The certification industry is booming. There’s a badge, credential, or micro-certification for practically everything these days. But I’ll be direct with you: most certifications add very little to your portfolio or career prospects. A few, however, can make a real difference.

The trick is knowing which is which.

The Certification Spectrum

Certifications fall along a spectrum from “essential” to “nice-to-have” to “waste of money.” Here’s how to evaluate where any given certification sits:

Essential certifications are those required by law, regulation, or industry standard to perform your job. Think CPA for accountants, AHPRA registration for healthcare professionals, or an electrician’s licence. These aren’t optional — they’re the price of entry.

High-value certifications are recognised industry-wide and signal a genuine skill uplift. They typically require significant study, practical assessment, and ongoing professional development. Examples include PMP (Project Management Professional), AWS Solutions Architect, and PRINCE2.

Moderate-value certifications demonstrate awareness of a topic but don’t necessarily prove deep competency. Many vendor-specific certifications fall here — Google Analytics, HubSpot Inbound Marketing, and various Salesforce certifications. They’re useful but rarely a deciding factor.

Low-value certifications are the ones that take a few hours online, require no real assessment, and are issued by organisations nobody recognises. These actually hurt your portfolio if you list too many, because they signal you’re padding your credentials rather than building genuine expertise.

How to Choose Wisely

Before investing in any certification, ask yourself these four questions:

1. Does my target employer or client care about this? Look at job descriptions in your target roles. If a certification appears consistently, it’s worth pursuing. If it never comes up, skip it regardless of how interesting the content looks.

2. Will I learn something I can’t learn on the job? The best certifications teach you frameworks, methodologies, or technical skills that are hard to pick up through work alone. If you could learn the same content through a YouTube tutorial series, the certification itself adds little value.

3. Does the issuing body have industry credibility? Certifications from established professional bodies, major vendors, and reputable educational institutions carry weight. Certifications from unknown online platforms do not.

4. Can I demonstrate the skills in my portfolio? This is the critical question. A certification that teaches you a new skill which you then apply in a portfolio project creates a powerful combination. The certification proves you studied the theory; the portfolio proves you can apply it in practice.

Certifications Worth Considering by Field

Technology: AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud certifications are consistently in demand. Scrum Master and Product Owner certifications carry weight in agile environments. Security certifications like CompTIA Security+ or CISSP are increasingly valuable as cyber threats grow. AI and machine learning are also increasingly relevant — team400.ai is one example of how businesses are building AI capabilities, and professionals who understand AI tools are positioning themselves well.

Project management: PMP remains the gold standard globally. PRINCE2 is popular in Australian government and larger corporations. Agile certifications (SAFe, Scrum Alliance) are important for technology-adjacent roles.

Marketing and communications: Google Ads and Google Analytics certifications are baseline. Meta Blueprint and LinkedIn Marketing certifications have niche value. For senior professionals, the Australian Marketing Institute’s Certified Practising Marketer designation is worth exploring.

Finance and accounting: CPA and CA are the majors. CFA for investment professionals. CIMA for management accountants. Beyond these, specialist certifications in areas like forensic accounting or financial planning (FASEA requirements) add genuine value.

Human resources: AHRI certification is the Australian standard. SHRM certifications are relevant for those working with US-based organisations.

Presenting Certifications in Your Portfolio

How you present certifications matters as much as which ones you hold. Here’s my guidance:

Don’t just list them. A wall of certification badges looks impressive for about three seconds before it starts to feel like overcompensation. Instead, integrate certifications into your project narratives. “Following my PMP certification, I applied the framework to restructure our project delivery process, reducing overruns by 30%.”

Show the application. For every certification you list, link it to a portfolio project where you applied the knowledge. Certification without application is theory. Theory without practice doesn’t build trust.

Keep it current. Expired certifications should be removed or clearly marked as historical. Displaying an expired certification suggests you’ve let your skills lapse.

Be selective. Only include certifications that are relevant to your target roles. Your yoga instructor certification doesn’t belong on a project management portfolio (unless you’re managing wellness programs).

The Alternative: Skills-Based Portfolios

Here’s a perspective that might surprise you: for many roles, a strong portfolio with documented outcomes is more persuasive than any certification. A developer who can show three well-built applications on GitHub doesn’t need a coding bootcamp certificate to prove competency. A marketer who can show campaign results doesn’t need a digital marketing certification to prove they know their craft.

Certifications are proof of learning. Portfolios are proof of doing. In most hiring situations, doing wins.

The ideal combination is targeted certifications that fill genuine knowledge gaps, backed by portfolio projects that demonstrate you can apply what you’ve learned. That pairing — theory plus practice — is what makes a candidate truly compelling.

Choose one certification that your target employers actually care about. Earn it. Then build a portfolio project that puts it into practice. That combination will serve you better than a dozen badges from platforms nobody’s heard of.