Quick Introduction and Question
 

Good Morning All,

I just have a quick question about MCAD and MCSD certifications. Has anyone taken these? What are your views on it?

I have a CIS degree from college and wanted to go into the programming field. I took Beginner and Intermediate C++ in college also. What is the best option I should take to persue this?

Are there any other programming certifications out there? Are certifications the best route to take at this point? Thank you all for your help!

Do companies really look at certifications? I've been applying for a Software Engineering job, and they mostly require a 4 year degree, I've not come across any certification requirements.
Dizz

well from the way i see it if you already have a 4 year degree any certificate you have is just grave on the degree. The degree and experience are the most important part of getting a job. but im sure certificates help out some, but personally i havent even looked into getting any certificates :)

btw welcome to the forums :D

Welcome to the forums dude.

experience is another big factor in getting a good programming job, sometimes more than a degree.

Companies pretty much look for the 4 year college degree. The higher the degree the better the pay. Some companies won't hire you without experience, which could lead to a catch-22 for some of you new guys.

I have a 4 year college degree, yet I'm taking classes for MCSD certification starting in June of this year. My employer lets me travel for training, so I figure I may as well get a certification out of the deal.

I chose MCSD, because with MCSD, you are basically working on getting your MCAD concurrently. Look here for the comparisons:

http://www.microsoft.com/learning/mcp/mcad/compare.asp

Welcome to the forums.

Luckily a lot of, mostly larger, companies have "New Grad" programs. Programs that focus on hiring recent college graduates, in order to get them into the business. Eventhough they do want people with experience, they realize that creating a catch-22 like IR said, will lead to problems for them in the future. I'm currently working with two companies trying to get a position through those exact programs, Intel, and Nortel.

Thanks to everyone for their input. It is greatly appreciated.

my uni does a 1 year wqork placement in those 4 years of schooling :/