mostafatalebi Posted December 19, 2013 Share Posted December 19, 2013 Hello I am from Iran and want to move to Canada several years later. My questions are: Is having a degree in Programming or Computer Science necessary to get a job? Are there any reliable online center for issuing certificates? Thanks in advance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinM1 Posted December 19, 2013 Share Posted December 19, 2013 Hello I am from Iran and want to move to Canada several years later. My questions are: Is having a degree in Programming or Computer Science necessary to get a job? Are there any reliable online center for issuing certificates? Thanks in advance If Canada is anything like the States, then having a degree in something is usually necessary to even be considered for anything that's not freelancing. It doesn't have to be programming/computer science related, although that's definitely more desirable, but a college/university degree in something is usually a requirement in even getting your foot in the door. AFAIK, certificates aren't desirable. They show that you know certain language features and minutiae, but don't illustrate whether or not you can problem solve. A better route to go would be to build a portfolio of sites/projects that show you tackling specific problems. That shows practical, in-the-field knowledge that's far more valuable to an employer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mostafatalebi Posted December 19, 2013 Author Share Posted December 19, 2013 If Canada is anything like the States, then having a degree in something is usually necessary to even be considered for anything that's not freelancing. It doesn't have to be programming/computer science related, although that's definitely more desirable, but a college/university degree in something is usually a requirement in even getting your foot in the door. AFAIK, certificates aren't desirable. They show that you know certain language features and minutiae, but don't illustrate whether or not you can problem solve. A better route to go would be to build a portfolio of sites/projects that show you tackling specific problems. That shows practical, in-the-field knowledge that's far more valuable to an employer. thanks for your reply. I have a MA degree in English Literature. Then, based on your given points, this might come useful to me. Of course, assuming I have the necessary practical knowledge of Web Design and Development. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinM1 Posted December 19, 2013 Share Posted December 19, 2013 thanks for your reply. I have a MA degree in English Literature. Then, based on your given points, this might come useful to me. Of course, assuming I have the necessary practical knowledge of Web Design and Development. Pretty much. A degree tells employers you can handle deadlines, juggle multiple tasks, and that sort of thing. The very next thing they'll want to know are your skills. A portfolio is vital in conveying that. And, during the interview process, be prepared to write code then and there. It's not necessarily critical that you get their coding tests correct, but that you show you can understand the problem, come up with a way to tackle it, and if it doesn't work, understand why it doesn't work and how you'd tweak it so it would/could work. Employers want to see that you think like a programmer. Knowing language features/limitations is less important than problem solving and debugging skills and showing them you don't need your hand held for every little thing. If you can think like a programmer, then learning syntax isn't a big deal. Employers would also much rather you know what your weaknesses are and that you've taken concrete steps to address them (as that shows you're aware of yourself within the context of the skillset you need, and it shows you're a self-starter) than someone who gives a canned answer about being too much of a perfectionist, or something eyerollingly bad like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mostafatalebi Posted December 20, 2013 Author Share Posted December 20, 2013 thanks for your reply. Then I more try to become a task-managing programmer... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzman1 Posted December 20, 2013 Share Posted December 20, 2013 It might be worth to get some construction certificate as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mostafatalebi Posted December 21, 2013 Author Share Posted December 21, 2013 It might be worth to get some construction certificate as well what do you mean? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzman1 Posted December 21, 2013 Share Posted December 21, 2013 I meant to prepare yourself for survivor job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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