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Two certifications shaped my path: Certified System Administrator (CSA) and Certified Application Developer (CAD). If you're starting out, here's the route I'd take:

1. Get hands-on first. Request a personal developer instance from the Developer site and build things as you learn. Concepts stick when you've broken them yourself.
2. Work through ServiceNow University for each certification so you cover what the exam covers.
3. Practice in your instance. Recreate the examples: tables, forms, business rules, client scripts, access controls.
4. Confirm current exam details on ServiceNow's official sites, since formats and requirements change over time.

// then find your specialty

With the fundamentals in place (CSA and CAD), the Certified Implementation Specialist (CIS) track is a natural next step. Instead of covering the whole platform, each CIS certification goes deep on one product area, so you can find the specialty that fits the work you enjoy, such as IT Service Management (ITSM) or Customer Service Management (CSM).

Prerequisites and the list of specialties change over time, so check ServiceNow University for the current options before you plan.

• CSA
• CAD
• CIS
• ITSM
• CSM
• Personal Developer Instance

GlideGuide is a blog about pro-code ServiceNow development, written by Dan Ostler and Joey Day, two engineers who also mentor newer developers. Thank you both for sharing what you know. Their multi-part GlideQuery series is where I learned how GlideQuery works and why it's worth reaching for.

GlideQuery is a chainable wrapper around GlideRecord. Here's the same job written both ways, a quick sketch of why I like it, not a drop-in script, so try it in your own instance.

var titles = [];
var gr = new GlideRecord('incident');
gr.addQuery('active', true);
gr.addQuery('priority', 1);
gr.query();

while (gr.next()) {
  // loads every column, and this is a
  // GlideElement that changes each loop
  titles.push(gr.short_description);
}

var titles = [];

new GlideQuery('incident')
  .where('active', true)
  .where('priority', 1)
  .select('short_description')
  .forEach(function (inc) {
    // only the fields I asked for, as
    // plain JavaScript values
    titles.push(inc.short_description);
  });

// why GlideQuery, sometimes

• Only the columns you ask for. select() picks fields, where GlideRecord loads every column.
• JavaScript-native values. Numbers, booleans and strings come back as real JS types and records are plain objects, so === works without casting or getValue().
• No shared-object surprises. GlideRecord reuses one object across next() calls, which bites when you collect values in a loop. GlideQuery values are immutable.
• Reads like a sentence. Chained steps are easier to scan, reuse and reason about.

GlideQuery isn't a silver bullet and GlideRecord is everywhere, so it's worth knowing both.

Just JavaScript is an interactive course by Dan Abramov, illustrated by Maggie Appleton. It doesn't teach you syntax. It teaches the mental models behind how JavaScript works: variables, values, objects and mutation.

ServiceNow scripting is JavaScript, so a solid mental model pays off everywhere on the platform, from server scripts to client scripts.

The course site lists its first season, ten episodes, as free. Pricing and what's included can change, so check the site for current details.

• JavaScript
• Mental models
• Interactive