SeanCallinan

reserved

yee, i didnt have the chance to get into anything that required a pc when i was younger, but once i had the chance everytime i heard something i didnt know about i would search up what it was, why it does what it does, and how its made.
 
remember to quote or "@" someone so they get notified 

I always tell myself...  "Don't get angry or condescending....   they need to ENTER the IT field before excelling...."     This worries me and stresses me.......

then they need to be taught as though they have zero experience, just don't give them false hope that a certification will help then get a job, a certification does not mean knowledge or experience. it's a checkbox on a resume. 

work with them, these kids usually didnt have a chance to get into this when they were younger and want to put in work now so that they can learn about this topic, if you properly teach the students they will probably be some of your best.

Certs are a crapshoot and i generally view them as money grubbing schemes. 
 
Certs should only be done depending on what the jobs require.

i'm with @Shimejii I would only suggest going after a certification if the job you want absolutely requires it.
 
In my area it's actually way more common that people want experience over a certification. 

the thing is alot of the the certs are online courses with limited variety, its like working at a car shop, sure you might have a masters in automotive engineering, but do you have experience working on a wide rang of cars and trucks? nope, you need experience