Forum Moderators: phranque
The best board i could to post to.
I would like to know if gaining computer related certificates from the open university would be recognised by potential employers in london
Webdesign etc
Any views appreciated THANKS
Matt
I think it's fair to say that there are a great many junk courses out there. However, O.U. courses in general are likely to be better regarded that many others courses simply because people have heard of the O.U.
My own opinion is that it's not the quality of the course that is important so much as the quality of the individual. I know someone with two post-graduate degrees in business studies from the O.U. but he's still as thick as a brick and far less useful.
Kaled.
My own opinion is that it's not the quality of the course that is important so much as the quality of the individual.
Remember to write that in the margins of your job application.
It's good to know that it's well thought of, but it would be worth doing even if nobody had heard of it.
The UK IT industry is full of people with generic qualifications and no business sense or specific experience. There was a tech boom and hard government recruitment drive a few years ago and it really saturated the market. There are *still* training companies advertising on national TV that if you get a training qualification with them you will walk into a £30kpa job - it simply isn't the case. The market is saturated with an influx of graduates getting experience and foriegn workers coming over.
I would suspect that most job adverts for IT jobs in London, you would be looking at needing:
> Specific skill sets (ASP, PhP, etc)
> Experience (5 years+ isn't hard to come by these days)
> "A relevant qualification"
However it's all down to the companies you are looking to apply to.
Large firms will erquire qualifications. Smaller companies (SEM firms for example) are more likely to ignore the qualification in favour of industry experience. Obviously in both scenarios, the skills are the important factor.
That said, you could probably trade off one aspect for another - if you don't have quite enough experience, then qualifications would help. If you don't have enough qualifications, experience would help.
As others have said, the OU is well respected in the UK so no problems there. Another option is also LearnDirect.
I would check up on funding potential as well, as there is generally some incentive scheme or another in place to attract people to certain industries.
MG
OU course are well run and of a high qulaity, more importantly it shows a dedication and sense of ambition in someone who has completed one of their courses.
Large firms will erquire qualifications. Smaller companies (SEM firms for example) are more likely to ignore the qualification in favour of industry experience. Obviously in both scenarios, the skills are the important factor.
Hear, hear!
You might also want to consider the market value - now and (as far as you can guess) in the future, for particular skills - google for 'contractor rates' and you'll find some hard data.
hth, a.
thanks
Create a CV outlining your skills and a portfolio of sites you have worked on and use job sites like reed.co.uk to send it off to prospective employers.
I had to take a junior role and a paycut to get my foot in the door but 18 months later I doubled my salary and I've been in the industry ever since and never looked back.
Hobby site = better hobby site
Better hobby site = little earner
Little earner = reasonable earner
12 months down the line and you find yourself with several good sites under your wing, better skills and some cash. There's your experience right there! ;)
Where you go from there is up to you!
MG
