Stickynotes episode 7, July 23 2020
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Details from this session
There are several different UX certifications out there. Who are they for, really: you or your potential employer?
Our key takeaway from this episode was – as usual – “it depends.”
If you are new to the field of UX, a certificate *might* help, but you’re probably least able or willing to spend the time and money necessary for getting a worthwhile certificate.
If you are already in a UX job, your experience probably outweighs the need for a certificate, but if your employer will pay for you to get certified, then by all means do it, even though it’s less useful to you overall.
The benefits to an individual probably depend on the stage they are at in their career, how relevant their education or previous work experience is, and what trade-off they are prepared to make between cost, time, and potential rewards from getting certified.
Having said that, two different people who commented on the live session said that their (highly relevant) qualifications from slightly different fields were NOT enough to get them jobs.
Sadly, certification is probably most useful in careers searches for employers who don’t understand UX. For them, certification is (theoretically) one way to demonstrate that you have a specific skillset. Ironically, certification seldom ever demonstrates that you can *apply* that skillset in your work.
Watch the video to hear the rest of our views on certification and whether it’s worth it.
Chris has written a couple of articles around this topic – is UX certification helpful for getting a job? and choosing certification that’s right for you.
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