Value as an employee

In Programming and Tech fields, does my value come from me having a degree or from me having certifications with projects?

I’m 19 and I am currently trying to figure out which path to take to being a programmer. I rather teach myself and make projects, but I feel like I’m failing myself a little bit. I’m thinking a four ye

Hi there,

I think your “value” comes from proof, that you are able to solve the employer’s problems.

If there is one job, but many applications, then the employer has to find one person who can solve the job’s problems. That’s why employers use degrees and certificates to increase the probability to find a person who can solve the employer’s problem.

There have been several good discussions here on the forum about the value of a degree and attending university. I do recommend using the forum search functionality to see what has been said before.

There are many factors that go into a decision like this, but in answer to your original question, there will be a bias toward degrees among potential employers.

Pretend you’re hiring someone to do a job for you and ask the question in reverse.

Do you care that they have a degree or certificates or have 1 year or 20 years of experience?

You really only care that they can do the job well.

But… How do you decide if they can do the job?

What do you trust more? A 4-year degree from a university in a related field or certificates from FCC?

That said, there’s a lot more that goes into a hiring decision that just a degree/certificates.