CIW Certification

[Fortune Hunter]

I have been working on getting my CIW certification on my own. My initial thought was that it would add a lot of value to my credentials as a web designer.

However I am not so sure now. I don't meet a lot of people who have it. Most people who are in this business say it is all about your portfolio.

I don't have a large, nice portfolio yet, I am just getting started so I thought this might be a good step to building that reputation and credibility.

Plus I do have a PCM (Professional Certified Marketer) certification from the American Marketing Association. I thought combining this with the CIW would give me a lot of credibility to start out with.

It seemed the market was certification happy a few years ago, but not so anymore. I don't know if that is the economy causing it or just lack of interest in certifications.

What do the rest of you think about this?

Fortune Hunter

[karmov]

I wouldn't expect the certification alone to give you a lot of credibility. It certainly can help and anything you can put on a resume to show that you know what you're doing is a good idea. But since the web has a significant artistic flare to it, a portfolio will get you far more jobs than a certificate will.

The web is about people and what appeals to them. Though it is tremendously technical in nature, a lot of what needs to be done is about catering to people's wants and needs. A portfolio can demonstrate your ability to do that while a certification really can't. That being said, your certification will show that you know and understand the technical side of the business, and that's not a bad thing to have there.

Having both definitely can't hurt, but I really think the portfolio is of tremendous importance.