
Ask HN: Online Certs and Degrees Help - mangoleaf
Greetings fellow HNers. I spend about half of every day volunteering time assisting disadvantaged teens and young adults here in Las Vegas.<p>They are time, travel, and resource constrained which usually causes an impediment to further learning. I need help compiling a list for them of online learning resources that results in something that an employer will value.<p>Thank you!
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caymanjim
Online certifications and degrees are of exceedingly low value, and are often
outright scams, unless the online degree is from an accredited university and
is indistinguishable from any other degree offered.

Immersive coding boot camps, as much as I dislike the idea, do have value. If
someone attends an in-person, full-time (40 hours a week for 12 weeks)
bootcamp, from a reputable provider, that can actually lead to a job.

For young people, and those of limited means, I'd stop worrying about
certifications and simply help them learn. Plenty of online resources are
cheap and valuable, like udemy.com (to name one; there are many good ones).
It's a good way to get started part-time. They can learn the basics at their
own pace. They'll learn skills that employers will value, although it's
unlikely to lead directly to a job.

No one should invest any serious money in education until they know if they
like it and have the aptitude.

