General Development

career decision help – spade89

spade89

Member

Posts: 561
From: houston,tx
Registered: 11-28-2006
 		i am thinking of getting an "IBM Enterprise Server Certificate " someone told me it's a good idea,i was wondering what you guys think ,

does it make a difference if you have like a java certificate or a java associate degree?

or do you have to have a 4 year degree?

oh and do you have to know how to code in windows?
if you like to work on linux is it neccesary to know about windows coding(c++).

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John 14:6

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
SSquared

Member

Posts: 654
From: Pacific Northwest
Registered: 03-22-2005
 		If you are going into IT or PC Repair, a certificate can be very helpful in getting a job. Some repair places even advertise their technicians as "Certified" in their ads.

If you are going into software development, a certificate is almost meaningless. I was close to getting one of the MS App Development certificates at one point, since our company needed two people with certificates, but I left the company with about a week left of studying.

That said, I would still like to eventually get a Microsoft certificate.

Edit: Ooops, forgot to answer. A 4-year degree will always look better than a certificate. Remember, a degree isn't just about learning. It's about interacting with others. Following directions. Being well-rounded in knowledge and subjects. Being social.

[This message has been edited by ssquared (edited August 08, 2007).]
MastaLlama

Member

Posts: 671
From: Houston, TX USA
Registered: 08-10-2005
 		I'm curious as to why you've chosen to go after JAVA?
spade89

Member

Posts: 561
From: houston,tx
Registered: 11-28-2006
 		i know some java and i heard that you could get more jobs in java than others. i like c++ but itś better to hava java degree/cert. than any other and i donīt think they have c++ specialization degrees too.

and i donīt want to get into game coding just a regular dev.

------------------
John 14:6

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
MastaLlama

Member

Posts: 671
From: Houston, TX USA
Registered: 08-10-2005
 		Well, from the trend I've seen in our area (Houston, TX and around), I would suggest you go with .NET, and more specifically C#. I've worked as a programmer for 4 different companies now over the last 7 years and the trend I've seen seems to suggest the following:

   CODE     |   JOBS   |   PAY   |
====================================
C++/C#(.NET)|   MANY   |   HIGH  |
  VB/VB.NET |   SOME   |  MIDDLE |
  JAVA      |   FEW    |   LOW   |

But, that's just what I've seen, doesn't mean it's what's really out there. You should also check out HoustonJobs.com and Monster.com and see what's out there right now to see where the biggest need is.