
Ask HN: Will a MOOC certificate impress entry level Python employers? - charliej2
Will it make a difference to employers of entry level developers if you have a MOOC certificate? Is it worth pursuing for this aim, or will they be interested only to see what a potential employee has built?
======
ng-user
Don't pursue it for the credentials. Apply what you learn in the class to
practical projects you're interested in. Build a GitHub profile of various
repositories showcasing what you've learned and it will impress a future
employer far more than credentials on paper ever will!

~~~
rayj
Agreed. Having both the intro to programming MOOC down and a GitHub is really
the way to go. This way if you apply to somewhere where the primary business
is not programming you will have something to show HR and also something to
show whomever is interviewing you.

------
gtsteve
If I had a choice between an entry-level candidate with a MOOC certificate and
an entry-level candidate with a Github repo with some interesting projects, I
think the latter candidate would be in with a better chance.

Not all candidates are created equal however but the ones that I have hired
(and ones I wish I could have hired) all had at least some sort of online
coding portfolio which demonstrated a good working knowledge of data
structures and algorithms.

As an engineer and an employer, I am more interested in what experience you
have than your educational pedigree. I would see a MOOC certificate as
neutral.

~~~
charliej2
Thanks, it's particularly helpful to hear directly from an employer.

------
brudgers
I'd say a MOOC certificate in Python is unlikely to impress professional
programmers. It may impress ordinary business persons. So in terms of hiring,
it might be useful in terms of working for a business whose primary business
is not programming. It probably won't directly eliminate a candidate from a
job in a business whose primary business is programming.

However, there are not vast numbers of "employers of entry level developers"
relative to the vast number of potential entry level developers. A job as an
entry level developer is most likely to be found by job hunting not taking a
MOOC. More importantly, taking a MOOC is a lot easier for many people than
actively job hunting because active job hunts are hard, involve a lot of
rejection and being ignored, and often take much longer than a MOOC. The key
to getting an entry level Python job is to find someone who is hiring entry
level Python developers.

Good luck.

~~~
charliej2
Useful information, thanks.

