Getting a job with web development certficate.

[baller_goof]

I'm looking to get a cert in web development soon and my question is can i get a job with it. I work for a newspaper company now and plan on getting experience working on their website. If I plan on moving on and trying to go to a bigger company would a certificate be enough to get a job or is it based on my portfolio? Thank You

[SteveGerencser]

A portfolio of great websites would help a lot more.

[rizzoid]

I hire PHP/Joomla people and I have to confess I'm more interested in their portfolio and work ethic. I couldn't tell you what school my employees went to. I forget.

[southplatte]

While the certificate won't hurt, it's not the same as having "in the trenches" experience. That being said - if you are indeed a "developer" and not a designer, make sure your portfolio not only shows the sites' design and function, but your actual programming skills/abilities and methodologies etc.

Do be forewarned, if you focus on middle tier and backend development, you will still need a pretty portfolio of good looking UI/Design to show, as most places still evaluate the front-end development/design as the "web development" portion of the web lifecycle. I see them as distinct as many front-end developers have no clue how to interface business rules and databases or external data, but can make menus, whizbangs and 2.0ish stuff work very smooth in any browser, and most mid-back developers can tie data to a front end, but the smoothness and refinement often isn't there.

If you really want to set yourself apart, do good to work and learn front/mid/back development all and throw in good design skills - you will then fully understand the end-to-end picture of a web site/application and have desirable skills that will allow you to function in tremendous ways for any employer.

[Shift4SMS]

I look at real world experience first. If the candidate has little or no experience, then I'll look diplomas and certificates.

[NJ]

I teach a series of web development classes that can be bundled for a Webmaster Certificate. The problem lies in the fact that "web development jobs" cover a huge variety of skills. The reason that we called it the Webmaster Certificate is that it only qualifies you as an entry level person to work on an existing website. I have had a few students take that basic knowledge and run to incredible places with it. A number have started their own businesses. A number have gotten jobs that fit into the purpose of the certificate. I love posting links to the sites they've built/workedon, and I love hearing about the new skills they are acquiring.

For those students who were shocked that they couldn't become full blown web developers with one 18-hour class, the certificate is somewhat of a disappointment because no one takes them seriously as developers (rightfully so). The problem lies in the fact that they don't read or put themselves out. They don't read what skills the certificate is meant to show. They don't do any research about the field. They don't listen when I tell them to build up a portfolio. And, they don't listen when I tell them about how they can use what they've learned as a stepping off place. They want magic fairy dust to replace practice and experience!

So, in the long run, the whole certificate program has been a mixed bag from the teaching perspective! But, taking the initiative to go through a certificate program puts you ahead of anyone who doesn't bother. (One Mom told me that her son would do a program because he didn't think it was fair that such a great programmer as himself should have to take any math beyond algebra.) As an employer or someone who hires contractors, I would ask a prospective employee or contractor what they learned in the certificate program - and ask them to demonstrate what they learned!

[Milo]

A porfolio of website far outweighs ANY certificate IMO. No offence to anyone, but having a certificate does not make you good at the job, it just says you did some course to get it. Real world experience is essential. I would go for it anyway, it cannot hurt and will give you additional knowledge, but start building a portfolio now. You can pick up plenty of free work to get started. Also, the web design/development industry changes daily, so if you rely on certification, then you'll spend the rest of your working career studying

[SuperMan]

I got my first job based off a 6 month webmaster certificate, but then again, it was 1999. Things have certainly changed in the web world. Experience and your portfolio is key. Do whatever you have to to gain experience at the newspaper company you work for to do some web work. That is a great intro and will open more doors down the road...

[claybutler]

I agree with the portfolio comments. I don't give hoot about degrees or certifications as they really mean next to nothing. Everyone I work with I chose because they knew what they were doing, had great communication skills, and conducted themselves in a honorable way. My current WP developer I hired because he was the only one who could successfully figure out how to implement a feature on my WP site. I posted the question on http://wpquestions.com/ (awesome resource by the way). So he earned $10 that day for answering my question and a lifetime of loyalty and additional income from me. Now, he does have a programming degree, but I only found out about that months later after we were just shooting the shit over a project.

A good friend of mine is a completely self taught programmer, and he can pretty much work anywhere, but he chooses to work in a university setting as a lead developer rather than Microsoft or some other private sector company.

Unlike law or medicine where you are required by law to have specific certifications to practice, web development is a pure meritocracy.

So sure, get a degree, but do it for knowledge, what really counts is your performance. Performance is everything.