I'm an aspiring developer with about a year and a half of experience in mobile app development, having gone through an online bootcamp. I've learned languages like Dart with Flutter, Kotlin for Android, and Swift for iOS. However, I feel my bootcamp missed out on teaching some essential software engineering practices and core concepts. I recently discovered the 42 School, which has a solid reputation for providing a strong tech foundation, but it's a big commitment of 1-2 years, and I've just finished my bachelor's. Given some personal factors, I prefer to study independently right now.
I'm thinking of putting together a self-guided curriculum by taking 4-5 courses from HarvardX, such as those in the CS50 series, obtaining a few certificates from W3Schools, particularly in topics like Bash, and securing a solid internship through my bootcamp. If I can showcase these certificates and related projects on my GitHub, do you believe this alternative path would be viewed favorably by recruiters, similar to a candidate graduating from 42 School, especially if my projects and internship experience are substantial?
3 Answers
Honestly, industry-standard certificates aren't always viewed as essential. From my experience, I don't think employers place much weight on programming certificates. What's more important is your work experience or your ability to showcase your skills through real projects. If you lack job experience, focus on demonstrating your problem-solving skills and your ability to work collaboratively. That's what truly matters.
Definitely! If you're still in school, use that time to create a portfolio with your own projects. Just getting by with coursework won’t cut it in a competitive job market.
As a student at 42, I can tell you that when employers see my resume, they often ask about 42. It opens the door to discussing the projects I've done, which hold a lot of weight. But ultimately, what truly matters is your experience and the projects you complete. 42 gives you a strong foundation, but it's your hands-on work that will stand out the most to potential employers.
Certificates generally don’t carry much weight, and that's true for 42 School too. What matters are your projects and real-world experience. While having a computer science degree does still hold value, your ability to showcase skills and projects is key. If you have a chance to get an internship, that hands-on experience can be far more beneficial than spending years in a structured program.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this: is an internship with a reputable tech company more valuable than any certificate? I’m considering an internship and might skip the lengthy commitment of 42 School.
Absolutely! An internship will provide you with experience that a certificate cannot. Employers appreciate practical experience over theoretical knowledge.
I completely agree! As someone who helps hire developers, I look for work history and a strong portfolio more than formal certificates. Start building that portfolio with projects you can share. It'll also helps you during interviews!