Ask Slashdot: How To Prove IT Knowledge Without Expensive Certificates?

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Ask Slashdot: How To Prove IT Knowledge Without Expensive Certificates?

Posted by timothy on Friday September 14, 2012 @03:49PM from the use-these-stickers-and-sparkle dept.

An anonymous reader writes "I'm starting my Ph.D in psychology this year and plan to finance this period with IT freelance work, mostly building websites with Drupal and setting up Linux networks, servers, etc.. Now I have a little problem: Since I never studied ICT nor followed a course that resulted in a certificate, I can only prove my knowledge by actually doing stuff or showing what I've done so far. Unfortunately that isn't always sufficient to convince potential customers. So I was wondering what other slashdotters do. Are there any free or cheap alternatives to get certificates or other more convincing ways to prove your IT knowledge?"

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You already know the answer by hawguy · 2012-09-14 16:01 · Score: 4, Insightful

The answer is in your post: "showing what I've done so far". If you don't have enough work to show them, then maybe you don't have the experience they are looking for.
When hiring contractors (or employees), I prefer experience over certificates and generally only glance at certs.
WTF? Getting a PhD but IT certs are too expensive? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-14 16:02 · Score: 4, Insightful

This post makes no sense. Is there even such a thing a Drupal cert? If there is, hardly anybody asks for it.
Seems to me like the poster thinks he/she can make big money in IT freelancing without verifiable training, or experience. I find that attitude typical of people who don't know anything about real world IT, but think it must be easy.
Take a look at sites like rentacoder, elance, and odesk. Yeah, easy to make big money in IT.
Re:How to prove medical knowledge? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-14 16:14 · Score: 4, Insightful

Yeah. It would be great if they were comparable.
Certs are a negative where I work (something of a red flag). We give both a written and a practical exam. Almost without exception, the cert collecting folks fail miserably. Folks with real experience ace the exams, and the rest fall in between.
Re:Show em your previous work. by GrpA · 2012-09-14 16:22 · Score: 4, Insightful

References. Former customers. Previous work. How you answer questions in the interview. Certificates only count for employers to whom the certificate is absolutely critical. In some cases it really is all that matters. In others, experience and ability count.
GrpA

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Goddammit, mods >:( by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-14 19:33 · Score: 5, Insightful

Are there any free or cheap alternatives to get certificates or other more convincing ways to prove your IT knowledge?
Wrong question. What you really meant to ask:

Are there any free or cheap alternatives to get clients?
The one time there is actually insightful comment on Slashdot, it's modded interesting.
Re:Absolutely, but even better: by west · 2012-09-15 02:27 · Score: 4, Insightful

Just be a bit careful that you aren't showing anything that a previous customer might consider confidential.
Nothing can freak out a customer like a demonstration that you will reveal their confidential information at the drop of a hat.
(Saw this happen when a company competing for a contract blithely showed pre-publication work they were doing for a direct competitor. When called on it, they said that of course, the work for *us* would be held in complete confidentiality...)