Ask HN: What are your views on IT certification?
If you are interested in learning and not for credentialism
If you just want to learn, I guess you could do worse than reading an exam guide as a starting point for some set of topics. Used copies of old editions might be very inexpensive, and they'll expose you a broad range of things that you should know at a surface-level. But actually sitting for an exam can be fairly expensive; like thousands of dollars. Even after you pass the exam, certifications typically involve filling out paperwork to prove your work history, recording how you're satisfying continuing education requirements, and paying annual fees. It's crazy to do all that unless you need the credential for employment.
It just feels like a waste of time to learn those things. I never had to get a certificate to know the differences between Python and Haskell, or between jQuery and Vue, or between SQLite and Postgres...
There are some good course that result in some certificate. More often, certification is just something to please the bean counters and teaches almost no useful skills.
In my opinion, management is typically not tech so they are never sure you know anything. As such by relying on an outside organization they can shift the responsibility.
Outside of that arena, they hold way less value. That being said, the curriculum to get a cert may be worth studying to improve skills. And if you are learning anyway and can afford the testing fee, there is no harm in picking up the cert. But most employers won't really care.
Knowledge and troubleshooting is what matters. You may have lot of work experience to show but without knowledge it doesn't matter. Degrees don't matter either.
Depends. CCNA (the classes) were reported to be very interesting.
On the other hand: MCSE - Must Consult Someone Experienced
But instead it's just going to be a certification arms race where you're going to have to have 5 great certifications to merely qualify for the opportunity to start the cycle of interview bullshit.