Projects vs Certificates: What Matters More for IT Jobs?

When students prepare for IT jobs, one common question is: Should I focus on certificates or projects?
Both are useful, but they do not have equal impact. Companies usually give more importance to what you can do rather than what you have studied.

1. What are Certificates?

Certificates are proofs that you completed a course or passed an exam.
Examples: AWS certificate, Google Data Analytics certificate, Java course certificate, etc.

Advantages

• Show that you have basic theoretical knowledge

• Good for beginners who don’t know where to start

• Helpful for HR shortlisting (resume filtering)

• Builds confidence in fundamentals

Limitations

• Anyone can complete a course by watching videos

• Does not prove you can solve real problems

• Many candidates have the same certificates

👉 So certificates say: “I learned this topic.”

2. What are Projects?

Projects are practical work where you build something using your skills.
Examples:

• Website using React

• Chat application

• Machine learning model

• Student management system

• API using Node.js

Advantages

• Proves practical skills

• Shows problem-solving ability

• Demonstrates real understanding

• Makes your resume unique

• Interviewers ask mostly about projects

Limitations

• Takes time and effort

• Requires patience and debugging skills

• Harder than completing a course

👉 Projects say: “I can actually do this work.”

3. What Companies Prefer

In IT interviews, com

In IT interviews, companies usually ask:

• What have you built?

• What challenges did you face?

• How did you fix errors?

• Why did you choose this technology?

They rarely ask:

• How many certificates do you have?

Because a developer’s job is to create solutions, not just remember theory.

So recruiters trust projects more than certificates.

4. The Ideal Combination

Best approach is:

Learn from certificates → Prove with projects

Certificates help you start learning
Projects prove your skills

Final Conclusion

Certificates are useful for knowledge, but projects are proof of ability.
If you must choose one for getting an IT job:

👉 Projects matter more than certificates.

A candidate with 2 strong real-world projects will usually be selected over a candidate with 10 certificates but no practical work.