So I'm looking for any and all respectable certificates for web design and development... ones that include:
XHTML
CSS
Flash
Photoshop
Any other web development area
Here is what I have planned so far:
Computer Networking (Cisco Certifcation)
PHP (Zend Certification)
Computer Repair (A+ Certification)
So do certificates for the others exist or is it just a "show us what you can do" kind of thing?
Certificates aren't always all that they're cracked up to be anymore. Certifications such as the A+ certainly serve to show others that you have the capacity to learn entry level technical things but it won't get you very far.
LPI (Linux Professional Institute) produces a a couple levels of certification. Someone who's been using Linux for a few years in a truly administrator capacity could probably do well with the first certification (two exams). Other Linux administrators would probably look upon that certification as something to be respected but an employer might not, even if they are hiring for a Linux related position.
Red Hat also provides a respected Linux certification, the RHCE (Red Hat Certified Engineer). It'll be obviously a little less generalized in its presentation of exam questions. For example, it's not likely to ask a lot of dpkg questions.
For somerthing like HTML, you might want to look at w3schools.com.
http://www.w3schools.com/cert/cert_html.asp
For the other applications, you'll want to check out the developers' sites for any certifications that they offer or support, such as this for Flash.
http://www.adobe.com/support/training/certified_professional_program/
.Bill
In my opinion certificates don't really matter, I think people are more likely to base their decision of whether to use your service on what they see you have done before. Couldn't you spend more time making websites and selling your service instead of getting a scrap of paper with your name on it?
roryt makes a really good point. A Linux admin would probably understand what an LPI is and would likely feel comfortable discussing technical issues with someone who has one. That doesn't mean that the admin would want to hire someone based on just having that paper. It only shows that they, at one time, had the capacity to learn everything required to pass the exams for that certificate. It doesn't mean that they will continue to have the capacity to learn and solve problems. Anyone can read a man page and memorize switches.
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