{"id":8875,"date":"2026-05-22T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/allthingsopen.org\/?post_type=articles&#038;p=8875"},"modified":"2026-05-14T16:00:51","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T16:00:51","slug":"do-it-certifications-help-get-hired","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/allthingsopen.org\/articles\/do-it-certifications-help-get-hired","title":{"rendered":"Do IT certifications really help you get hired?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Certifications promise to boost your career and land you that dream job, but do they actually deliver? In this video from&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/allthingsopen.org\/authors\/learn-linux-tv\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Learn Linux TV<\/strong><\/a>,&nbsp; you&#8217;ll learn what hiring managers really think about IT certifications and whether they&#8217;re worth your time and money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Are IT Certifications Worth It in 2026?\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/9mNuf4cX6ow?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Jay speaks from both sides as a former director of IT operations and as a system administrator who earned nine certifications early in his career. His honest answer: Certifications can help you get a job, but sometimes they have no impact at all. It depends entirely on the hiring manager.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some hiring managers treat certifications as requirements. Others believe certifications only prove you&#8217;re good at passing exams, not real experience. This variability means pursuing certifications solely to get hired isn&#8217;t the best strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The real value comes from skill development. Studying for exams forces you to explore areas you might otherwise ignore. Buying an exam voucher creates accountability with a deadline, keeping you focused and motivated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jay emphasizes certifications should be part of your professional portfolio, not the entire thing. Combine them with GitHub contributions and projects to become a stronger candidate. For choosing certifications, start with vendor-neutral options like Linux Professional Institute (LPI) or CompTIA Linux+ instead of vendor-specific ones like Red Hat. Vendor-neutral certifications teach Linux concepts across multiple distributions, making your skills more adaptable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Key takeaways<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Certifications build skills, not guarantees<\/strong>\u00a0&#8211; The real value comes from learning during exam preparation, not from automatically getting hired or promoted based on credentials alone.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Start vendor-neutral, then specialize<\/strong>\u00a0&#8211; Begin with LPI or CompTIA Linux+ to learn Linux broadly before pursuing vendor-specific certifications tied to single platforms.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Portfolio matters more than credentials<\/strong>\u00a0&#8211; Combine certifications with GitHub contributions, projects, and articles to demonstrate both knowledge and practical skills.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Certifications have genuine value when viewed as skill-building tools rather than magic tickets to employment. Jay&#8217;s perspective shows they&#8217;re worth pursuing as one component of continuous learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">More from Learn Linux TV<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/learnlinuxtv\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">youtube.com\/learnlinuxtv<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=TsJbYqvbsHc&amp;list=PLT98CRl2KxKF26ekyZUT_XtQ9HPciZKHX\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Linux tips<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=k2uvoBDvoRU&amp;list=PLT98CRl2KxKGIAfaus0NsUf6utxAEhqiW\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Linux how-to\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=_chjY4Ipsqw&amp;list=PLT98CRl2KxKHNaJ5w2sbOa_8hDnZOt3da\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Linux installation guides<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/allthingsopen.org\/articles\/automated-linux-backups-rsync-systemd-dont-fail\">How to build automated Linux backups that don\u2019t silently fail<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/allthingsopen.org\/articles\/5-practical-tips-learning-linux-tools\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">5 practical tips for learning Linux tools<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/allthingsopen.org\/articles\/learn-linux-tv-10-tips-to-learn-linux-faster\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">10 tips to learn Linux easier and faster<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"template":"","class_list":["post-8875","articles","type-articles","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Do IT certifications really help you get hired? | We Love Open Source &#8226; All Things Open<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Do IT certifications really help you get hired? 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