MongoDB Overview
Discover the core concepts and architectural strengths of MongoDB. This skill introduces the document model and explains why MongoDB is a powerful choice for building modern, scalable applications. You'll explore dynamic schema design, distributed architecture, and support for nested and semi-structured data through real-world examples.
Upon completion of the MongoDB Overview skill and skill check, you will earn a Credly Badge that you are able to share with your network. |
Learning Objectives
Describe the document model
Explain how MongoDB stores data in flexible, JSON-like documents, and how this model supports nested structures, varied data types, and schema flexibility.
Identify the components of MongoDB's distributed architecture
Recognize the key components of MongoDB’s architecture and how they all work to maintain consistency, high availability, and scalability.
Apply the document model and MongoDB architecture to a use case
Analyze a real-world scenario to determine how MongoDB’s document model and distributed architecture can be leveraged to meet application requirements related to scalability, performance, and data modeling.

Katie Redmiles | Senior Curriculum Designer
Katie is a Senior Curriculum Designer at MongoDB. Before joining the Curriculum team, Katie worked on the University Enablement team developing Learning Bytes and instructional materials for the MongoDB for Academia program. Katie also worked within the Digital Learning Division at the Foreign Service Institute where she honed her skills at developing online learning for a global audience. Katie is passionate about making education accessible and engaging for everyone.

Parker Faucher | University Curriculum Engineer
Parker is a Curriculum Engineer on the Education team at MongoDB. Prior to joining MongoDB, he helped maintain a world class developer bootcamp that was offered in multiple universities. He is a self taught developer who loves being able to give back to the community that has helped him so much.

Daniel Curran | Senior Software Engineer
Daniel is a Senior Software Engineer at MongoDB. Before joining MongoDB, he worked as an Instructional Designer and Content Developer specialising in technical content for a host of international clients. Daniel's goal is to remove obstacles so learners can feel confident on their journey to become masters of MongoDB.

Joel Lord | Lead Curriculum Engineer
Joel is a Lead Curriculum Engineer at MongoDB, focused on helping developers build better applications through accessible educational content. He started his career in software nearly 25 years ago and only paused briefly to pick up a B.Sc. in computational astrophysics from Université Laval. Since then, he’s worked across software development, developer advocacy, and technical education. Outside of work, he enjoys stargazing, homebrewing, and providing emotional support to his two cats, who frequently make guest appearances on Zoom.

John McCambridge | Curriculum Engineer
John is a Curriculum Engineer on the University team at MongoDB. Before his work as a Curriculum Engineer, he was an instructor and teaching assistant for coding boot camps at UT (Austin), and UCLA. Additionally, he worked as a QA engineer for a startup called Coder and spent five years at Apple Inc. John is a passionate software engineer and educator who enjoys taking complex topics and making them digestible for the community.

Davenson Lombard | Senior Software Engineer
Davenson Lombard is a Senior Software engineer at MongoDB on the Education Team. Prior to that, Davenson was a Technical Services Engineer at MongoDB and a Customer Success architect at Confluent. Davenson holds a Bachelor in Electrical Engineering from Concordia University in Montreal.

Sarah Evans | Senior Curriculum Engineer
Sarah is a Senior Curriculum Engineer on the Curriculum team at MongoDB. Prior to MongoDB, she taught and developed curricula for developer bootcamps. Sarah has a MAT degree from Columbia University Teachers College and studied Software Engineering at Flatiron School in Chicago, IL.

Sequoyha Pelletier | Senior Technologist
Sequoyha Pelletier is a Senior Technologist at MongoDB, bringing over 15 years of experience in technical curriculum development and delivery. Before joining MongoDB, he worked in the Worldwide Support team for DataStax, eventually leading the curriculum team for new hire onboarding. Sequoyha is extremely passionate about providing quality education for free to those in need and enjoys pushing the boundaries of what is considered "normal" practices with delivering educational content.

Camden Kirkland | Senior Technical Instructor
Cam is a Senior Technical Instructor at MongoDB where he delivers courses for a wide variety of foundational and advanced topics on the database. Prior to MongoDB, he was a Curriculum Architect designing technical programs for web development, data analytics, and financial technologies for universities all over the country. In a past life he was a Chemist making sure your transformers didn't catch fire.

Colleen Day | Curriculum Designer
Colleen is a Curriculum Designer at MongoDB. She holds a Masters degree in English literature from NYU, and is passionate about using writing as a vehicle to teach. She has worked as a writing instructor and ghostwriter, and has spent her career focused on educational content development. For several years, Colleen was the lead editor for The Princeton Review’s “Cracking the SAT” and other test prep books. Prior to MongoDB, she was Senior Managing Editor for boot camp courses on data science and fintech, partnering with subject matter experts to design and deliver courses for learners of all levels.

Emily Pope | Lead Curriculum Designer
Emily Pope is a Lead Curriculum Designer at MongoDB. She loves learning and loves making it easy for others to learn how and when to use deeply technical products. Recently, she's been creating AI and vector search content for MongoDB University. Before that, she's created learning experiences on databases, computer science, full stack development, and even clinical trial design and analysis. Emily holds an Ed.M. in International Education Policy from Harvard Graduate School of Education and began her career as an English teacher in Turkiye with the Fulbright program.