Has anyone taken an O'reilly cert? Are they any good?

World1337

Has anyone taken an O'reilly cert? Are they any good?

Specifically I was looking at the python one.

Are there any other good python courses/certs?

j23evan

I didn't know O'reilly did certs, however their books are absolutely fantastic and I highly recommend.

j23evan

Alright, after doing some research they arent really certs. (Yes the website says they are). O'reilly is now an online university, their classes run $200-495 per, and you need on average 4-5 of them to finish a tract. The certificate you receive is one of completion, not of competency. I do enjoy their books, but being the frugal IT pro (and putting my wife through an MBA at a private Jesuit school), I can't personally justify the cost/roi.

pram

I bought the Perl classes when they were on sale, I'm working through it now. The instructor is attentive and knowledgeable and the lessons are good so far. Seems like the next best thing to a college course imo.

I doubt the certificate at the end is worth much though, it's pretty much just personal development.

Personally I find the structure and convenience to be very beneficial to learning. I don't have the discipline to pursue this on my own, having a clearly defined path and instructor helps me a ton.

World1337

pram wrote: »

I bought the Perl classes when they were on sale, I'm working through it now. The instructor is attentive and knowledgeable and the lessons are good so far. Seems like the next best thing to a college course imo.

I doubt the certificate at the end is worth much though, it's pretty much just personal development.

Personally I find the structure and convenience to be very beneficial to learning. I don't have the discipline to pursue this on my own, having a clearly defined path and instructor helps me a ton.

Cool! Are you taking all 4 of the perl classes? Would you say they are pretty challenging?

How did you find out about the sale? From their mailing list?

pram

I can't remember, they were 30% off though. It seems to happen regularly.

Yes I signed up for all 4 classes. The first class covers perl in a very basic, foundational way. It starts with variables, arrays, hashes, loops, etc. The next classes get more practical and complex. I'm sure the python course is similar.

Each section contains 2 quizzes and 1 practical test where you code something from what you just learned. The portal comes with a unix shell and an editor.

It's challenging for sure, actually a lot harder than I initially assumed. Anyone who gets the certificate definitely earned it imo.

World1337

pram wrote: »

I can't remember, they were 30% off though. It seems to happen regularly.

Yes I signed up for all 4 classes. The first class covers perl in a very basic, foundational way. It starts with variables, arrays, hashes, loops, etc. The next classes get more practical and complex. I'm sure the python course is similar.

Each section contains 2 quizzes and 1 practical test where you code something from what you just learned. The portal comes with a unix shell and an editor.

It's challenging for sure, actually a lot harder than I initially assumed. Anyone who gets the certificate definitely earned it imo.

Nice! I'll prolly sign up for the Python ones once they have their next sale.