Why I, who thought 'getting certifications is useless,' have continued studying for over 10 years - Part 1 -

Have you ever been told,
'Certifications are meaningless'?

Back when I had no certifications, I had no choice but to nod silently no matter what was said to me.

But, things started to change little by little.

Once I started studying something, I would then be told things like, 'What's the point of getting that certification?' or 'You'd be better off going out for a drink instead.'

It is true that just because you get a certification, it doesn't mean anything will change dramatically.

It might just mean adding one more title to your business card.

Is there any point in getting a certification?

I still ask myself that sometimes even now.

The evaluation from those around me is vague, and sometimes it doesn't directly relate to my work.

Even so, I can now believe that it was necessary for me.

Once I actually got one, my perspective changed.

That wasn't just the perspective of those around me, but my own perspective as well.

I, who used to think 'I have nothing,' started to think 'I can do it if I try.'

Even if I wasn't praised by others, small achievements like 'I made it through 10 pages today' or 'I was able to understand this point' became the seeds of my self-confidence.

To some people, that might look like 'running away.'

But for me, the time spent studying for certifications was 'time to regain a sense of my own progress.'

Even if I wasn't appreciated at work or was busy at home, it was a place where I could hold my head up just a little bit.

Certifications have value in the very act of 're-learning something.'

The sensation of encountering new knowledge and having my world expand.

The moment when things I couldn't do suddenly turn into 'I understand' or 'I can do it' one day.

Those small, incremental steps quietly, yet surely, built my foundation.

Even if the beginning was just an 'escape',

if you tried to build something from there, I believe it is already an 'investment'.

Certifications aren't everything.

But the experience of believing in myself and taking that first step certainly became my confidence.

In the second half, I would like to write about the 'changes' I saw through certifications.

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