Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

Should I do certs or make personal projects?

Options
  • 10-07-2016 12:20am
    #1
    TheDruidWizard
    Registered Users Posts: 79 ✭✭


    Which would be more impressive to employers when you're job seeking.
    Either to have multiple certifications which shows an understanding but will little hands on experience.


    Such as CCNA (which I currently have) or Comptia.





    Or do you personal projects, such as a website portfolio with sample code-projects and other devices made and assembled. Which would show a more practical side?


    Such as Python code & scripting, automation testing and building things with Raspberry Pi and Arduino.




    Which would be more beneficial?


Comments

  • Options
    #2
    L1011
    Registered Users Posts: 68,898 ✭✭✭✭L1011


    If you have a CCNA the basic Comptia certs are worthless - a huge step back and very expensive at that. Look to other certification.

    What do you want to work in? Side projects are very useful for certain tasks but not others. What your actual experience is is also critical - you can have enough certs to fill a box file and be useless in an actual job as I've found with a mistaken hire before.

    If I was looking for an operations drone somewhere a pile of MSFT certs and some experience would be far more valuable. I was looking for a generalist that could solve problems showing what you've done outside of work in that manner would be far more valuable.

    I keep both on my CV but I've also gone from a Microsoft shop to a total generalist engineer manager role back to a Microsoft shop in the past 5 years.


  • Options
    #3
    TheDruidWizard
    Registered Users Posts: 79 ✭✭TheDruidWizard


    At the moment I work as a website admin ( a bit dead end) so I'm trying to make the move out of it.


    Just before Christmas I did a short internship in the IT department of an English Language school. It was good experience solving IT issues in classrooms and with office staff.

    In turn it made it easier for applying for jobs this year, as asked for what experience I had I was at least able to say that I did the school job for a while.

    I've had a few interviews but lost out to others with more experience.


    SO I'm trying to look for other ways to gain experience by other means.

    I tried charities but they don't have big IT departments.

    I applied again for other schools and waiting to hear back.


  • Options
    #4
    L1011
    Registered Users Posts: 68,898 ✭✭✭✭L1011


    That should be enough to go for a paying L1 job somewhere. The side projects will be of minimal use for that but leave them on the CV - just don't put ridiculous effort in to it.

    Look at the entry level Microsoft certifications. You have the experience to make the basic Comptia certs a waste of money.


Advertisement