Before you jump to comment, I’m talking about these industry certifications that pop up whenever a trending or new industry is created.  Ie: the virtual assistant certification program, the social media guru certification, etc.

These certifications are complete BS depending on WHY you are doing the certification.

If you are doing the certification because you feel you HAVE to in order to get clients in your industry… STOP.

Here’s the thing – all of the companies that are popping up to create certification programs are MAKING MONEY on you taking the certification.  They are smart entrepreneurs who realized that there is no governing body on who can create a certification program.  There is no one organization appointing individuals to be THE center for certification.  So, they decided to take advantage of people coming into an industry by saying, “People won’t hire you unless you are certified.”  Beth Harte makes some great points here in her blog post.

Let me also mention that most certifications will run you anywhere from $1500-3000… For information you can find on GOOGLE or on other people’s blogs for FREE.

Not only that but I have never had a client, in the five years of doing business, ask me if I was certified to do my job.  A piece of paper saying you went through a certification program is NOT enough proof for people.  They will want to see your work.  Testament to what you can actually DO instead of just what you’ve learned.  Having a certification is not your golden ticket to new client land.  Trust me.

Instead, focus on building your portfolio.  Find clients, do work for them and put together your best work in a showcase.  Show off what you can do.  If you don’t have any magical skill sets worthy of a portfolio, spend your money on training instead.  Certifications are going to include a lot of out-dated theory BS (much of which you can Google for free) but training won’t.  Training is going to show you PRACTICAL application of the skill set required to be a leading player in your industry.

If you are doing the certification because you WANT to and doing so will make you feel more confident in your industry, I can see your point. However, I return back to my training comment.  Get training on things that will result directly in you making more money.  Build your portfolio and spend your money on creating a beautiful website to showcase your work from.

A lot of people I see drop thousands on these certification programs but then go Scrooge-like on other parts of their businesses (ie: their website) which is so counter-productive.  I guarantee you will lose business because of a horrible website but you won’t lose business if you don’t have a certification from a non-certified, non-governing body in your industry.

However… these are just my opinions.  What do you think?