3 ms·

Certifications

Certification: My wife is about to be a lawyer, is good at tech (used to do support at medical co.), but wants a cert for her résumé. I know they're crap, but lawyers don't. What would be a good certification for this?

zitterbewegung 10y ago
Probably A+ from CompTIA.
- sheeshkebab 10y ago
  I agree, A+ will serve a lawyer well. Time and money well spent ++++ :)
otoburb 10y ago
She wants a certification for her résumé? If she's about to graduate from law school she should be officially obtaining her JD or LLB equivalent. That's a pretty good "certification" by itself. Also, if she graduated from an accredited American law school, she will most likely be taking the Multistate Bar Exam[1] soon which then grants her the ability to practice in multiple states depending on her MBE score. This will also be something of note she can state on her résumé that employers will value. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bar_examination#Multistate_Bar_Examination_.28MBE.29 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bar_examination#Multistate_Bar...
- CapitalistCartr 10y ago
  Yes, of course all that, but so are all her classmates. None of that sets her apart, nor does it suggest IT skills.
modo_ 10y ago
I think an Amazon Developer certificate could be a good choice. One of the lower level certifications like associate developer[1] wouldn't require much time investment vis-à-vis studying, while still having broad name recognition. [1] https://aws.amazon.com/certification/certified-developer-associate/ https://aws.amazon.com/certification/certified-developer-ass...
TempleOS 10y ago
NIST is exactly like a state lottery. You can go and check the numbers. NIST is responsible for the platinum kilogram. All research scinece calibrates using NIST. They are the foundation of all science labs. https://www.nist.gov/programs-projects/nist-randomness-beacon https://www.nist.gov/programs-projects/nist-randomness-beaco...
stinkytaco 10y ago
I'm not exactly sure why she would need one, especially considering lawyers won't know what's what. So if this is about resume building, I guess we'd need more information about what she's trying to accomplish. If it's about learning something, I guess she should pursue what she's interested in. All that said, A+ is what I consider a good "entry level" certification. It's not hard, but it's also not possible to bullshit your way through without knowing something. Most CompTIA are like this. Also good are MS Professional certs, Red Hat, VMWare, and Cisco. There are definitely others, depending on the area, but those are a few that I see often that most would consider legitimate (meaning you don't have to just go through motions to get them).
inputcoffee 10y ago
You should say a little more about what her goal is. Is it to: get a job? "In" tech? As a lawyer? As a patent lawyer? HR lawyer? Does she want a job as a programmer? There are lots of certifications (as you well know), so people need to know more about the goal.
- CapitalistCartr 10y ago
  Good point. She'll be a lawyer, but working in tech related to non-patent IP. Definitely not HR. Her mouth and overall "direct style" preclude that. No programming directly, but working with the subject to protect IP.
  - inputcoffee 10y ago
    If by non-patent IP you mean: NDAs, Non-compete's, and Trademarks, then it would depend on the particular niche. Really, if she is working as a lawyer, I don't think a particular certification will give her more credibility. Given what you said, a design certificate might give her a leg up in Trademark law. If she is going to work with code itself, I would definitely learn as much git as I can. She can diff a few files, and get a feel for how much people borrow and fork when it comes to code. Those are the ideas I have but she probably knows more about it than I do, from your description.
danyork 10y ago
If she's just looking for something to show that she has some level of technical skill, I'd second the suggestion others have made for CompTIA certifications. They are a good base level cert - https://certification.comptia.org/ https://certification.comptia.org/ Depending upon what type of law she is planning to go into: - A+ is targeted at basic devices and operating systems (think: very basic tech support) - Network+ is basic networking - Security+ is basic security etc. Probably the best way to start.
johnmarcus 10y ago
I would find something with regards to security and compliance, like CCISO. This will be useful in various parts of the business/startup world. https://ciso.eccouncil.org/ https://ciso.eccouncil.org/ I doubt an A+ cert would be much use as people are suggesting. (which is for computer technicians - the people that replace hard drives, network cards, etc).
- gumby 10y ago
  Great suggestion! Any cert will need an explanation: "I have this A+ so I would know what the forensic techs are talking about" or "This CCISO has given me insight in understanding the liability our clients really take on -- and what is ridiculous. And I can explain it to a judge." A couple of comments like that and then everybody will point to her and say, "she's the go-to expert on X!"
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
maerF0x0 10y ago
Not a specific cert per se, but super important info for a lawyer to understand if she wants to do law around technology. http://kfrankc.me/cs88s/ http://kfrankc.me/cs88s/

Certifications

zitterbewegung 10y ago

Probably A+ from CompTIA.

sheeshkebab 10y ago
I agree, A+ will serve a lawyer well. Time and money well spent ++++ :)

otoburb 10y ago

She wants a certification for her résumé? If she's about to graduate from law school she should be officially obtaining her JD or LLB equivalent. That's a pretty good "certification" by itself. Also, if she graduated from an accredited American law school, she will most likely be taking the Multistate Bar Exam[1] soon which then grants her the ability to practice in multiple states depending on her MBE score. This will also be something of note she can state on her résumé that employers will value. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bar_examination#Multistate_Bar_Examination_.28MBE.29 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bar_examination#Multistate_Bar...

CapitalistCartr 10y ago
Yes, of course all that, but so are all her classmates. None of that sets her apart, nor does it suggest IT skills.

modo_ 10y ago

I think an Amazon Developer certificate could be a good choice. One of the lower level certifications like associate developer[1] wouldn't require much time investment vis-à-vis studying, while still having broad name recognition. [1] https://aws.amazon.com/certification/certified-developer-associate/ https://aws.amazon.com/certification/certified-developer-ass...

TempleOS 10y ago

NIST is exactly like a state lottery. You can go and check the numbers. NIST is responsible for the platinum kilogram. All research scinece calibrates using NIST. They are the foundation of all science labs. https://www.nist.gov/programs-projects/nist-randomness-beacon https://www.nist.gov/programs-projects/nist-randomness-beaco...

stinkytaco 10y ago

I'm not exactly sure why she would need one, especially considering lawyers won't know what's what. So if this is about resume building, I guess we'd need more information about what she's trying to accomplish. If it's about learning something, I guess she should pursue what she's interested in. All that said, A+ is what I consider a good "entry level" certification. It's not hard, but it's also not possible to bullshit your way through without knowing something. Most CompTIA are like this. Also good are MS Professional certs, Red Hat, VMWare, and Cisco. There are definitely others, depending on the area, but those are a few that I see often that most would consider legitimate (meaning you don't have to just go through motions to get them).

inputcoffee 10y ago

You should say a little more about what her goal is. Is it to: get a job? "In" tech? As a lawyer? As a patent lawyer? HR lawyer? Does she want a job as a programmer? There are lots of certifications (as you well know), so people need to know more about the goal.

CapitalistCartr 10y ago
Good point. She'll be a lawyer, but working in tech related to non-patent IP. Definitely not HR. Her mouth and overall "direct style" preclude that. No programming directly, but working with the subject to protect IP.
- inputcoffee 10y ago
  If by non-patent IP you mean: NDAs, Non-compete's, and Trademarks, then it would depend on the particular niche. Really, if she is working as a lawyer, I don't think a particular certification will give her more credibility. Given what you said, a design certificate might give her a leg up in Trademark law. If she is going to work with code itself, I would definitely learn as much git as I can. She can diff a few files, and get a feel for how much people borrow and fork when it comes to code. Those are the ideas I have but she probably knows more about it than I do, from your description.

danyork 10y ago

If she's just looking for something to show that she has some level of technical skill, I'd second the suggestion others have made for CompTIA certifications. They are a good base level cert - https://certification.comptia.org/ https://certification.comptia.org/ Depending upon what type of law she is planning to go into: - A+ is targeted at basic devices and operating systems (think: very basic tech support) - Network+ is basic networking - Security+ is basic security etc. Probably the best way to start.

johnmarcus 10y ago

I would find something with regards to security and compliance, like CCISO. This will be useful in various parts of the business/startup world. https://ciso.eccouncil.org/ https://ciso.eccouncil.org/ I doubt an A+ cert would be much use as people are suggesting. (which is for computer technicians - the people that replace hard drives, network cards, etc).

gumby 10y ago
Great suggestion! Any cert will need an explanation: "I have this A+ so I would know what the forensic techs are talking about" or "This CCISO has given me insight in understanding the liability our clients really take on -- and what is ridiculous. And I can explain it to a judge." A couple of comments like that and then everybody will point to her and say, "she's the go-to expert on X!"
deleted 10y ago
[deleted]

maerF0x0 10y ago

Not a specific cert per se, but super important info for a lawyer to understand if she wants to do law around technology. http://kfrankc.me/cs88s/ http://kfrankc.me/cs88s/