🎉 Airtable Academy just hit 10,000 certifications! -- and we want to hear your story!

Getting Airtable certified gave me the confidence to take on projects that I probably would have shied away from before.

One of the app I've built was a custom seating management app for our annual gala. We have hundreds of attendees, sponsors, VIPs, and last-minute seating changes, so I wanted something much more flexible and cheaper than our current option. We were already using Airtable to track attendees via forms, but wanted a visual representation for seating without having to use another software tool. 

The Airtable app tracks RSVPs and attendees, and includes a drag-and-drop seating diagram where we can move people and tables in real time. I also built tools to add or remove tables, adjust table capacities, switch between different table layouts, automatically draw over tables to number them, and keep sponsor groups together when making seating assignments.

The certification definitely helped me think bigger. Now I look at operational or other software problems (or cost) and think, "There's probably a way to build this in Airtable." It's been rewarding to see something I built become a tool our team relies on for one of our biggest events of the year.

From Fortune 500 Roadblocks to Fortune 1 Expert: How Airtable Certifications Unlocked My Career.

When my previous team at a Fortune 500 company was tasked with leading a major tech transformation, we were given a strict menu of eight different project management tools to evaluate. Having used seven of them before, I already knew their exact limitations and why they would fall short of our strategy.

To find a real solution, I sat down with our Airtable Portfolio Manager and a Lead Engineer, running through my strict checklist of required capabilities. Every single answer was: "Yes, Airtable can do that, and let me show you how." I was sold, and we awarded our business to Airtable. I immediately took the lead on learning, building, and teaching our team how to unlock its power.

Navigating the Pivot (and the Monday.com Reality Check)

Corporate shifts happen, and executive leadership later mandated a switch to Monday.com. While I couldn't stop the migration, Airtable had already taught me what true data architecture looked like.

After a painful data transfer—which was nowhere near as easy as their reps promised—the limitations became glaringly obvious. Due to Monday's constraints in features, dashboarding, and automation, we were only able to capture about 40% of the data and reporting we previously enjoyed in Airtable. It was a definitive proof-of-concept for Airtable's superior power.

What the Certifications Unlocked

Driven by what I knew the tool could do, I went all in on the Airtable Academy and earned three certifications: Builder, AI App Builder, and Admin.

Did it help my career and get me recognized?

Absolutely. These credentials didn't just sit on a digital shelf; they directly opened the doors to my next chapter. Today, those three certifications have led me to work with the #1 top Fortune company as a dedicated Airtable Expert.

My Big Takeaway for the Community

If there is one piece of advice I can give to fellow builders, it’s this: Take the time to understand the tool deeply before building out large projects. Build with purpose, and Airtable will 100% deliver on your business needs.

With recent enterprise price hikes shaking up the industry (like Smartsheet in 2025), major companies are actively hunting for better alternatives. I highly encourage them to look at Airtable. It changed the trajectory of my career—and it can absolutely transform how your business operates.

- Crystiana Kolba (Airtable Expert)

Airtable Credentials

• Airtable Builder: mxc4vd674e88
• Airtable AI App Builder: x3rrgzkmgvb5
• Airtable Admin: z922b5n36muy