A Transformative Journey? Why Certificates Won’t Make You a Better Designer

In the world of design, it’s easy to get caught up in the race for certifications. After all, they seem like a surefire way to validate your skills and impress potential employers. “Look at this guy — he’s so studious!” But let’s be honest: How much do those (digital) pieces of paper really matter? Are they making you a better designer, or just adding to your resume in a way that no one really cares about?

And most importantly, is every single one of them a transformative journey that you should be thrilled to announce on LinkedIn?

The Illusion of Knowledge

We live in an age where anyone can complete an online course and earn a certificate with a click of a button, often without paying a single penny. Google, Coursera, and other platforms offer quick and easy access to hundreds of courses.

Thanks to tools like ChatGPT, it’s possible to breeze through lessons and pass exams without engaging with the material at all. The result? A PDF with the word “certificate” written in a fancy font that isn’t worth the fee you paid, because it doesn’t reflect the genuine learning or improvement that should have motivated you to take the course in the first place.

Bear with me as I make this as clear as possible: The real value of any form of education, whether online or offline, paid or free, isn’t in the certificate you receive at the end, but in the knowledge and skills you gain along the way. When choosing a course or learning path, the question we should be asking ourselves is not, “What will look good on my resume?” but rather, “What will help me do my job better?”

A Sad Reality: Learning for the Wrong Reasons

One of the saddest experiences I’ve had in my professional life was during an online training course to become an “Online Marketing Manager,” hosted by the Chamber of Commerce in Germany. Out of 20 participants, I only ever saw the faces of three. The rest were invisible, uninterested, and disengaged tiles in a Zoom call — merely going through the motions to earn a certificate (or they might have been ordered by their employer to take the course).

Here was our instructor, an expert in the field, ready to share valuable insights, yet most of the participants didn’t even bother to ask questions or interact. I know what they say about assuming (it makes an ass out of u and me!), but I strongly believe they were only there for the certificate, not to actually learn or grow.

This was a wake-up call for me.

I realized that for a long time, I had also been chasing certificates, believing that the more I collected, the more valuable I would become. But the truth was, I was just as clueless after some of those courses as I was before I started. Case in point: back in the day, with the combined might of coffee and quick Google searches, I was able to complete a Google Analytics certification in record time. Was I any more competent than when I started? Fudge no.

Learning for the Right Reasons

The uncomfortable and simple truth is that the number of certificates I had didn’t make me a better designer. What really mattered was how I applied the knowledge I gained. It’s not about how many courses you can complete, but how effectively you use what you’ve learned to solve real-world problems — whether for your potential employer, your current employer, or your clients.

So, the next time you consider signing up for a course, ask yourself, “Will this help me do my job better?” If the answer is yes, then go for it! Dive in with the intention to learn, not just to pass.

Engage with the material, ask questions if there are people you can ask, and challenge yourself to go beyond the basics. The goal should always be to enhance your skills, not just your resume.

Recommended Learning Platforms

If you’re looking to truly improve your design and coding skills, here are some platforms that I highly recommend and have been subscribed to for years:

Interaction Design Foundation: This is my top choice for learning UX design. The courses are comprehensive and the community is incredibly supportive. More importantly, the focus is on practical, real-world applications rather than just theory and the instructors are absolute experts in the field. Learn UX Design

Bring Your Own Laptop: A great resource for those looking to get hands-on with design software. The tutorials are easy to follow and focused on practical skills that you can immediately apply to your work. The fact that Dan is incredibly fun to listen to makes this one even better. Especially recommended to beginners: Bring Your Own Laptop

Codecademy: Perfect for designers who want to dive into coding. Codecademy offers interactive lessons that teach you how to code by ACTUALLY WRITING code, which is the best way to learn. Go and visit Codecademy.

Final Thoughts / TL;DR

In the end, the certificates you collect are far less important than the skills you develop and the work you produce. Don’t fall into the trap of chasing credentials at the expense of real learning. Focus on what will make you a better designer, and the rest will follow.