[colemancb]

Down on my luck job-wise for some time, and I'm trying to find new ways to stay productive while job hunting, and anything to expand my options is great.

How well respected is a W3Schools certification in terms of trying to find jobs in a computer-related field? I do have a lot of web design experience but it's all been code-as-I-go, learning bits and pieces to make things work as opposed to knowing all there is to know. W3 seems very affordable, especially with being able to use their site as my training materials before the tests.

Whatd'ya think? Worth it or should I save to drop dime on the big names, i.e. Microsoft.

[cluberti]

As someone who knows folks who've taken the certs, and talking to some of my network contacts about the certifications, they're not highly respected in the field because the tests are technically VERY easy (think NT4 MCSE easy). It really doesn't show a prospective employer much more than you're certified by someone for something (aka you can take a test), but not any proficiency. Given the ease of the tests and the lack of real groundswell in people taking the cert, it's only worth it to you if you think it's worth it (and can sell what you do to a prospective employer with your portfolio to go along with it). It's like any certification, really, in that it might maybe get you a spot in the interview room (although a college degree and a good history of your work experience is practically always worth more), but your skills and portfolio, along with your preparedness for the interview and your attitude towards your work is probably what actually gets anyone any kind of job, be it web dev or any other professional career.