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