C++ Institute Certifications

Zoovash

Hello,

Anyone here has any experience with C++ Institute Certifications ( http://www.cppinstitute.org/ ) ?
I was wondering if their certifications hold any value and could be considered a plus in the eyes of a potential employer.
After going through their free C/C++ courses they offer a 50% discount voucher for each exam. The initial price of one exam is 295$, this is also the final price if you're doing both exams with vouchers.
I now have both vouchers and I don't know if it's worthwhile ( since I pay VAT it would be 365$ total ) or it's a waste of money to get that paper.

Thanks!

YFZblu

Personally I would just throw C++, 'scripting', and 'programming' on my resume' to hit the right keywords - and not worry about the certification.

Is your knowledge of the language enough to back up during an interview? Our management team loves to ask people to write for loops in every language they have on their resume'.

Zoovash

I would say I'm only a beginner in programming. I used C extensively during highschool, just basic stuff to help with homework and computer science projects. Now, 5 years later, I've forgotten almost everything and I felt the need to start from the very basics of the language. I recommend Beginning Programming with C for Dummies to anyone starting C. I've just ordered a new book dedicated entirely to pointers. Since I have no real experience with programming, I would love to get my hands "dirty" with some self projects but I'm just clueless. Any ideas ?

YFZblu

Before getting into projects you'll want to re-learn the basics first: basic syntax, strings, characters, integers, how math is handled, variables, data structures, boolean operators, iteration, sockets, file I/O, most common 3rd party libraries, etc...

Slowhand

Generally, certifications aren't as highly-regarded for software developers as they are for sysadmins or network engineers. Hiring managers want to see a wide array of skills on your resume, as well as some practical experience in the form of a portfolio or projects done for previous employers. All the recommended reading and other resources in this thread are excellent. I can add LearnCodeTheHardWay, as well as the C Primer Plus and C++ Primer Plus to your reading-list, as well as Introduction to Algorithms when you've got a good handle on C or C++ basics and want to move on to something a bit more challenging.

If you do want to find a certification path with some recognition, I'd probably recommend looking at Microsoft's C#. The Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer (MCSD) path is fairly well-known, and Microsoft has tons and tons of training (free and otherwise) to help you out.