Athabasca University Certificate in Computing and Information System

[JDom]

Hi,
I am wondering how would employers perceive the Universtiy Certificate in Computing and Information Systems offered by Athabasca University.
I already have a BSc in Statistics degree from University of Alberta, and also luckily, I was able to secure a very good employment in my field after the graduation from the U of A. The main reason why I am interested in taking the Certificate program at Athabasca is because knowing how to program can increase the chance for promotion in my current job. I also strongly believe that if something turns out bad in my current job and if I ever need to look for a new place to work, having the certificate in computer science will allow me to get employed as a computer programmer (i.e. my choice for the new job wouldn't be restricted to the field of Statistics).

How do employers in Canada, or in Edmonton to be more specific, perceive the computing science certificate from Athabasca University? It is interesting that Athabasca is claiming that the certificate program is equivalent to the undergraduate minor in computing science. Also, my supervisor at work told me that she will gradually let me gain more programming/IT-related experiences - extra lines in my resume. So my question is:

Given that I have (or will have) some programming experience, would Canadian(Edmonton) employers take the computing science certificate from Athabasca University as sufficient academic credential for employment?

Thank you,

[Tony]

JDom @ Sat May 31, 2014 7:31 pm wrote:

because knowing how to program

JDom @ Sat May 31, 2014 7:31 pm wrote:

as sufficient academic credential for employment?

Learning to program and getting a credential are not necessarily the same thing. Top CS schools don't actually teach programming (it is expected for students to pick up on that skill in addition to actual classes).

One doesn't get hired based on academic credentials -- that's just a gateway to get past the recruiters and into an interview. At which point you need to demonstrate actual technical skill. So the two questions here are:
- will something that is a certificate (and not a degree) get anyone to want to interview you?
- will that also get you to pick up enough technical skill?