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[Chevy]

What type of certifications do you look for when you're hiring a computer consultant? Is it important to see a C++ and a Microsoft certification or are there others more important? We have a teenager in our house who is beginning to think about these things.

[BlueIntellect]

This is always a difficult one, certification means that you have reached a certain standard as long as the awarding authority is reputable. Getting a certificate to say you have completed a training cource in C++ or any other technology from jo bloggs training company means nothing. Getting Microsoft accreditation means something.

The other aspect is that you need to demonstrate what you can do and have a porfolio. Someone who can do the work without certificates is far better than someone who has a lot of certificates telling me he can do the work but produces below average results. Even better if he has the certificates and can produce good results.

I speak from experience as an ex European IT Director for a major technical company who hired IT people

Regards
brian@blueintellect.com

[Chevy]

It's always somewhat of a Catch-22, though isn't it? I know many people who are highly talented and  able to do many things that others with a certification/degree are unable to do. However, if you've never had a job and need experience and references to get one...we've all probably had to have dealt with that in one way or another.