Breaking into IT: certifications or experience?

Certifications can demonstrate a baseline and help with automated screening, while hands-on evidence shows that you can solve real problems.

Entry-level certifications can clear an HR filter and provide structure, but hands-on proof makes them stronger. Pair one role-relevant credential with a home lab, documented projects, volunteer support, or a help-desk role that shows how you troubleshoot.

Why this choice trips up so many beginners

Beginners often treat certifications and experience as rivals, but employers use them for different things. A certification demonstrates a baseline and can help you get past automated screening that filters applications before a person ever sees them. Experience proves something a test cannot: that you can stay calm, think clearly, and actually solve a real problem.

What to do, step by step

1. Read real job postings for the role you want and note which certifications employers actually name, instead of collecting credentials at random.
2. Pick one role-relevant certification and study for understanding, not just to pass — interviewers spot memorised answers quickly.
3. Build hands-on proof alongside it: a home lab, documented projects, volunteer support, or a help-desk role.
4. Write up what you fixed and how. Clear troubleshooting notes turn everyday practice into evidence an employer can trust.
5. Put both on your application: the credential to clear the filter, and the project proof to win the conversation.