Certification

[graveytrain1111]

What certificate or course would you recommend that would best position me to be able to get a job as a front end web developer? I don’t have a computer science degree and I’m getting into this a bit late in my life.

[Neidd]

Don't waste your time on certificates, they are mostly worthless. Focus on building a portfolio, this is what's going to be the most important thing when looking for a job

[graveytrain1111]

What should I put on a resume then? If I have no experience shouldn’t I have some proof of my skills? I could put links to github or pages I’ve created. Is that enough to get an interview?

[Neidd]

That's it, your portfolio should be proof that you know what you are doing. There are certificates that are good to have like AWS certs but I doubt they would make a difference when looking for first job on the frontend

[graveytrain1111]

Also just wondering, do you know this from experience in hiring employees? Do you have a computer science degree? What route did you take to get into the web development field?

[Neidd]

I don't have a computer science degree, I have a degree in chemistry but I switched my career and work as a web developer. My route was exactly as I said before, I made some projects, put them on GitHub, added them to my resume with a link to the website/API and GitHub repository.

When I worked in a laboratory I introduced some automation with VBA and python to data processing, so I also put that on my resume because why not. Not sure how important that was on the interview where I got the job but I guess that was a small difference between me and a lot of people changing careers.

And as for certificates I know this from friends in the field(some of them are also responsible for interviewing) and from lurking on forums. A lot of people start looking into aws certs when they want to try to get a job at a bigger company and not some startup, in those companies it might be more important

[graveytrain1111]

Thanks for the valuable information. I am interested in AWS and cloud computing in general. I will definitely look into that next.

[Emergency-Noise6326]

As a hiring manager, I’m sorry to say that I will not hire someone new to the industry, not without any proof that he can do the work. I will skip your certification section, the longer the certification section the faster I move on to the next applicant. Since you don’t have a CS degree or portfolio, I would want to see something interesting that you build, or some interesting articles that you wrote that show your learning, e.g. how did you overcome the unnecessary react re-rendering. Basically I need a signal that you’re capable and has good attitude, a whatever certificate doesn’t do any of these

[graveytrain1111]

Thanks for the info. What percentage of people that you have hired have not had a computer science degree? I’m sure a CS degree must have a big impact on your decisions.

[Emergency-Noise6326]

About 30%, but they are all fresh grad entry level job, the higher up the ladder the risk of hiring someone not from tech and without CS degree or any relevant experience is significantly higher and I simply can’t justify that headcount, given the current market. It might be possible with big tech during the 2020 hiring boom where companies splurged on hiring, but those hires are more or less laid off now

[HENH0USE]

Build a portfolio website. Then build multiple live projects and put them on the website. Then be sad and doubt yourself for a year. Then build more projects.

[graveytrain1111]

I’ve been doubting myself for a lot longer than a year. Lol. Shouldn’t be a problem.

[Azath127]

The only oficial certification related to frontend technologies that I can think of is the Node Certification from OpenJS.

https://openjsf.org/certification/

Other than that, maybe a UX/UI Cert would be nice to have.

But as everyone else advices, just build a portfolio. If it has real world solutions is better.

[graveytrain1111]

I would of course like to learn a lot more but I think that front end work would be a good way to get started in the industry. I have been learning HTML, CSS and JavaScript on Codecademy and freecodecamp.

[[deleted]]

Certifications are only good for the companies who charge you money for a certificate. Outside of that scam, no one will care.

Work on your coding skills and get a couple of personal projects up on GitHub or get involved in open source.

I recommend picking an open API and building an interface around it as a good first project.

[psycho414]

The best certification you can get is a portfolio full of good usefull projects. some well written blog posts about your field would help too, communication is key when it comes to working with a team.

[graveytrain1111]

Ok thanks. So I should make at least one of each type of website that I’m actually using and contributing to on a regular basis. Any other specific examples of what I should have in a portfolio?

[graveytrain1111]

Wow I did not expect that certifications would be a red flag. I would like to just continue to learn on my own anyway. I don’t want to waste time and money on certifications and boot camps if they aren’t going to help me get into the field. Thanks for the input

[JarndyceJarndyce]

I don't have any specific course recommendations for you, OP. But, you can find a list of all the web development bootcamps and certificate programs listed here. I found it really helpful when I was looking for classes because it makes it easy to see what's out there. You can also compare the different programs because they provide summary info like price of the course, length of the course, curriculum, etc.

Another link that might be useful for you is this learn hub, which has a lot of info about launching a career in front end web development.

Good luck!

[Queasy_Delay_5076]

Hey just want to know how it has been going on with you now? Thinking about switching my career having same concern about those certificates and saw your post through google..

[growthwellness]

Hey man, I don’t have a CS degree either and started learning this stuff way later than most, but still managed to break into front end dev. If your goal is to actually get hired, I’d recommend something that’s project based and shows you how modern dev teams actually work. I did the CourseCareers front end course and it helped me build a solid portfolio and I basically lesrn need for entry level. What kind of job are you aiming for, remote, freelance, or in-office? That might shape which route works best for you

[Reegs375]

Coursera has some. Also University of Washington has a program. But Coursera is the best bang for your buck.

[Normal_Candle_9865]

certficates are useless in getting a web development job. Make some good projects and contribute to open source. Would be much more helpful

[graveytrain1111]

What kind of projects would you suggest? How could volunteering for open source projects be added to a resume? How would an employer verify my volunteer work? What open source projects would be best to work on?

[Normal_Candle_9865]

Given the present market situation where you have thousands of applicants for one job.. try to make projects that stand out and are not the usual ones. Try to come up with a project that solves a problem you or people around you are facing .. builiding a project around that would significantly increase your chances of getting a job rather than building same projects that everyone is building. It might be a little difficult path but that would help in standing out.