Certifications?

[flipstah]

Are they still a thing nowadays? With COVID in the midst, is getting a certification in your work stream still an advantage, or just fluff that means nothing? Because of COVID, does it hold more merit now?

I'm a business analyst by trade and I have Lean Six Sigma certification (green belt) and I'm iffy about pursuing the CBAP certification, mostly because the exam is a waste of time (I find). But would it really help if I want to move on up the ladder?

 

[Piobaire]

I'm in healthcare and it's always been and always will be about certifications. I swear they just make up **** so folks can get more letters behind their names. Hell, I plan to get a highly specialized certification during my upcoming time out of the workforce so I can hopefully get a different job with way less stress and not a single damn direct!

 

[TheIronDandy]

It really depends on your industry., your location and your role. And, of course, the certification itself. I find that in the IT-industry certifications that lets you train others (thus perpetuating the pyramid scheme) are generally valuable. Certifications in "new" fields are more valuable because employers do not really know how else to evaluate you; most hiring managers do not know what blockchain is, but they know they want some, and if you have a fancy sounding certification from an organisation that sounds credible, that makes you sound so much more "excellent" than the other applicants.

That said, I'm fairly sure that if I made up my own certification of "Excellent Architect of Blockchain Excellence (Exc)" from the fictional "Institute of Blockchain Excellence", eventually one of those cheerful, well-intended 22 year old recruiters with no IT knowledge would assume it's a real thing.