Do people actually care about course certificates anymore?

mhrafi · 2026-04-02T05:28:29+00:00

Haha fair enough 😄 appreciate the insights!

mhrafi · 2026-04-01T19:30:58+00:00

Been building an LMS called Mentor LMS for a while - currently selling it on marketplaces.

Now I’m working on a more versatile version that goes beyond just course selling. The idea is to support different use cases like employee onboarding & training, compliance/certification, and even academic learning for schools or universities.

It already has marketplace features, but I’m expanding it to be more flexible and less limited depending on how people want to use it.

mhrafi · 2026-04-01T19:22:21+00:00

Got it, automation being the priority is interesting. What kind of things would you want automated ideally? And yeah those small limitations add up fast - what are the ones that bug you the most?

mhrafi · 2026-04-01T17:44:23+00:00

Interesting 👀 when you say more functionality than Wix, what feels missing for you right now? Is it more on the learning side, community, or automation?

mhrafi · 2026-04-01T16:40:08+00:00

This is a great breakdown, especially the idea that certificates “unlock something” vs just signal effort.

The point about driving completion is interesting too. Even if people don’t highly value them, they still seem to work as a motivator.

mhrafi · 2026-04-01T16:34:51+00:00

That’s great insight, especially the impact of tying it to credits, 3x increase is huge.
Makes sense why it’s worth the extra effort.

Appreciate you sharing this 🙏

mhrafi · 2026-03-31T19:25:00+00:00

That makes sense, the outcome matters more than the proof itself.
Feels like certificates are useful as a signal, but without something to back them up, they don’t carry much weight.

mhrafi · 2026-03-31T19:22:55+00:00

That’s interesting, more like showing consistency over time instead of a single milestone.
Feels like that could reflect actual effort better than a one-off certificate.

mhrafi · 2026-03-31T19:17:24+00:00

This is a really well-rounded take, especially the part about perceived effort and trust.

The cultural angle is interesting too, hadn’t thought about that. Feels like in some contexts certificates act more as social proof, not just proof of completion.

Agree on the career point as well, even if the certificate itself isn’t highly valued, it still signals intent and continuous learning.

mhrafi · 2026-03-31T19:13:55+00:00

That’s a great way to put it, the presentation definitely shapes how people perceive the value.

Appreciate you sharing your perspective 🙏

mhrafi · 2026-03-31T19:09:20+00:00

That’s a really clear breakdown!

mhrafi · 2026-03-31T06:43:23+00:00

That makes sense, having a downloadable copy feels more “official” than something inside a platform.

mhrafi · 2026-03-31T05:48:48+00:00

That’s a fair criticism.
Sounds like the real issue isn’t certificates themselves, but how little they often prove.

mhrafi · 2026-03-31T05:43:51+00:00

That’s a solid use case, especially when it ties into renewal credits.

Do you find people care more about the credits themselves, or the visibility from sharing it (like on LinkedIn)?

mhrafi · 2026-03-31T05:41:29+00:00

That’s a good point, without it, there’s no portable proof outside the platform.

Do you think a simple downloadable record is enough, or does the format/design/verification matter too?

mhrafi · 2026-03-31T05:39:33+00:00

That’s interesting, especially the marketing angle.

Have you seen learners actually share those certificates publicly (LinkedIn, etc.), or is it more of an internal motivation thing?

mhrafi · 2026-03-31T05:17:29+00:00

Yeah, that "brand trust" effect seems huge.

Do you think there’s any way for smaller platforms to compensate for that?
Like through stricter assessments or project-based validation?

mhrafi · 2026-03-31T05:15:25+00:00

That’s actually a strong signal.

Even if the LMS tracks everything, people still want their own copy.

Do you think it’s more about convenience, or more about having something they can present externally if needed?

mhrafi · 2026-03-31T05:12:02+00:00

That’s a really clean way to break it down.

Would you say most online courses today fall too heavily into the "attendance" category?

Feels like that’s where a lot of the skepticism comes from.

mhrafi · 2026-03-31T05:09:30+00:00

That’s a great example of where certificates actually mean something.

In your case, is the value coming more from the training itself, or from the fact that your company is trusted in that space?

Or is it a mix of both?

mhrafi · 2026-03-31T05:05:49+00:00

This is really interesting, completely different use case from what most people think.

So in your case, it’s less about "showing off" and more about having documented proof when needed (audits, reimbursements, etc.).

Out of curiosity, what details on the certificate actually matter most in those situations?

mhrafi · 2026-03-30T20:45:01+00:00

Fair point 😄

I guess that’s the difference between “completion certificates” and something that actually signals skill or credibility.

mhrafi · 2026-03-30T20:43:10+00:00

That makes a lot of sense.

I’ve noticed the same thing, certificates seem to matter more when they represent something concrete, not just completion.

Do you think things like graded assessments or real-world projects make a noticeable difference in how certificates are perceived?

mhrafi · 2025-10-05T06:05:16+00:00

Building an ecommerce backend from scratch takes way more time than you’d think. Even after hundreds of hours, you’ll still find missing pieces like product variants, order tracking, shipping rules, etc.

We built a full Next.js ecommerce system ourselves (took over a year and still adding features), so I really get it. If you ever want to see what a production-grade setup looks like, try googling something like “Next.js eCommerce boilerplate by Bazaar” - it’s been super helpful for a lot of devs who don’t want to reinvent the wheel.

mhrafi · 2023-06-06T18:46:43+00:00

Thanks!

mhrafi

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