There is a long-standing view that the more certifications one has, the higher the chances of a successful career. Earlier, a good education was linked to a successful life. While this may have been true in the past, today, organisations want people to showcase their skills, not just their certificates.
Experience vs certification
The main thing to remember is that certifications no longer guarantees one a job. To put that into perspective, think about this: If you’ve been looking for a job online, when was the last time you saw “ must be certified”? and how many times have you seen “ must have experience”? This is proof that employers don’t always care about your certificates. Here’s why:
First, companies today need you to be ready before you get the job. They want someone who can dive straight in and go with the flow, as they don’t have time to train or groom recruits. A certification does not show them the candidate’s skills.
Second, a certification usually covers a generic area of learning. For instance, someone may have a certificate in Data Science, but the company may need someone who understands the base base, cloud, and related areas for them to be effective.
Retention and application gap
There is usually a gap of around three to six months between certification and getting a job. This means that you would have lost some of what you learned, and cannot expect to apply yourself completely to the job. As learning evaporates rapidly, certification is not equal to practical hands-on experience.
Fast technological changes
Given the speed at which technology is changing, the knowledge gained today could be obsolete or outdated in a year or two. Someone who completes a software course will be stuck with a piece of valueless paper when the company rolls out a new version. On the other hand, learning on the job as it evolves will not only keep you up to date but also helps you to develop other skills.
Thus, it becomes clear that hands-on experience will always trump a certificate. So it makes more sense to develop a skill set that can be used to get a job rather than gain theoretical knowledge that offers you no such guarantee.
The writer is Founder of BridgeLabz
