We need to talk about something that's been bugging me for months now.
I've been reviewing resumes for our team, and I'm seeing the same pattern everywhere: developers with 15+ certificates from Udemy, Coursera, and LinkedIn Learning, but when I check their GitHub... crickets. Empty repos, no contributions, maybe a "hello world" project from 2 years ago.
The Problem: We're Optimizing for the Wrong Metrics
// What we think matters
const developerValue = certificates.length * courseHours;
// What actually matters
const developerValue = problemsSolved * codeQuality * realWorldImpact;
Real Talk: I've Been There Too
Two years into my career, I had certificates in:
- React (3 different courses)
- Node.js Advanced Concepts
- MongoDB Masterclass
- AWS Solutions Architect
But when a senior dev asked me to optimize a slow API endpoint, I froze. All those hours watching videos, and I couldn't solve a real problem.
What Actually Gets You Hired (From 50+ Technical Interviews)
After conducting interviews across startups and product companies in Bangalore and Hyderabad, here's what we actually look for:
1. GitHub Activity Over Certificates
# This tells us everything:
git log --author="candidate" --since="6 months ago" --oneline | wc -l
Consistent commits > Course completion badges
2. Problem-Solving in Real Time
Can you debug this React component? Can you explain why this query is slow? Can you refactor this messy function?
Certificates don't prepare you for this. Building projects does.
3. Understanding Over Memorization
We don't care if you remember every React hook. We care if you can explain when and why to use useCallback vs useMemo.
The 30-Day Challenge for Developers
Instead of enrolling in another course, try this:
Week 1-2: Pick a problem you face daily. Build a small tool to solve it.
- Expense tracker for your hostel
- API wrapper for a service you use
- Chrome extension for productivity
Week 3-4: Make it production-ready.
- Add proper error handling
- Write tests
- Deploy it somewhere
- Document it properly
Result: You'll learn more debugging that one project than in 10 courses.
Examples That Actually Worked
Rahul from Chennai: Built a simple tool to track local train timings. Got noticed by a startup, landed his first job.
Priya from Pune: Created a React component library for her college projects. Now works at a unicorn.
Abhishek from Delhi: Made a Twitter bot that solved a specific problem. Led to 3 job offers.
None of them mentioned certificates in their interviews.
The Uncomfortable Truth About the Indian Tech Scene
Companies here are drowning in candidates with identical skillsets and identical certificates. What they're desperately looking for are developers who can:
- Think independently
- Ship working code
- Learn on the job
- Solve problems creatively
You can't learn this from videos.
What Should You Do Right Now?
Stop collecting courses. Seriously. Close that Udemy tab.
Start building. Pick the simplest idea and code it today.
Share your journey. Write about problems you solved, mistakes you made.
Contribute to open source. Even fixing typos in documentation counts.
Focus on fundamentals. Master JavaScript properly instead of jumping to the latest framework.
My Challenge to This Community
What's one project you could build this month instead of taking another course? Drop it in the comments. Let's build stuff together instead of just talking about it.
The Indian tech ecosystem needs builders, not certificate collectors. Which one are you going to be?
Have you fallen into the certificate trap? What project helped you break out of it? Let's discuss in the comments! 👇
Top comments (3)
This really hits home. I’ve seen so many talented folks get stuck in the "certificate trap" collecting badges but missing the crucial hands-on experience. Building even a small real-world project pushes you into problem-solving and debugging in ways no course can replicate. The 30-day challenge idea is solid it’s all about consistent practice and learning from mistakes.
For me, this month, I’m planning to build a personal expense tracker API with proper testing and deployment something practical that I can actually use and improve.
Would love to hear what others are building too! Let’s keep pushing beyond certificates and focus on real impact.
Exactly , An expense tracker API is perfect - practical, useful, and you'll hit real debugging scenarios. The testing and deployment focus shows you're thinking like a professional developer, not just a course taker. Can't wait to see how it turns out
This resonates so much with what I've seen in hiring. The obsession with certificates over actual problem-solving ability is creating a generation of developers who can recite frameworks but struggle with fundamental logic. Your point about portfolio projects being more valuable than certifications is spot-on. I've started telling junior developers to focus on building one solid project they can explain inside and out rather than collecting badges. The real tragedy is how this certificate culture is creating barriers for talented self-taught developers who just want to code and solve problems.