https://community.databricks.com/t5/certifications/can-t-find-the-hands-on-labs-for-the-free-data-engineer-learning/m-p/164890#M4754 <P>I'm going through the free, self-paced "Data Engineering with Databricks" learning path on Databricks Academy to prep for the Data Engineer Associate exam. The videos show demos but I can't find any matching labs to actually run myself.</P><P>I'm used to Coursera, where the lab is built right into the course and you just run it alongside the video. Is there an equivalent for this Databricks Academy path, or is the free version genuinely just videos with no hands-on component?</P><P>A few specific questions:</P><OL><LI>Is there somewhere official I'm missing where these exact labs live for free, or are they only available through the paid Instructor-Led Training / Databricks Academy Labs subscription?</LI><LI>If they're paid-only, is it actually worth paying for, or do most people just recreate the demos themselves in a free workspace</LI></OL><P>Thanks.</P> Tue, 04 Aug 2026 21:42:56 GMT aarushirx 2026-08-04T21:42:56Z https://community.databricks.com/t5/certifications/can-t-find-the-hands-on-labs-for-the-free-data-engineer-learning/m-p/164890#M4754 <P>I'm going through the free, self-paced "Data Engineering with Databricks" learning path on Databricks Academy to prep for the Data Engineer Associate exam. The videos show demos but I can't find any matching labs to actually run myself.</P><P>I'm used to Coursera, where the lab is built right into the course and you just run it alongside the video. Is there an equivalent for this Databricks Academy path, or is the free version genuinely just videos with no hands-on component?</P><P>A few specific questions:</P><OL><LI>Is there somewhere official I'm missing where these exact labs live for free, or are they only available through the paid Instructor-Led Training / Databricks Academy Labs subscription?</LI><LI>If they're paid-only, is it actually worth paying for, or do most people just recreate the demos themselves in a free workspace</LI></OL><P>Thanks.</P> Tue, 04 Aug 2026 21:42:56 GMT https://community.databricks.com/t5/certifications/can-t-find-the-hands-on-labs-for-the-free-data-engineer-learning/m-p/164890#M4754 aarushirx 2026-08-04T21:42:56Z https://community.databricks.com/t5/certifications/can-t-find-the-hands-on-labs-for-the-free-data-engineer-learning/m-p/164937#M4763 <P>Hello&nbsp;<a href="https://community.databricks.com/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/246816">@aarushirx</a>,</P> <UL> <LI>The labs demonstrated in the course videos are not included with the free self-paced courses. They are available through Instructor-Led Training (ILT) courses or subscriptions.</LI> <LI> <P>Whether the subscription is worth it depends on your learning preference. If you prefer guided, step-by-step labs that align with the course content, it's definitely worth considering. For independent, hands-on practice, you can use <A href="https://www.databricks.com/learn/free-edition" target="_blank">Databricks Free Edition</A> to build your own projects. However, it does not include the guided labs or lab materials used in the course.</P> </LI> </UL> Wed, 05 Aug 2026 11:16:09 GMT https://community.databricks.com/t5/certifications/can-t-find-the-hands-on-labs-for-the-free-data-engineer-learning/m-p/164937#M4763 Advika 2026-08-05T11:16:09Z