On Thu, Mar 8, 2012 at 3:32 AM, Mike <mik...@colossus.bilow.com> wrote:
> A friend of mine is looking for a career change and asks what sort of
> vendor independent certifications (that is, not another college degree)
> would help them get in the door in programming, web design, or system
> administration? She is not mainly asking about actual education, but
> rather how to prove knowledge in such a way that would convince
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> prospective employers.
As far as programming or web design goes, I don't put much stock in
any kind of certification. I'd be far less likely to want to hire
someone based on a certificate than I would be based on demonstrable
experience. Also, "knowledge" is fleeting: stuff that I knew 5, 10, or
15 years ago is useless today. Better to be able to prove that you're
smart and capable of learning things quickly.
Build something worth showing off and point to the code on github, or
to a site(s) you've built, as your portfolio.
I was at a Boston Python meetup[1] a few weeks ago, and Michael
Trosen[2] of Lab305[3] talked about how he can't find python/django
people to work for his company. I've heard similar pleas from other
people in similar situations. Jesse Noller talked about how he'd love
to have volunteers to work on PSF projects; PyPi, for example only has
two people working on it. Solve some of the problems there, people in
the community will recognize your name, and you have your foot in the
door for jobs.
Spend six months learning django and related technologies, contribute
a patch or five[4] to django core and you will make connections with
people who will want to hire you. Go to meetups; the Boston Python
Meetup has a large, active membership -- meet people, learn stuff, eat
pizza, find work. (There's always someone hiring when you go to a
meeting.)
Build a portfolio by offering to build small websites -- preferably
with some kind of interactivity -- for a few nonprofits. Get feedback
from people who know their stuff; your first few sites will suck.
Depending on your taste, you can s/python/ruby/g and s/django/rails/g,
or whatever else suits you.
[1]: http://meetup.bostonpython.com/events/48542762/ -- if you follow
the link to ustream.tv and poke around a bit you may be able to find
the video
[2]: http://www.lab305.com/
[3]: http://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeltrosen
[4]: http://openhatch.org/ will help you learn how to contribute
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