Looks like you can buy certified developer training for Android from Google now, if you are at least 13 years old. Sure, it’s something you can tack to your resume and in some places it might probably be a door opener, if not a requirement and that’s the sad part, really. I mean, we are talking Android here:
- The whole (eco)system is a giant compatibility hack and in constant flux. In the last two years alone, Google forced us to switch from Eclipse+Ant to Android Studio+Gradle, went from Holo to Material Design and did numerous hack jobs on how the permission system works (just to name a few highlights) . You effectively pay for a certificate with a half life time of two years. Why 13 year old teens are even accepted into the certification process is beyond me. By the time they can apply for a job, the certified skillset will be utterly obsolete.
- Apps don’t sell well. So getting this certification on spec as a bargaining chip for negotiating a higher salary during a job interview doesn’t seem like a worthwhile strategy unless you plan to work for a company that sells B2B software off the Play store.
- Instead of getting a piece of paper that certifies that you are theoretically capable of doing app development, you could also just demonstrate your skills by keeping a portfolio around.
I really don’t know what to make of this. Feels a lot like Google is trying to make a quick buck from people who want/need to bedazzle clueless HR managers.
