12th of September, 2016
certificates for undergraduate student speach

Are IT certificates such as CancanIT's considered valuable to a university student who will be seeking a job in the software industry after graduation?

In short – yes.

However, a simple yes is probably not an answer you were looking for.

Let's examine this question in more detail, and in regard to a few different perspectives.

Your own standpoint

From the most simple point of view – getting certificates for your skills and labeling yourself a professional in any particular IT field can only benefit you.

Being certified provides a greater chance of being seriously looked at by any potential employer, and therefore a better chance of recognition and eventual employment.

A lot of people tend to think only about one side of the story, having a certificate means higher percentage of landing that job. However, it is important to remember that getting a certificate provides the certified person a great deal regardless of the success of their job hunt.

Being able to call yourself a certified professional guarantees a self-confidence boost, along with a notch of motivation – especially when you're an undergraduate student.

Nowadays, most will run for certification with only one thing in mind – get that job, and this is perfectly understandable. However, we should remember that knowledge is one of the greatest deeds an individual can pursue, and certifying your particular passion brings you one step closer to it.

Employer's standpoint

The employer. A scarcity of almost any sweating individual who will go into an interview for a dream job after sleepless nights accompanied by constantly over-thinking the process – with the worst possible scenarios being on top – as usual.

This is where that paper of certification comes in, and now you can realize how much of a difference it can make when going in for an interview.

What do you imagine the employer will like more, a calm, confident individual, with answers and skills at-the-ready, or a seemingly lost one who not only lacks proof of his or her skills, but also shivers because of it?

There are those who can assert confidence and calmness without any pieces of paper that proves their skills, but for the most of us – this is not the case.

Employers are people too, after all, and by that definition – each is different. Some will only look at the papers, some will decide if you're a good fit by talking to you – and some will consider both.

By being certified, you get the whole cake. An absolute best chance for employment. You get the confidence, motivation, proof of skills but also a proof of your dedication, investment of both time and money, all which can make a great difference in the eyes of your particular fate-decider, so to speak.

Objective conclusion

All said and done, it is perfectly clear that being certified will never guarantee landing the dream job, but we also know that it most certainly will help. Other than using certification programs as your job wings, there are other benefits as well.

It is very interesting to note that many certified professionals enjoy some benefits of certification more than knowledge itself. Besides newly discovered skills and knowledge, they also get that feeling of organization and responsiveness back, along with a refreshed mind.

This is why I deeply suggest going through a certificate program that requires you to learn everything from the basics itself – to the most advanced, no matter what your direction may be.

Once you have completed the process and became an actual certified professional, you will be much more organized, feel more confident, skillful and ready to take on new challenges – such as highly a motivated job hunt. Besides all that, you will also find great pleasure in being certified even after you graduate.

This means that getting a certification before you graduate can help you get a job, but also means a lot when your entire generation rushes off for job hunts after receiving their diplomas, only difference is of course that you will also be a certified professional.

So, if there is interest for more knowledge in your heart, that is – certified knowledge, consider looking into acquiring IT certificates such as JavaScript Certification, or maybe go for a career-starter such as HTML5 Certification.

To put all this in perspective – there's no scenario where you will regret certifying your skills. This is something that can only benefit both your persona and your career.

Edvin Mulalic
Edvin Mulalic Contributing Author

Edvin is a passionate content creator and a research enthusiast with background knowledge on the fundamentals of Search Engine Optimization. He contributes to our certification program exam reviews and informational blog posts.

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