Roppers, Your Resume, and Portfolio Building

While many people take this course to scratch an itch, some people are here so that they can learn the skills required to get a job and make a living in a technical field.

However, in this day and age, knowing is not enough, you have to prove you know things.

Certificates

You are able to earn free certificates on Roppers, whether you are in the free or instructor-led courses. I'm never going to charge for them; they're for you, and maybe your future employer.

You can earn three certificates by completing this course:

The first is for completing our Virtualization and Linux sections, which will require you to install a VM and become proficient in the use of Linux, as well as complete a CTF.

The second certificate is in the same form and you will receive it after completing our Programming section, which will have you build a website with HTML, CSS, and Javascript, learn how to use git properly, and complete a variety of projects in Python.

The final certificate is for completing the entire course and states that you know enough to be considered dangerous. There aren't many of these badges in the wild yet, so don't expect your future employers to know what they represent. What will impress them is what your resume will look like once you are done with this course.

Resumes and Portfolio Website

You can't just sit here and watch videos to earn these certs. This is a practical, hands-on challenge that will fill out as many of the weak spots on your resume as we can.

Here is the game plan:

1. As you go through the course you will do a lot of technical writing.
2. During the programming section you will build yourself a free website.
3. Take those assignments you already wrote and turn them into blog posts.
4. Take the Python projects you complete, write up a blog post on them and link to the code you have written.
5. When you finish a CTF problem, do a writeup and post it on your site.
6. Continue adding to this site any time you do something you want to write about.

By the time you complete this course you will have a large, publicly accessible, constantly growing portfolio of work that says that you know what is going on. Update your resume accordingly. All of this will prove to potential employers you have what it takes to get things done. The certs we grant are nice and all, but what will impress people is what you have built.

Speaking of resumes, once you're done with the free course I'll do a resume review for anyone who wants it.

Sounds good? Already thinking about what your future resume will look like? Good! Go start the course!