Adedeji Awolesi

Over the last three years that I have mentored and spoken at conferences, people have constantly asked me this question. Even during my last weekend speaking engagement in Manchester, UK(Black Tech Expo 2025), I was asked again. This prompted this post. In these post, I will be sharing my response to this question and also sharing my practical experience of it.

Certifications

Certifications are formal document that validate your knowledge in a specific technology, domain, framework or tool. These are mostly offered by recognized technology organizations or industry bodies like Microsoft, AWS, Oracle, Google, CompTIA, Cisco, Linux etc. Examples of these certifications are Microsoft Azure Administrator, AWS Certified Solution Architect, Google Associate Cloud Engineer, CCNA etc. (Click this link to see my certs)

Why get Certified?

• Credibility and Validation: Getting certified by a reputable technology organization gives credibility to your certificate and stamp of approval. These tells employers that you have a proof of knowledge in that field. For example, I obtained Microsoft Certified Azure Fundamental certificate (Nov 2020). This shows to my employer or client that I understand the fundamentals of cloud computing.
• Structured Learning: Getting certified clearly shows that you followed a structured roadmap for learning. Many of the certifications guide follow through the essential topics you need to learn. For example, The Azure Certified Administrator (AZ-104) provides expertise knowledge in implementing, managing and monitoring in Azure.
• Break into Specialized Field: Tech is a big space, so having certifications are valuable for breaking into niche areas. For example, if you want to work as a cloud engineer, an Azure Certified Administrator certification can boost your chances of landing a job.
• Industry recognition: Many certifications are highly regarded in the industry and even be required for certain roles. A Cisco CCNA certification is often a prerequisite for networking roles.
• Resume Boost: Certifications can help your resume stand out especially when you have little or no work experience. Most recruiters or hiring managers use certifications as a filter when reviewing applications. This is especially true for roles in IT, cloud computing and cybersecurity.

Limitations of Certifications

• Theoretical Focus: Certifications often test your understanding of concepts but do not fully prepare you for real world challenges. Passing the Azure Certified Solutions Architect exam does not mean you can design and deploy a scalable cloud infrastructure.
• Expiration: Many certifications require renewal which means ongoing effort and cost. For example, I renew most of my certification every year. Sometimes it gets tiring, so I had to let some expire.
• No practical experience: Certifications alone won’t get you very far as employers value hands on experience. They know that solving real world problems requires more than passing exams.

Experience/Skills

Experience refers to the practical application of your knowledge in real world scenarios. These can be develop through hands on practice, projects, internships, freelance and work experience. This show employers that you can solve problems and add value to their team. Coding, troubleshooting, system design, collaboration, communication, teamwork can be examples of skills and experience.

Why Experience or Skills?

• Problem Solving: Having experience means that you can think critically and apply theoretical knowledge. Employers will prioritize candidates that can demonstrate ability to solves real problems, work in a team and deliver result. For example, a Cloud Engineer deploying a landing zone using Infrastructure as Code (IaC) provides clear proof of skills. This engineer is preferred over someone who only passed the IaC examination (terraform certification).
• Adaptability: Experience shows that you can learn and adapt to different technologies, tools and challenges. For example, a developer who knows multiple programming languages (Python, JavaScript, Powershell, etc) can learn a new language quickly. This is a valuable skill for any tech role.
• Portfolio Building: Some roles require building a portfolio of projects which is more impactful than certifications. Building a portfolio can showcase your skills to prospective employers. For example, a programmer, developer or designer can build their projects via Github. They can document their projects and share with employers. (See my Github link).
• Long term Value: As you progress through your career, practical experiences is more valuable than certifications. The skills and experience acquired are transferable and do not expire like certifications. A cloud developer that has mastered python programming can use it throughout their career.

Limitations of Experience/Skills

• Hard to prove: I understand that as an entry level or transitioning into tech, proving your experience is hard. Skills can be demonstrated through projects or portfolio building. However, it remains challenging to communicate them effectively without prior job experience. These projects are not used in a real work scenario.
• Self taught Gaps: If you are self taught, there will be cases where you miss foundational knowledge that certifications cover. For example, a self taught developer might not fully understand networking concepts. This lack of understanding can limit their ability to work on certain projects.

How do you gain Experience without a job?

• Personal Project: I advise newcomers to build personal projects. These can include applications, scripts, websites or automated tasks. They should document the entire process.
• Contribute to Open Source: Platforms like GitHub have many open source projects where you can contribute.
• Freelance Work: Take on small projects on platforms like Upwork or Fiverr.
• Internships: Even unpaid internships offer valuable hands on experience. This is where some people fail as they do not want to accept unpaid work. There are lots of startups you can volunteer and use your skills.
• Home Labs – Set up virtual labs for cloud, networking or cybersecurity practice. Get your hands dirty.

Certification vs Experience – Which should you focus on?

Based on my experience, the best approach will be to do a combination of both certification and experience. This is how you can balance them;

• Start with Certification: Certifications act as a signal to employers or recruiters that you have learned the basics. As I always suggest to beginners, certification open the door of interviews. Before I got my first cloud role, I had almost five certs. I continued acquiring more, regardless of getting the role or not.
• Build Projects: Start applying your foundational knowledge in real small projects. You can apply for a free cloud provider account or subscription. Then you start deploying some of the free tier resources to see how they work and documenting it in Github. I remember those day I will deploy virtual machines in different network and test how connectivity works.
• Seek Internship or freelance: Gain practical experience even if it is unpaid or low-paid initially. I know the job market is competitive now. However, there are loads of new startups that can take advantage of your foundational knowledge. You will gain experience from it. This will always be a win-win solution.
• Network: Major advice I give to my mentee’s is to start attending meetups, user-groups and conferences for networking purposes. Most times, recruiters, companies and managers are searching for exceptional candidates. This can pose as a good opportunity.
• Continuous Learning: Whether you get the job early or not, I suggest staying up to date with industry trends. Always seek to learn and grow. It is also important to keep up with technology. Even the professionals, we keep learning everyday as we believe continuous learning is key to staying relevant in tech.

Final thoughts

Certifications and experience/skills are not mutually exclusive, they complement each other. As I said, certifications can open doors, but experience and skills will help you thrive in the long term. For students or newcomers, a combination of both is the best approach. Use certifications to build a foundation and gain credibility. Then, focus on gaining practical experience to solidify your skills and stand out in the job market.

Remember, the tech industry values lifelong learning and adaptability. Your journey into tech is just the beginning. The key is to stay curious, keep learning and never stop improving your skills. With the right balance of certifications and experience, you will be well on your way to a successful career.