Do credentials really matter?

On a weekday in June 2023 I cleared my desk of all clutter, unplugged my monitors, left my phone in another room and sat an exam in my office under full test conditions. An online proctor required me to show my surroundings with my webcam to ensure I wasn't able to cheat, and I was recorded the entire time as I sat the 'Graphic Design & Illustration using Adobe Illustrator' exam. I am 38 years old.

Like a lot of people in my industry, I didn't study to become a graphic designer. Yet here I am, nearly 15 years after pivoting into the industry, teaching people how to use programs like Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop and giving away my knowledge in the software to new (and sometimes seasoned) professionals.

In a world filled with 'experts' selling online courses and running paid bootcamps, it's important to check the credentials of who you're actually learning from. Reputation, trust and credibility is everything in the education space. And I realised that other than my experience in the industry (even though I've worked for some huge institutions) I didn't actually have any credentials!

So I am pleased to announce that I am (finally) an Adobe Certified Professional. Is it a trifling piece of paper? Maybe. But it does feel good to get a little validation every now and then.

And let me tell you, a few of the questions/tasks in that exam threw even me, so even I couldn't get a perfect score. Although 950/1000 isn't bad. 🥴👍