Ask HN: How valuable and useful are Professional Certificates?
1 comments
Crafting software is a trade, not a profession. I say this without disrespecting either, because I do both myself (qualified lawyer, software dev)
A profession at the very least has a central governing body that is regulated and hands out certificates that have an inherent value because they enable the holder to do something that is typically restricted unless you hold it: law, medicine, accountancy.
The certificates you speak of are typically designed by commercial entities that are usually there to make money off people through education rather than regulate and control how their services are delivered.
So are they worthwhile in the real world? IMO no, someone who can demonstrate their ability to apply their skills as a dev in order to solve my business needs is much more attractive than someone who’s completed a course about how to use LangChain but hasn’t got a clue how to apply that to a real world problem.
For your bonus q, I can only speak to my own experience, but even holding an LLM in corporate tax from King’s College London was not a significant enough advantage when I was applying to become a lawyer 20 years ago - the firms wanted people with commercial knowledge and practical experience then, and I doubt anything has changed now - whether for law firms or software companies.
A profession at the very least has a central governing body that is regulated and hands out certificates that have an inherent value because they enable the holder to do something that is typically restricted unless you hold it: law, medicine, accountancy.
The certificates you speak of are typically designed by commercial entities that are usually there to make money off people through education rather than regulate and control how their services are delivered.
So are they worthwhile in the real world? IMO no, someone who can demonstrate their ability to apply their skills as a dev in order to solve my business needs is much more attractive than someone who’s completed a course about how to use LangChain but hasn’t got a clue how to apply that to a real world problem.
For your bonus q, I can only speak to my own experience, but even holding an LLM in corporate tax from King’s College London was not a significant enough advantage when I was applying to become a lawyer 20 years ago - the firms wanted people with commercial knowledge and practical experience then, and I doubt anything has changed now - whether for law firms or software companies.
Various reputable universities seem to be offer Professional Certificates in relevant topics, many of which can be done online, getting around geographical constraints - often the costs are more approachable too. The courses themselves are the proper university courses for the topic, just offered online. Complete a prescribed handful of them over a year or more, and you get a Professional Certificate in said topic.
Are these Professional Certificates worthwhile? We can discuss this from both a substance basis, in terms of knowledge and skills gained, but also from a 'real world results' basis, in terms of enhanced career prospects. Also, we can consider a specific example (though I'm interested in the general view as well), such as the 'AI Professional Certificate from Stanford University' or similar.
As a bonus question, how would such a Certificate compare as opposed to doing a full Master's program at a second-rate school?
Would love to hear your experiences and opinions, both from Certificate holders as well as employers and hiring managers who have come across these.