Be Honest – Does that Google/Coursera Certification get you anywhere?

Tech Career - - b.w - OP

Hi, I completed the Google UX Design certification course, and from what I can tell via forums and peer-graded assignments, I create pretty strong content for a true entry-level designer. My projects sit at a similar level to those portfolios that I've seen from other certification recipients who have a legitimate project or two under their belt, and while I don't know how their job searches are going I really want to know: am I wasting my time presenting made up projects in a competitive job market? Is that 3 project portfolio (plus an assortment of other individual creative projects I've done that are semi-related to digital design/my Communications degree) of hypotheticals really going to be enough to land an entry level/1-3 years of experience role?

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3 comments


lonely-dev
Certifications are more like a theoretical knowledge, but most employers want to see your practical (hands-on) experience in a real workplace.
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Knight1
I would rather spend time working on freelance projects or even "pet" projects - just to get experience that I would then use in interviews when asked what I have accomplished. This is call IDD - Interview-Driven Development. In other words, start from the idea how you want to present yourself in an interview and work backwards. It's also useful to go to interviews from time to time to be well aware on what kind of questions they ask. And also it's a good idea to create one or several jobseeker's profiles here at MiraJobs, to keep your door open for proposals from recruiters. Hope this helps.
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Tiger12
I seriously doubt that any certifications really matter. What does matter, from my experience with FAANGs: - work experience in reputable companies - ability to provide examples of solving difficult, ambiguous and complex technical problems - if you are applying for junior / intermediate roles - then examples of learning and implementing smaller projects but with emphasis on various aspects like operations, maintainability, documentation, collaboration in a team etc. - good systems design and coding skills - and adequate soft skills - ability to answer behavioural questions i.e. "tell me about a time when ..." Hope this helps.
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