to" song when you need to focus on a complex technical problem or get motivated for a big project?

My go-to song is “Halcyon” by Orbital. It has a steady, immersive feel that helps me focus and settle into problem-solving mode when I’m working through something complex.

What is the best (or funniest) piece of advice you have ever received in your professional career?

I haven’t received a lot of formal career advice, so most of what I’ve learned has come from working through problems on my own. The advice I find myself giving others most often is to read the error message and take the time to fully understand the problem before jumping to a solution. That approach has been one of the most valuable lessons in my career.

Inspired by Ryan's story and ready to get Okta Certified? Visit certification.okta.com to learn how to get started on your journey to Okta Certification.