I\'ve read some posts here and other places about how a lot of people don\'t put

Question

I've read some posts here and other places about how a lot of people don't put much value in certifications but I am beginning to think it may be necessary for me at this point to be able to move to a bigger company, etc. I currently work as a Java programmer with a startup and worked with a small company before that. Now that I'm applying with larger companies the hr people / recruiters have been asking a lot about certifications and some have directly suggested that someone in my position should probably get a few (they were trying to be helpful) since I haven't completed a BS degree yet (I bounced around a bit in college and ended up not finishing but have enough units to finish eventually, just its not something I can do nearly as easily as getting certifications).

Anyways, just curious about what people think for someone in my situation where I do have an interested in working for large companies and do not currently have a BS degree (but do have experience already in the field). Any advice on which certifications beyond the SCJP would be appreciated as well

Explanation / Answer

Certifications don't mean anything to me. It is possible to pass multiple-choice exams while understanding almost nothing. But I don't put much stock in degrees either. I look for people who can program, and can communicate with me about programming. If they can do that, I don't care if they left school in the second grade. However, to me, "can program" means understanding the standard data structures and algorithms, knowing how to calculate the run-time complexity of code, knowing at least two programming languages, etc. If someone without a degree interviewed well, I would be extremely likely to hire them, because they must truly love programming. Such people will continue learning throughout their career. Many with CS degrees seem to stop when they graduate.

If you want to be hired as a programmer without a degree, and you want to do interesting work, try to find a small shop where the hiring manager doesn't have to work around some corporate policy. Then go to school part-time and get the degree.

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