Getting a graduate degree is just a prerequisite for finding a suitable job. The academic system has failed to deliver a quality education, and as a result, most graduates do not have the required skills. In order to address this issue and bridge the skills gap, it’s important for graduates to take initiatives themselves and pursue certification courses that will help them get suitable job offers. To begin, the graduate must evaluate the various courses that are available and identify the right option. The first obvious step is to identify the courses based on one’s own qualifications, aptitude and liking.

There is no point in pursuing a course with herd mentality and then regretting the decision. A course might enable the person to get a job, but if it doesn’t do justice to the skills and aptitude of the individual, there is a very little chance they will be able to sustain their career for long.

There are several courses and a large number of institutes that offer these courses. Some of them look pretty attractive due to a high level of window dressing done to them. Therefore, to identify the right kind of certification course, job aspirants must first evaluate the authenticity of the certification.

For instance, there are several institutes that offer a large number of technical courses with the promise of providing certifications and job placements. However, a large number of them simply provide basic knowledge of the subject matter and many of them operate from a single room classroom and use pirated software. The certifications provided by them is local and isn’t associated with the software developer.

In this process, the first step is to check whether the certification provided by such institutes is genuine and is provided by the developer of the application or system. Next is to check the credibility of the training institute; its teaching faculty, infrastructure, type of certification and placement record. Training institutes must have the right infrastructure capable of imparting quality training. These should also be able to provide the required level of on the job training. The placement opportunities offered by these institutes must match the skills and qualification levels of the course participants.

There are several other factors that are subjective to each individual. Do your research and check with actual professionals about the efficacy of the various courses. Working professionals are the right people to guide young graduates since they are a part of the professional world and understand it better than anyone else.