Do certifications really matter in tech?

Short answer:
Sometimes. Not always. And rarely for the reason people think

I ran a poll with ~800 engineers.

👉 70% said certifications are NOT useful

But once I read the comments, the answer became much clearer

Certifications aren’t useless
They’re just misunderstood

In this newsletter, we’ll cover:

• Do certifications really matter in tech today?

• What certifications are actually good for

• When certifications help the most

• Which certifications actually matter

• When certifications don’t help at all

• Cost vs value of certifications

• My personal take as a software engineer

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Coming back to the topic,

What Certifications Are Actually Good For?

1. Certifications Are Structured Learning

This came up again and again

Most engineers said the same thing in different words:

“I learned a lot while preparing, even if the certificate itself didn’t matter.”

Certifications help because they:

• Force you to revisit fundamentals

• Give structure to otherwise random learning

• Fill gaps you didn’t know you had

If you treat a certification like:

• A checklist

• A memorization exercise

• A race to pass

You’ll get almost no value.

If you treat it like a learning syllabus, it can be very helpful.

2. Certifications Help With Visibility (Not Skill)

This is uncomfortable, but true.

Recruiters:

• Scan resumes quickly

• Use keyword filters

• Don’t deeply analyze projects at first glance

Certifications help you:

• Get past resume filters (maybe)

• Look “safe” on paper

• Signal interest in a domain

They don’t prove skill
They help you get noticed

That’s an important difference

When Certifications Help the Most?...