Are EdX certs worth it for job hunting?

ShooterSF

Hey guys, as above really. Quick history I'm a bartender looking to switch careers into development. I've done some coding before and even took a year doing "game design and ludology" in DIT when I was between jobs and enjoyed it but then I moved to Canada for a few years and got back into bartending.

Also a quick primer on Edx; they let you take and complete the course totally for free and even mention you can screenshot the completion but they also offer a cert at the end that they charge for.

So now I'm following this guide and doing a bit on FreeCodeCamp. I have no other qualifications and I'm wondering outside of doing the courses (for example Arizona State College Algebra and Harvard X CS50 intro to CS at the moment) to learn the content, would it look any better on the cv to say I have a cert rather than just saying I completed the course. The range of fees seems to go from 40 euro into 150ish per course. Would employers here or in the UK care?

colm_c

Honestly, no.

It's probably a good way to get some exposure to some tech, but any employer will not regard it.

Employers are looking for experience, you'd be coming in as a graduate/intern.

Evil Phil

I've been dipping in and out of EdX courses for a couple of years now. This year is the first year it's had actual value, and completing one of the Microsoft IoT courses is one of my annual review goals. I asked if they wanted me to get the cert, I was told not to bother as it has no real value.

Pretty easy goal to achieve in fairness

ShooterSF

Thanks guys. That was my initial instinct but you have to decide within 2 weeks if you want the cert and that pressure does a good job of provoking the fear of missing out....