Seun: A typical IT worker needs both - y[b]ou need certifications to get a job[/b], but you also need skills in order to keep it.

Seun: A typical IT worker needs both - you need certifications to get a job, but you also need skills in order to keep it.

Seun: A typical IT worker needs both - you need certifications to get a job, but you also need skills in order to keep it.

Fayimora: Slightly off topic question.. Why do Nigerians, well not all but most, care so much about certifications?

Fayimora: Slightly off topic question.. Why do Nigerians, well not all but most, care so much about certifications?

okeyxyz:

true! certification is very important if you need to apply for a job. don't let anybody tell you otherwise. certificates makes you formally verified & validated, it's an assurance that you meet the required standards.

Fayimora: I still don't see a reason. I think it's pointless lol. Certifications are just exams.

IMHO

Are they any good? Well, yeah kinda. I believe they prove you know how to prepare for and pass exams. Do they show your level of proficiency? ABSOLUTELY NOT!

Yes I believe in proof too. Seeing is believing! Show me what you can do. The fact that an investment bank is hiring/interviewing you doesn't mean your games(be it 2D, 3D or even text based) are useless to them. What matters is how you approached the problem. Also, change! Has your knowledge of Software Development improved overtime? What about your analytical skills?

It doesn't seem obvious how you can extract such information from someone's code but trust me when I say it's one of the easiest ways to do it.

Fayimora: That is quite sad @Javanian. Things really need to change in Nigeria then. I still find it funny that CS students "contract out their projects". That's very very sad. If I were you, I'll stop working for such people, except they are ready to pay an exorbitant fee of course .

@naija_swag I disagree. It's not a pointless topic. Not everyone believes in certifications. To be honest, I haven't heard anyone say anything about certifications in the last 12months. All I hear about are projects -> this pluggin or that extension or that library.

prodam: Skill and certification..
Skill is as important as certification but a valid point here is that one comes before the other and one compliments the other. And that is: skill/proficiency should come before certification while certification actually compliments proficiency. In accordance with a poster's advice, it is ideal to be a complete IT expert with much accolade by acquiring both.
My2k..

Fayimora: That is quite sad @Javanian. Things really need to change in Nigeria then. I still find it funny that CS students "contract out their projects". That's very very sad. If I were you, I'll stop working for such people, except they are ready to pay an exorbitant fee of course .

@naija_swag I disagree. It's not a pointless topic. Not everyone believes in certifications. To be honest, I haven't heard anyone say anything about certifications in the last 12months. All I hear about are projects -> this pluggin or that extension or that library.

naija_swag: This is more or less a pointless question. Certification and skill are both important. If you can prove to the world that you have got skills and come up with tangible results, no one is interested in your certifications. The wizkids in IT history and today have their achievements regardless of whether they are certified or not. Now that does not stop them from getting certified if they desire so. If you then want to show that you are knowledgeable in a certain IT area and comply with necessary bench marks and standards for knowledge level therein, you get certified. So both are mutually exclusive. If you have got skills, getting certified does not prove it,it is proved by real world projects that you execute and likewise,getting certified does not guarantee that you have got the necessary skills, you could be knowledgeable enough to pass the exams only. So get the certification, enhance your skills and be a complete Information Technology expert. Don't neglect any, they are both equally important.

ibrodex:


the bolded:

I have done projects for Msc. student before. i could remember in my ND days a Bsc holder begged me to his project. This happens here in nigeria. When i was in school we(as in group) do projects for some lecturers in another school.

gistme24: In the Nigerian Context, things are always a bit different.

Back in March, I was looking to leave my Job for another, in fact I already had an offer from another firm, was just weighing my options when a former colleague of mine, who works with a Chinese Telecom firm here in Lagos, asked me to forward my CV .
I was called in for a Technical Test a week later. The test was in two parts, written and oral, conducted by two Chinese dudes . The questions were on core Linux, Oracle, and Java. I nailed them both. I did so well that the tech guys wanted me in as soon as possible.

In comes the Nigerian HR personnel. And it was a resounding NO. Reason being that I was running an online Degree program with a UK based university and had a year to go.

This may be a bit off topic, but my point is that here in Nigeria, we value paper qualifications more than knowledge .

Fayimora:

Sorry about that mate. That's really sad!