Where to start with web certificates?!?

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Hi. First of all I would like to say that without this forum and the things that I have read I may have ended up wasting a fair bit of money, but luckly I haven't! So thanks to the ppl with the knowledge on CF!

Ok, I am wanting to further my career within web-design, and would like to get some qualifications to help reinforce my portfolio (nothing as of yet, but im working on it). But I am starting to get a bit overwhelmed by the sheer amount of certifications that different companies offer.
At the moment I want to focus on the web-design and development area then branch out later. I want to start from the basics as my knowledge isn't all that great at the mo so start with HTML, CSS etc...

What courses do I need to be looking at to get certificated in those areas, then once completed then where?

There is a course offered by NITLC

Code:

http://www.nitlc.com/webp.aspx

and that covers (in order)
HTML and the basics,
SEO,
dreamweaver & flash,
dynamic web deisgn,
Banner Exchange Marketing (not exactually sure what this is, so if someone could help explain?!),
MCTS,
MCPD,
PPC marketing,
CompTIA Project+,
Search engine marketing,
then finally MCITP.

Is this a good path to take to become a skilled web designer/developer/consultant etc...

Can anyone offer a good path in which to follow. I need to set a plan and keep on that. I know there is CIW but i'm still not that sure whether is would be a sensible course to follow and aim to get a qualification (I have heard that in the UK a CIW isn't as well recognised as in the US).
Also are there any courses in ASP.net, are they covered in any of the Microsoft exams?

Any advice on course certificates with the SEO and PPC would help.

Finally just to finish off. I know that certificates and qualifcations WILL NOT promise me a job, I understand that, I simply want them there so it gives me a good path in which to follow in order to further my career in the web area, and for reinforcement of my CV and portfolio work.

Thanks for reading and thanks in advance!

 

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Hi there

I can't really advise you on the web content or quals and I have no idea when it comes to web!!

But I can advise on Nitlc, I am coming to the end of my course with them and I studied the Networking course. All I can say is that they have been brilliant all of the way. OK it does cost a fair amount of dosh, but it was well worth every penny.

There are quite a few advocates on CF for self study, but to be honest this was not the way forward for me. I needed the support and workshops to help me through the course.

Why don't you give the tutors at Nitlc a call, they have always been extremely helpful to me and I'm sure they could advise you on what you need to know.

MrM

 

What certificates or certifications do you need to be a good Web developer? None; not a single one.

What do you need to be a good Web developer? The knowledge and skill to design Web sites. And you prove that not by certifications, but by a portfolio of *actual* sites you have developed.

 

surely they help when it comes 2 getting noticed for jobs etc...?!

 

Agree with Michael, I sometimes dabble in some webdesign and seo on the side, and having previous websites on the net has helped me get some "extra" work as it were.

Ask any designer, its the portfolio that gets the work.

I would approach a charity or local shops and offer to design something for free, build up a reputation, also i would become active on webdesign forums, start asking questions.

There are plenty of websites on the net that teach HTML, CSS, and so on, just a case of googling.

I taught myself html, and css so it is easily done.

Good luck

 

Get a job in the relevant area and concentrate on delivering...

Yes, do your research before spending £1000's of pounds, regardless of what its on...

Certifications largely fulfil the need of people who are working and can self study. If you can afford college and the time then I'd reccomend that and take a proper course like a foundation degreee. If you are unable to do this then just read the books, study the subject and take whatever certs you feel appropriate. If you are working in the area you should have a good idea of what your employers would like you to know.

You've specified what to most people are several years of certs in a wide area, you should not be attempting all these certs without any prior knowledge or experience. You should pick one or two certs only when you are starting out and see how things pan out. Certifications are largely designed by vendors to prove you can use their product, as such they do not comprise a complete or unbiased education.

 

Would you hire someone who had certifications and no portfolio, or someone who had a proven portfolio and no certifications?

Certainly certifications CAN give you an advantage... but certifications are no replacement for real-world experience. Whether you're a coder, a Web dev, or a tech, it's the same.

 

I am a web developer and in all honesty I have never applied for a job that required a single cert - even in the desirable criteria. In terms of qualifications they usually ask you for a HND, Foundation Degree, Hons degree, preferably in an area where there was sufficient web-based modules. It could be a HND in Computing where your final year project was web-based. Know what you want when it comes to building web sites. Do you want to be a developer or a designer? If the latter then you would be best aiming for a Graphic Design or a multimedia course. Web design and web development are not the same thing in spite of what some trainers will tell you. They are two distinct disciplines.

 

Agreed every shop is different but its quite common to see roles like :-

Web Designer

Front End Web Developer

Back End Web Developer

In some shops you will be expected do it all, in others they will be totally seperate roles.

The 'web design' aspect normally involves, branding, image, colour schemes, fonts etc.
Its normally creative types with art or graphic design backgrounds. In many shops this is treated like traditional print media, they may not be very familiar with the web at all.

Front end developer is people that specialise in HTML, CSS, Javascript, Flash.

Back end developer is people that specialise in server side scripting, general languages, database integration etc.

 

I understand your point to an extent. I would see a Web Developer as someone who understands HTML, CSS, Server-side scripting (Asp, php, .NET , C#) and knows about back-end database integration (SQL Server, Oracle etc). A developer can design to a degree but their skillset is not graphically creative. They will be able to create master pages, build forms etc.

A designer on the other is someone who usually has excellent creative skills and will have worked on graphics packages like Photoshop. They will use design software to build a website, where as a coder will usually script tags. Designers may also have great skills when it comes to animation software and will have an understanding of css. They will however lack the ability to build dynamic driven websites or understand programming techniques.

I know that some companies expect people to take up both these roles, but in reality you usually find one person is strong in the development area while another is strong in design. The perfect solution is to employ both developers and designers which produces the best outcomes. That's the situation we have at our work, a team of six, 3 developers and 3 designers.

 

My point was that there can be many seperate roles, it depends on the shop. Its quite rare to find people that are gurus at front end and back end development. Theres normally a marketing and design element that can't code and only knows the basics of the medium. Then theres people who understand the client side inside out and people the understand the server side inside out. Then theres support and infrastructure guys, netwrok engineers, managers, architects, content editors etc.

If you work in a small shop you might have three or four people to do it all, in a larger shop you might have hundreds.

You also will have various architectural aspects to a large site, you might have federated identity, CRM, ESB/Messaging, Metrics/BI, SEO and a whole host of other aspects.

In essence there are multiple seperate skillsets, its just some places can't justify two people so they prefer one person to do both roles.

Starting out I'd try to at least excel in one thing rather than immediately try to master it all, at least that way you can market yourself as an expert in something.

 

Microsoft has released a new three-tiered certification hierarchy. It consists of three series and four credentials that introduce an entry-level Technology Series, a Professional Series comprised of an IT Professional and Professional Developer credentials and a new top-level Microsoft Certified Architect.
There exist three series:
Technology Specialist Series
Professional Series
Architect Series

Microsoft Certified Professional Developer (MCPD)
These certifications are designed for .NET software developers and are based around .NET 2.0, Visual Studio 2005 and SQL Server 2005.
More details can be found in the blog: blog.killtest.com