Is it possible to learn about computers and programming solely through online resources, or is a certification necessary for job opportunities in this field?

IT Certifications. All of the big companies offer them and all of the cool kids are getting them. But is any IT Certification worth it? Apart from bragging rights on LinkedIn and fifteen flimsy minutes of fame among one’s colleagues, are there good reasons to get certified? To answer, I must first relay to you the journey.

Achieving certification included two things: studying the course material, and practice exams. Course materials are available freely from some institutions or as paid books, eBooks, online courses, and pricey in-person classes. The quality varies. From my experience, Microsoft’s free material was comprehensive and had brief quizzes, but it didn’t prepare me for the exam.

There was a gulf between the theory and the exam’s beastly reality. Thankfully, I researched before booking the exam. Almost every certification veteran will tell you that you cannot pass an exam on the materials alone. You must invest scores, perhaps hundreds of hours in practice tests.

Practice exams, to a newcomer like me, are a phenomenon. Many pay-walled websites offer them. They are a list, hundreds long, of actual exam questions and their potential answers (most of these exams are multiple choice). The free sample questions confirmed that the course materials were scant preparation for what waits for you on the day. The depth and breadth of scenarios would require months or even years of real-life experience, or dabbling in your lab, to encounter incidentally.

Practice sites then seemed the only way to pass, or at least the most expedient. And they seemed to all offer the learner the opportunity to memorise questions and their answers. A profound comprehension of the underlying topics was optional. What then has a newly qualified candidate learned apart from how to pass the exam? What can they demonstrate other than that they can ingest information and expel it at a scheduled time and place?

Learning is best achieved by doing. There is no substitute for hands-on experience. What value is a qualification when such shortcuts are available?

‘Shortcuts’ is not a fair term. Committing to memory something like 500 questions and their answers is not a trivial task. Accomplishing it highlights your dogged determination, it demonstrates you are a starter-finisher, a mensch.

Will your certification convince an employer? Will it increase your pay or promote you? Maybe. Earlier in my career, a potential employer offered me a job, well above the company’s base salary, as a Java developer on the strength that I had earned the Sun Certified Java Programmer certification. This anecdote might not apply everywhere, but is worth mentioning.Just as it is worth disclosing that the interview process also tested many other areas of my knowledge and experience — not only coding Java.

Being battle-tested is as vital as well-studied. Clear communication, time management, problem solving, and teamwork are examples of other traits employers will demand of you and you cannot hide behind your latest certification. Be prepared to back it up.