Are MIT's free "open coursework" certificates of any value to most employers?

[mxmaniac]

College is out of the question for me, I'm trying to self teach myself into an IT career. I'm currently going the commonly recommended route of starting with the comptia A+, and Net+.

However I know MIT is offering these "Open Courseware" courses, such as Computer Science. Its my understanding that they are the exact same material as if someone were to actually go through a 4 year computer science course, however it doesn't cost anything, and you don't actually get a degree.

If I were to complete, or partially complete one of these courses, would that be any sort of recognized credential that could help in a job search, or is it pretty much worthless for anything other than self knowledge?

 

[Gabis1207]

MIT's OpenCourseWare does not give a person a certificate of completion or anything of the sort, so the only real benefit is that you walk away with the equivalent of a 4-year diploma under your belt without any of the debt. If your employer wants someone who knows what they are doing, they won't bother with diplomas anyway, as most colleges are no longer teaching at the caliber that they used to.

 

[office politics]

If your employer wants someone who knows what they are doing, they won't bother with diplomas anyway, .

HR and Recruiters will look for certs and diplomas. These designations will get you interview based on cold calls / submissions.

I would only use MIT for knowledge that applies to something I want to learn. I would not consider it useful for a resume because the work was not reviewed by a professional teacher.

 

[Lexluethar]

Agree with Office Politics - unless you have completed something (IE A+, MCSE, Bachelors) most employers will look past your resume. You need completed items on your resume to get an interview.

While I agree a college degree doesn't hold as much value (and cost way more) then it did say 15 years ago, it's still extremely valuable when looking for employment. While my HR Bachelors degree doesn't guarantee i know what i'm doing - a lot of recruiters and employers will at least sit down and talk with me / interview based off having the degree alone. Heck, when i got my first IT job at a help desk all i had was my A+, MCTS in Vista and a bachelors in HR. Got me an interview and i eventually landed the job.

In your position I would work on getting certifications and completing certifications that will give you something you can show (IE a certification). Get your A+ and Net+, then I would get your MCP in Windows 7.

 

[Brinson]

Mit does offer a certificate series, though, in computer science that is very cheap.

This XSeries consists of 7 courses:

6.00.1x Introduction to Computer Science and Programming in Python | Q4 2013, Q2 2014 ($50 - Waived for Fall 2013 students)
6.00.2x Introduction to Computational Thinking and Data Science | Q2 2014 ($50)
6.00.3x Software Construction in Java 1 | Q4 2014 ($50)
6.00.4x Software Construction in Java 2 | Q2 2015 ($50)
6.00.5x Computation Structures: Digital Circuits | Q4 2014 ($50)
6.00.6x Computation Structures: Programmable Architectures | Q2 2015 ($50)
6.00.7x Computation Structures: Computer Systems Organization | Q4 2015 ($50)
Cost for this program also includes a $75 program fee, due at issuance of the final XSeries certificate. Total cost for the complete program is $425.00 ($375 for students starting in Fall 2013).