Is It Worth Getting Tech Certifications In 2025?

Summary

The video discusses the relevance of tech certifications in 2025, questioning their value in a rapidly changing tech landscape. It explores the historical importance of certifications for standardization and career paths but highlights how evolving skills and industry demands may diminish their worth today. The video suggests considering specific career goals, industry demands, and employer preferences before pursuing certifications. Alternatives like micro-credentials, open source contributions, and hackathons are recommended for gaining experience and networking. The discussion encourages viewers to evaluate the necessity of certifications in their career journey.

Takeaways

• 🧐 Tech certifications were once a sign of standardization, but their relevance is decreasing as tech skills evolve rapidly.
• 📉 The demand for tech certifications has declined due to the fast-paced changes in the industry and evolving job requirements.
• 🎓 Certifications were especially important during 2018-2022 when many people switched to tech from other fields.
• 🔍 Certifications can still be valuable for specific roles, particularly in areas like cybersecurity, where they are often required.
• 🎯 It's crucial to evaluate whether a certification aligns with your career goals, rather than pursuing it just to add skills to your resume.
• 🤔 Employers today often prioritize hands-on experience and demonstrated skills over certifications.
• 💻 Alternative ways to gain experience include micro-credentials, open-source contributions, and participating in hackathons.
• 🔄 Tech certifications may still be necessary for roles with strict industry requirements or if an employer values them.
• 🤝 Networking and practical experience can have a more significant impact on career growth than certifications alone.
• 💡 The value of tech certifications is not as straightforward as it used to be; it's essential to consider alternatives and assess their relevance carefully.

Q & A

Why were tech certifications considered important a few years ago?

Tech certifications were important a few years ago because they provided a standardized way to demonstrate specific skills, especially when the technology landscape was less dynamic. They were also valuable for people transitioning into tech from other fields, serving as proof of competence in a new area.

How has the value of tech certifications changed over time?

The value of tech certifications has diminished over time due to the rapid pace of change in technology. The skills required for tech roles evolve quickly, making it difficult for certifications to keep up. Additionally, employers increasingly value hands-on experience and continuous learning over formal certifications.

In what scenarios might tech certifications still be valuable in 2025?

Tech certifications can still be valuable in 2025 for niche roles, such as cybersecurity, where specific certifications are often required by employers. They may also be useful in industries or companies that prioritize formal qualifications or as a way to fulfill specific career goals.

What are some alternatives to tech certifications for gaining skills?

Alternatives to tech certifications include micro-credentials or digital badges, contributing to open-source projects, and participating in hackathons. These alternatives allow individuals to gain specific skills, build a portfolio, and expand their network, often with more practical experience than a traditional certification.

Why might someone choose not to pursue a tech certification in 2025?

Someone might choose not to pursue a tech certification in 2025 because the skills acquired through certifications can often be learned through other means, such as online courses, self-study, or hands-on projects. Certifications may also be costly and may not always lead to better job opportunities, especially if the technology is rapidly evolving.

How do employer preferences impact the decision to pursue a tech certification?

Employer preferences can significantly impact the decision to pursue a tech certification. If an employer values certifications or requires them for promotions, it may be worthwhile to obtain one. However, in environments where practical experience and continuous learning are prioritized, certifications might not be as necessary.

What role did the pandemic play in the popularity of tech certifications?

During the pandemic, the demand for tech workers surged, and many people transitioned into tech from other fields. Tech certifications became a popular way for these individuals to demonstrate their new skills and secure jobs in the industry without having to return to formal education.

How can balancing theory and practice affect the value of a tech certification?

Balancing theory and practice is crucial in a tech certification's value. A certification that focuses too much on theory without offering hands-on experience may leave individuals unprepared for real-world tasks, reducing its practical value in the job market.

What should someone consider before enrolling in a tech certification program?

Before enrolling in a tech certification program, one should consider the industry demand for the certification, how it aligns with their career goals, and whether it meets employer preferences. It's also important to evaluate whether the program balances theory and practical experience.

Why might some people find it difficult to let go of the idea of needing a tech certification?

Some people might find it difficult to let go of the idea of needing a tech certification because certifications have long been associated with success and credibility. They provide a tangible way to demonstrate knowledge, and there may be a lingering belief that they are necessary to stand out in the job market.

Outlines

00:00

🤔 Is Tech Certification Still Worth It in 2025?

The discussion kicks off with doubts about the relevance of tech certifications in 2025. The narrator reflects on the diminishing value of certifications in a rapidly evolving tech landscape, where experience and practical skills might outweigh formal certification. The video aims to explore whether certifications are a worthwhile investment or merely a financial burden, depending on individual career goals.

05:02

🔄 The Changing Value of Tech Certifications Over Time

The narrator takes a historical perspective, noting how tech certifications were once highly valued as a means of standardizing skills, especially during the tech boom from 2018 to 2022. Certifications were essential for career changers or those lacking formal education, but the fast-paced changes in the tech industry have lessened their importance today. The discussion highlights how industry requirements and specific career paths influenced the demand for certifications in the past.

10:04

📉 The Decline in Relevance of Tech Certifications

The speaker shares insights from Amir, a tech company founder, who argues that certifications were more relevant in static fields where skills did not change rapidly. In contrast, tech roles today evolve so quickly that certifications may no longer accurately reflect an individual’s capabilities. This realization prompts a deeper examination of the current worth of certifications in dynamic fields like software development.

🎯 When Tech Certifications Still Matter

Despite the declining general value of certifications, the narrator acknowledges situations where they remain crucial. For those entering niche fields like cybersecurity, specific certifications are still highly sought after by employers. The importance of aligning certification goals with career objectives is emphasized, suggesting that certifications are now more about targeted skill development rather than broad resume enhancement.

📝 Evaluating the Need for Tech Certifications Today

The discussion shifts to practical advice, with a checklist to help viewers decide whether to pursue a certification. Key considerations include industry demand, career goals, and employer preferences. The narrator advises against taking certifications just to add more skills to a resume unless they are directly aligned with career aspirations or employer expectations, especially given the high costs associated with many certifications.

🌱 Alternatives to Traditional Certifications

The video explores alternative ways to gain relevant skills without formal certifications. Micro-credentials, digital badges, open-source contributions, and participating in hackathons are presented as valuable options. These alternatives often offer more practical, hands-on experience, and can be more aligned with the fast-paced changes in the tech industry, providing opportunities to network and demonstrate skills in real-world scenarios.

🧐 Final Thoughts on the Evolving Role of Tech Certifications

In conclusion, the narrator reflects on how tech certifications are no longer the straightforward path to career advancement they once were. While still useful in certain contexts, they are increasingly being overshadowed by alternative methods of skill acquisition. The narrator invites viewers to share their opinions on whether tech certifications remain relevant in 2025 and beyond, encouraging engagement and discussion in the comments.

Keywords

💡Tech Certification

Tech certifications refer to formal credentials that demonstrate a person's proficiency in a particular area of technology. The video discusses whether tech certifications are still valuable in 2025, highlighting how they used to signify standardized skills but may now be less relevant due to the fast-changing nature of technology. The speaker questions the necessity of certifications, especially when skills can be acquired through experience and other learning methods.

💡Standardization

Standardization in the context of the video refers to the idea that tech certifications once served as a standardized measure of skills and knowledge in the tech industry. This standardization made it easier for employers to assess a candidate's capabilities. However, the video suggests that this concept is becoming outdated as technology evolves rapidly, making the knowledge from certifications potentially obsolete.

💡Formal Education

Formal education refers to traditional educational paths like university degrees. The video contrasts tech certifications with formal education, especially during the period around 2018-2022, when many people used certifications to switch into tech careers without returning to school. The speaker notes that while formal education still holds value, the necessity of certifications is diminishing as experience and self-directed learning become more important.

💡Industry Requirements

Industry requirements are specific qualifications or credentials that certain roles or companies mandate for employment. The video mentions that some tech jobs, particularly in fields like cybersecurity, still require specific certifications. This highlights a scenario where certifications remain relevant due to strict industry standards, despite the broader trend of declining certification value.

💡Career Path

A career path is the progression of jobs or roles within a certain industry or profession. The video discusses how tech certifications used to clearly define and support career paths, signaling to employers that an individual was committed to continuous learning and advancement. However, the video suggests that now, career progression is more often demonstrated through hands-on experience and project work rather than certifications.

💡Micro-credentials

Micro-credentials are smaller, more focused certifications that validate specific skills or knowledge areas. The video presents micro-credentials as an alternative to traditional tech certifications, offering a quicker and more targeted way to gain recognition for particular competencies. They are suggested as a practical option for those looking to stay current in the rapidly evolving tech landscape.

💡Open Source Contributions

Open source contributions involve participating in and contributing to publicly accessible software projects. The video promotes this as an effective alternative to tech certifications, as it allows individuals to demonstrate their skills, collaborate with others, and gain practical experience. Employers increasingly value these contributions as they offer tangible evidence of an individual's abilities and engagement with the tech community.

💡Hackathons

Hackathons are events where individuals or teams work intensively on software projects over a short period. The video suggests hackathons as a valuable way to gain experience, network, and potentially secure job opportunities. They are presented as a hands-on alternative to tech certifications, offering participants the chance to apply their skills in real-world scenarios and make meaningful connections in the tech industry.

💡Validation of Skills

Validation of skills refers to the recognition or proof that a person possesses certain abilities. In the video, tech certifications are discussed as a traditional method of skill validation, particularly useful when job applications are screened by AI systems. However, the speaker notes that practical experience and demonstrated knowledge are increasingly becoming more important than formal validation through certifications.

💡Rapid Technological Change

Rapid technological change describes the fast pace at which technology evolves, making it challenging for certifications to stay relevant. The video highlights this as a critical factor in the diminishing value of tech certifications, arguing that skills learned through certifications can quickly become outdated. This concept underscores the video's broader theme that continuous learning and adaptability are more crucial than ever in the tech industry.

Highlights

Certifications used to be important due to standardization, proving specific skills.

The relevance of certifications has decreased as technology evolves rapidly.

Certifications were popular during the 2018-2022 tech boom, especially for career switchers.

Some industries, like cybersecurity, still require specific certifications.

Certifications used to signal career paths and were linked to promotions.

Tech certifications may no longer be necessary as skill requirements change frequently.

Experience and continuous learning are often more valuable than certifications.

Niche roles, like cybersecurity experts, may still benefit from certifications.

Certifications were once a checklist for success, but this mindset is changing.

Before pursuing a certification, consider industry demand, career goals, and employer preferences.

Balance between theory and practice is crucial in technical certifications.

Micro-credentials and digital badges offer a more specific, quicker alternative to certifications.

Open source contributions and hackathons are valuable alternatives for gaining experience.

Networking through hackathons can lead to job opportunities.

Tech certifications are no longer a straightforward path to career advancement; consider alternatives like community engagement and micro-credentials.

Transcripts

is it worth getting a tech certification

in 2025 I feel like it's pointless

nowadays I mean I think in some

circumstances it still is but it's very

specific to what you're looking to

accomplish there are a few different

tips and tricks to really understanding

if a certification will help you stand

out or you're just wasting money yeah

okay those are good points well let's go

back though what was it like a few years

ago even yeah let's get into

[Music]

it hey friends in today's video we are

going to be covering our Tech certific

vacation still worth it in 2025 I mean

there are mixed reviews on this some

people saying they help them so much get

jobs other people saying well they're

they go outdated so quickly and they're

so expensive often times is it really

worth it or is experience more important

what you can show for what you are doing

but before we get to the answer as to

our Tech certifications still worth it

this year going into 2025 we need to

take a step back and look at why they

were originally important what made you

stand out by taking a certificate I mean

other than the obvious the first reason

is standardization I mean back in the

day having a certificate was a sign of

standardization that you had a specific

set of skills that you could adhere to

why is this maybe not as relevant in

today's world well for one thing skills

and Tech is changing faster than ever

and we'll dive more into that in a bit

here another reason Tech certifications

became so popular was lack of formal

education I mean in about 2018 to

2022 especially during the pandemic I

would say Tech was booming they were

hiring everyone and anyone it felt like

you could go work at Google get a high

six figure job and while that's still

possible today they definitely you know

it's the economy is not like it was back

then so have a lot of people what they

would do is switch in from a different

field into Tech and in order to do so to

show they could do it they would take a

certification they've already done

University or college they didn't want

to go back for that then there's

industry requirements which is a whole

different ball game or ballpark if you

will meaning that some roles or

companies require very specific

requirements for you to be in that role

now a lot of these also too are with

cyber security and the last one is clear

career paths taking certifications back

in the day anyways used to give you and

your employer a sign of your career path

this is the path I'm on this is what I'm

currently learning and staying up to

date which in turn would often help with

promotions and raises because sometimes

you can get a promotion and not a raise

which is just painful but here's really

where this question stemm from for me

intake off which if you don't know I am

the founder of I linked it down below

this is kind of a selfish promotion of

it but not even intended to be but when

I was going through one of the videos

that we are releasing who was done that

was done by Amir who is he has his PhD

he's a founder and CEO of a major tech

company major AI tech company this is

what he said I'll share with you a

snippet he said about

[Music]

certifications yeah on the topic of

certifications I don't believe them

because I think certifications were a

valid way of assessing somebody's

capabilities when things were very

static like if I wanted to be a

carpenter there are a few ways to make a

table and if I work some and I learn all

day I'm completely out of my depth when

talking about making tables but you know

let's say there are 20 ways to make a

table if I go out and learn all those 20

ways to make the table

and somebody says here is a stamp you're

good at making tables done and if that

doesn't change for the next 50 years

then that's great that's a good

representation of what I'm capable of

doing but think about software

development think about literally any

job today the job description is

literally changing year to year uh the

job descriptions when I started my

corporate job and when I left it that

was like literally a threeyear span

completely was different like when I

started these were the set of

requirements when I was leaving this

other thing was the set of requirements

so you can see it really got my mind

turning as to well he has a really good

point are Tech certifications even worth

it anymore so let's start by looking at

some of the pros that Tech

certifications still offer currently and

moving forward one is validation of

skills well that could be argued as well

but having a certification especially on

your resume when you're a job hunting is

a very valid way for if your resume is

getting screened especially by AI to

start with having those skills pop up

versus not have taken that certification

but then the other side of that is you

could still gain those skills through

experience without the certification so

then it brings back this tug War this

poll if they are needed so I'm going to

give you I I actually just set my

computer down I'm not going to read my

notes I'm just going to share with you

my candid thoughts about this topic here

if I was you know looking to grow my

career in the career path I currently am

in or the role I'm currently in say

wanting to further progress as a

developer probably wouldn't take a

certification now the reason for this is

because once you get to a certain point

in your career I would say and the role

you are in it's more important to be

building these skills through taking

online courses through learning on your

own time building projects with whether

it comes with a certification or not now

here's a flip side if you are someone

who is looking to get into a very Niche

specific role say a cyber security

expert cybercity engineer there are

certifications that employers look for

very specific ones they look for that

you should be taking so this is where I

think the Divide really lies it used to

be that taking any and every Tech

certification was something that was

looked as a positive the more

certifications you have it's a checklist

check it's a box checked off there we go

it's a box checked off nowadays I think

it's important to take a step back and

have an understanding as to why you are

taking that certification because if it

is for a reason of you just want to

learn a new skill or stand out even in

most cases it might not even be worth it

to take a new certification especially

if there's high cost involved but if

it's very specific you have a very

specific goal very specific role then

there are cases where it is at the end

of the day Tech certifications aren't

what they used to be because of how fast

tech is moving and I mean even in that

video clip I shared with you on takeoff

where he is speaking about how back in

the day if you're looking to build a set

of skills that don't change it makes

sense to take a certification but if you

are looking to build skills that will

keep on evolving so quickly as we see

Tech doing now it's more important to

actually have that knowledge

understanding and continuing to evolve

with it now if going with certifications

are your way of being able to do that

that's great no one's telling you not to

but I definitely don't think

nowadays if you are looking to learn

something online you need to look for

that certification check mark and I know

that's hard for a lot of people to let

go of uh that are looking for these

courses because often times we relate

certifications with success but the more

and more we speak to Founders CEOs

employers the more they're saying they

just want someone who's actually

knowledgeable genuinely curious has the

actual skill set versus a piece of paper

or digital paper so I made a checklist

of things to consider before you just

enroll in a certification here are

things that I would look for one is

industry of demand research what

certifications are most value in valued

in your specific field and if you see a

lot of your competition meaning you know

your peers if you will have S

certifications around that then it might

be something to consider another thing

is around career goals make sure your

career goals align with why you are

taking this certification like I

mentioned earlier if it is very specific

to your role then yes it totally makes

sense but if it is something because you

want to add more skills to your resume

or continue to learn something new I

wouldn't probably do it and third is

employer preferences now this really

applies if you are someone who is

already working for a company and

looking to get a promotion or grow with

the company if they find you know kind

of old school way of thinking that you

checked off this box by having a

certification then do it it's a

requirement you still are learning and

it's probably the cost of the employer

not you another thing to consider is

ensure if you do take a certification

that it is balancing theory and practice

especially for technical Hands-On

courses you don't want to get caught up

in taking a certification that seems

really great but it's all Theory and

you're not building anything and vice

versa especially if it's for something

that you it's required for you to be

Hands-On in and you're not doing that in

the course kind of defeats the purpose

theory is great and having that strong

Foundation is essential but it can't be

one or the other when you are looking to

build different things okay but then

this brings up the next question you're

going to probably ask me which is tip

what are some alternatives to

certifications you're saying they don't

matter in a lot of cases what can I do

to gain experience then here are a few

really cool ways one is micr credentials

or digital badges I mean these often

times are more granular and specific to

certain skills so you're learning a

micro badge it will be quicker in time

very specific and you're building a very

specific skill I'm repeating myself now

you know what I mean another great way

is through open source contributions

this is a huge way and this is something

that employers will actively see when

you are looking for a job a third way is

hackathons go out meet people hack with

them even if you're not a developer

maybe you're a designer product manager

there is something for you to do at a

hackathon trust me it's not just for

developers and this is a great way to

network expand Network meet really cool

people and often times if you're looking

for a job can lead to that through the

people you meet so as we've explored

Tech certifications aren't as simple or

black and white as they used to be that

yes this is a great way for me to get a

job grow my career there's a lot more to

consider and I honestly would encourage

you rather than just taking another

certification to go through some of the

list I just shared with you of

alternatives to certifications because a

lot of those methods that I shared with

you require you to meet new people get

get into the community even if it's just

virtually which has so much more impact

in your career in your uh skills your

network everything longterm in my

opinion all right I hope you enjoyed

this video it was very candid in the

sense that seeing that video on takeoff

I really was prompted I was thinking

this is so interesting and I totally

agree with his take on it but there are

certain you know circumstances where you

do need a certification it's just not as

straightforward as it used to be I'm

curious to hear your t do you think Tech

certifications are still worth it in

this year 2025 and Beyond leave in the

comments oh and hit that subscribe

button for more Tech coding future Tech

AI you know all the good stuff all right

I'll see you soon thanks everyone

[Music]