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Hello all,

I know that certifications can tend to be a hot button topic, but I could really use some advice on the topic.

I tried to search the forums here for any previous mentions of IEEE's CSDA and CSDP certifications, and couldn't find a mention of them. Do any of you have any opinions about these two certifications, specifically?

Just a little bit about my situation; I am currently one course (will be taking in the Fall) away from earning my Associate's in Software Development from a Technical College here in the Seattle area. I have a Bachelor's in Business from Montana State University (wish I would have stayed in that CS program!), but after a few years of diddling around in different management jobs...I decided to go back to school and study Software Development. I'm glad I did, because I'm loving it. I also landed an internship that I am currently working at. The internship is with the Bank of New York Mellon, and I am part of the team that writes applications that provide Business Solutions for other departments. So I am actually getting to work on real projects, on my own a lot of the time.

Now, I'm well aware that having an Associate's from a Technical school won't do much for me on a Resume, and the internship may help a little. So I am looking to supplement my credentials.

I am married and have a child, so time is not exactly on my time, and I need to get back into a full-time role...even if the pay is not great. In my perfect world, I would like to be able to get my foot in the door with a company, and then that company pay/help pay for me to continue on with school so that I can get my Master's.

But in the short term, I think that earning a cert or two could really help me get my foot in the door somewhere. The CSDA looks like it could fill in some of the holes of things we didn't cover in school (testing, QA, etc.), and could reinforce what I did learn, since it's been over a year that I've been completing the program.

The CSDA is not cheap, so I wanted to get advice on whether it's worth it or not?

Any advice would be appreciated!

Corey

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— concise, up-to-date context and practical next steps.

Short update on the IEEE path: the older mid‑career IEEE credential was phased out and the Computer Society reworked its software‑engineering certification lineup into distinct, SWEBOK‑aligned credentials for entry, professional, and master levels. The entry/professional/master offerings are run as online, proctored exams and are aimed at different experience bands, so the right choice depends on whether you need an entry signal for employers or a deeper, broad SWEBOK validation. (en.wikipedia.org)

Microsoft and vendor cert reality: Microsoft retired the .NET 4-era specialty exams several years ago, and the vendor now uses role‑based certification paths (cloud and platform focused). If you plan to target C#/.NET work, pick certifications that are current and aligned with job postings you want — or use the vendor’s free learning paths first and only pay for an exam when it matches a role. (firebrand.training)

What will actually help most, given limited time: prioritize demonstrable work. A small portfolio (2–4 well‑documented projects), clean GitHub history, unit tests, a short README that explains your design choices, and the internship experience will open doors faster than most entry certs. Use a single, targeted cert only when it directly matches a job (entry-level IEEE associate for SWEBOK coverage; a current Microsoft role cert if the role is Azure/.NET cloud‑focused).

Concrete next steps

  • Create one end‑to‑end project (API + data access + tests + simple UI) and push it to GitHub.
  • Use Microsoft Learn (free) to map any Microsoft cert to real skills before buying an exam.
  • If buying a cert, confirm the current IEEE associate/professional option or the current Microsoft role cert on the issuer’s site before paying. (computer.org)

This approach balances short‑term employability with long‑term growth — certs help only when they prove current, relevant skills.

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Or...would I be better served to go after a technology-specific cert (or two) first?

I'm most interested in C#/.NET. I was kind of eyeing the Microsoft Certifications for ADO.NET and ASP.NET.

In particular, Exams:
70-511 - Windows Applications Development w/ Microsoft .NET 4
70-515 - Web Apps Development w/ Microsoft .NET 4
70-516 - Accessing Data w/ Microsoft .NET 4

Edited by ctsmith84 because: n/a
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