Qualifications?
 

I am planning to post here more often. All I have done since I came here was abuse this service, download the hacks and then leave again. I should give something back (be it in the form of my pointless threads :D )

This is one about qualifications. How many of you have diplomas, degrees, etc? I am on the verge of enrolling in a CIW (Certified Internet Webmaster) course, I have sent the application and should begin very shortly after my 18th birthday (in exactly 2 weeks time). It's all entirely online/home based, and finishes in around 8 months time. After that, I plan to train for an MCSA (definitely next year) and with those qualifications, bang down the door of every single business in my town. Despite the lack of mods/skins under my name, I am a pretty good coder.

What about you guys? Anyone planning to get one?

I was going to do CCNA Cisco course, but decided I didn't have time to complete it, so I only completed IT Essentials 1 (Hardware).

I also have a few qualificaions from ExpertRating.com (And plan to get a few more as soon as possible)

I have to ask, what the fudge is a Certified Internet Webaster, and who gives out such a certifcation?

I was originally working on a MSCE, CCNA, CNA, Net+, A+, Linux+, but have since stoped since the ceritifcations are not worth my time and commitment at this point.

I do have my A+, and I barely failed my net+ (missed by a point).

I don't believe any of those certifidations make you a better coder by a long shot, just make you understand what you are working with and that you can study and pass a test.

A guy with a CCIE but who has never touched a router is worthless to me, give me a CCNA with 8 years of expirence any day.

Meh, my qualifications are fairly poor if truth be known..

B's, C's and D's in my GCSEs.
C in Media Studies A Level, D in Computer Studies AS Level

AS Level = Qualification at the end of 1st year of a 2 year A Level course. Didn't bother with 2nd year of Computer Studies after doing pretty bad in my 1st year.. :p

Certs really don't go that far, they may get you a job at comp. USA or something...

I suggest you get in college and study whatever it is you're intrested in. While you're there get some on the job experiance, this will take you further than any cert.

I think my dad said it best: Two guys paint cars...one learned how to do it in his dad's shop and has been doing it for 20 years. The other guy is fresh out of school, never painted in his life, but he read the book.

Who would you take your car to?

Well one thing I would say is both Zach and Brad either need to go back to school and learn how to spell or get a good spell checker (forget the certs for now) ;) :p

The only Computer related qualification I have is a single O'Level in Computer Studies, passed in 1979.

Gosh Paul, your qualification is older than me!

Back onto the topic, I have an RSA in Information Technology done in 1996 on a BBC computer, and more recently an ECDL passed in April 2006, and I just got the results back on my Advanced ECDL Word Processing (Pass) and I am due to be taking the Advanced ECDL Database (Access) exam in a couple of weeks, then just Powerpoint to get a Advanced Computing certificate, and if I get chance to do Excel too, then I get a Miscroft Office Expert qualification. Hopefully I'm doing an Internet Systems Development degree starting in September. I'm just waiting to hear if I got accepted or not.

I've got a learning disability that comes from bad public education back in the early 90's I was taught how to spell phonetically, and it has stuck with me ever since.

My grades in HS were horrible, I graduated at the bottom of my class, I got decent grades in College but I've not gone back since.

I agree the most with brad. While a degree does help. The CCNA with 8 years of expirence is worth more than the CCIE who's never been in a real enviorment.

Those classes are good to have. They will teach you how to use 47 sentences to say 4 words and allow you to speak in a language that only those that took the classes will understand. That doesn't mean you will be a good coder, technician, or anthing, but you will always sound like you are. :D j/k

Well, at least someone cleverer than me got around the same grades as me *phew* :P

School of PT, Freesteyelz, Search Engines, Books, Observation & Friends. :D

My degrees, licensing and certifications are for other fields of study.

I'm nearing the end of the 2nd year of my 3 year batchelors degree course in Internet Technology at Northampton University :)

Chris

And a Batchelor of Science I see Chris.

A CIW is a certification in the UK. Average earnings on this certification alone in my county are in the region of 35 grand. A couple of high-string businesses in my area are searching for them.

N-Vidia in Theale are. They make the graphics cards that you are probably using at the moment.

The BSc is in reference to my Computing Degree, I'm just jumping the gun as it were ;)

Unfortunatley there is no (yet anyway) BComp or BInt degree so I will officially be, a Batchelor of Sciene, who studied Computing, graduating with a specialty in Internet Technology lol...

And the salaries for a Database Administrator working with Oracle can command in the region of ?50,000 per year if you study a Batchelors degree, and if I stay on the extra year for my MSc, then in the region of ?75,000+ :D

Chris

What is that qualification doing for you? Are there any businesses in the pipeline?

And why are you up so late? Same reason as me (which happens to be no reason at all)?

Currently its doing nothing for me but being a pain in the butt and causing me stress lol :p

I have a few companies who I can approach over the next year and have a look about accross the country, perhaps over in Ireland also where there are more computing-related companies beginning to surface :)

As for being up so late, I went to a late night screening of Mission Impossible 3 with my girlfriend (11pm, left there at half 1) and after going back to hers for a bit, driving to Tescos and refreshing myself with a nice 1 litre bottle of Diet Kick to wake me up, now find I cannot sleep due to the 300mg of caffeine now running through my veins :p

However I'm beginning to get drowsy again so I shall rest in a few minutes ;)

Chris

Yeah, I'm tanked on a bottle of Coke. It must be a gajillion litres big. I rarely drink Coke, it's poison.

And for Zachery.

I bet a million bucks you won't read it, but there you go if you ever get really bored:

http://www.ciwcertified.com/introCND.asp?comm=CND

Which part of the CIW are you shooting for?

I'm not a part of this conversation but I think a transaction of 1 million dollars is in order to someone. :D

E-Commerce.

That is, as I have been told, is the one that will likely be more gainful. The other sections like v5 Site Designer, are more specific. E-Commerce shall arm me with other tools like marketing and the ethical side of Web Design.

Off Topic: I just had Deja Vu. And I know exactly who is going to post next.

EDIT: I had my fingers crossed behind my back Freesteyelz :)

Ooops! :confused:

I was just razzin you guys, btw ;)

A medical degree, a law degree and finishing up an MBA at the moment. :) No IT qualifications but have been coding since I was a kid on IBM XTs.

Wasn't sure what you wanted to be when you grew up, buddy? Sounds like you have all the bases covered. ;)

What type of medical and law degree do you have if you don't mind sharing?

What do you mean? :) There is only 1 type of medical degree, and 1 type of law degree.

I think he's referring to your area of expertise in each one. ;)

Possibly the type of degree? AFAIK theres the 2 year, bachelors, masters, and doctorate.

Err-WIN. :lick:

Well, as Boofo stated I'm looking for your area of concentration. My question was sincere. See, I also have multiple degrees but not at the doctoral level. I've considered Psychiatry (a medical degree :) ) but eventually chose Child Psychology (Masters) with the option of going doctorate. I also had a high interest in copyright law (e.g., software, digital media type). Like you, my degrees are not of IT as it's mainly a hobby. :)

I really can't see myself doing anything other than IT. I don't have the motivation to do anything else which I would end up doing for the next 50 years of my life.

Well, then instead of asking me for the type, ask me for the area of specialty. You can probably deduce that my area of expertise is medicolegal/health law. The fact that I'm doing an MBA indicates my interest in medical administration. Incidentally, my wife is a psychiatrist, and I did training in child psychiatry as well (passed the first exam in it). :)

/me looks away and thinks about not saying anything in case it gets analyzed.

Nah, what the heck.

Anyway, I'm buzzin coz I've got accepted onto the degree course at my local university, so I'm off in September doing Internet Systems Development.

well i take a mixed stance on things. while i agree that a guy with all the certs in the world but no experience makes for a lousy employee, i still believe in the certs as well. it's more a determination thing than the actual material learned. you want someone who can stick it out and learn the material and finish what they start but someone who's got some time under his belt in experience as well. a college degree is a staple in the hiring world.

as for myself, i'm 20 credits from my BS in Computer Information Sciences. I have a handful of expired certs (win nt/2000 MCSE, Novell CNA/CNE, MS MOUS, A+, Network+, Lotus notus domino administrator, as well as some proprietary systems and government and Dept of Defense certifications).

experiencewise i'm new to coding (only about a year since i muddled through putting my site up) but been in the tech management side, the lan/wan side, r&d/testing, corporate deployments/rollouts and even some helpdesk work.

still looking for the one niche in the industry that's exactly what i want to do.

I re-phrased the question on my follow-up post. :)

I think that's awesome. I've always found it fascinating to meet people with a high aptitude for learning and the fact that your wife is a psychiatrist I'm not surprised. Child Psychiatry?...Future discussions you and I may share. :)

As for being able to deduce that your medical and law degrees are connected with one another will leave me to assumption. For example, my cousin has a degree in international law as well as a veterinarian degree. I've studied copyright law and have a degree in Child Psychology. That is why I asked for your areas of specialization. :classic:

Edited: I kept spelling "phrase" as "phraise". *Sigh*