The evolution of the job market calls for new ways to ensure that the workforce has the skills and abilities required for success. Every business owner thinks like this and looks for talented professionals who can bring more value to their organization. What is the best way for an employer to find people who can give their organization the competitive edge?

The only answer to this question is found in certified professionals who have specialized skills and knowledge for certain jobs. Professional certification programs validate the expertise of an individual in a specific discipline and showcase a commitment to professional growth. Let us find out whether certifications are really worth it with some stats and success stories.

Do Employers Trust Certifications?

The foremost concern of any individual thinking about pursuing a professional certification program is about its validity. Will my employer recognize this certification and give me the job? While many skeptics believe otherwise, professional certifications have a strong influence on employer trust and hiring decisions. The following statistics may help you understand the significance of certifications in the current job market.

According to a CompTIA survey, almost 91% of employers believe that IT certifications play a major role in shaping their hiring decisions. 

• Assurance of More Productivity

The measure of employer trust in certifications is evident from the fact that 87% of executives believe that certified professionals are better performers and bring more value to the workplace. Employers prefer certified professionals as they boost productivity at the workplace.

Workers who have a professional certification are more likely to manage workplace challenges with ease. Professional certifications empower workers with skills to leverage the latest technologies and best practices to achieve more productivity.

• Impact on Core Business Outcomes

Certified professionals can have a tangible impact on core business outcomes, which makes them valuable assets for employers. For instance, organizations that employed certified HR analytics professionals improved their effectiveness in making strategic decisions by 38%.

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Quantifying the Impact of Certifications on Professional Growth

One of the biggest benefits of certification programs is the assurance of salary premiums. Employers are willing to pay 10% to 25% more for certified tech experts in fields that require specialized skills, such as cybersecurity and cloud computing. On top of it, around 76% if professionals have reported an increase in salary after achieving a certification credential. https://www.verifyed.io/blog/certification-benefits. 

Apart from the assurance of enhanced earning potential, professional certifications also open many other doors for the career of an individual. The following points will help you understand how professional certifications ensure that employers hire the right talent. 

The formidable challenge for employers and hiring managers in today’s crowded job market is to find a person who has the skills for a specific job. Certifications solve that problem by ensuring that a professional has the skills required for the specific job and industry. It would help employers in reducing their onboarding costs, especially in the training of new employees. 

• Specialization in Niche Domains

If you want to pursue a professional certification, then you must take inspiration from the thousands of success stories of certified experts in various domains. Whether it is blockchain technology or cloud computing, the professional certification value stays the same. You can explore various niches for specialization in the disciplines of your choice with relevant certification programs.

• Continuous Skill Development 

The most common highlight in success stories of professionals with certifications is the benefit of continuous skill development. Certified professionals have to stay updated with latest trends and acquire new skills to stay relevant in the job market. Employers show their trust in certifications as certified experts help their organization stay ahead of the curve. For instance, certified tech professionals in cybersecurity can help employers ensure better safeguards for their organization against emerging threats.

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Success Stories of a Certified Professional

The answers to “Why employers prefer certified professionals” might have become quite clear now. At the same time, you might wonder how a certified professional can have multiple success stories. If you think about it, there are countless success stories of people who have achieved tangible results in professional growth. The following success stories will resonate with everyone aspiring to pursue a certification for the corresponding role.

Project management certifications are probably the most popular set of professional certification programs you will find today. Seasoned project management veterans use professional certifications to demonstrate their specialization in popular project management methodologies. Certified project managers can find job opportunities in more complex projects that offer better rewards.

Professional certifications not only help in preparing for conventional roles but also empower you for jobs in emerging technologies. Employers have been taking initiatives to empower their workforce with upskilling and certifications in new technologies like blockchain. Professional blockchain certifications help learners acquire the skills and knowledge required to create dApps and blockchain-based solutions. Many blockchain professionals have used certifications from credible platforms to land up with jobs at top companies.

The biggest category of professionals capitalizing on the advantages of professional certifications includes IT professionals. People with formal education in computer science might have to struggle to find a job. On the other hand, a professional certification in cloud computing or programming will enhance the chances of being hired. Certifications are a useful resource for IT professionals to show that they have acquired industry recognition for their skills in a specific area. 

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How Can You Use Professional Certifications in Your Career?

The value of professional certifications for your professional development revolves around the benefits of industry recognition, skill development and continuous learning. The success stories of certified professionals in various roles and domains showcase proof of the utility of certifications. You can use professional certifications in your career in the following ways.

• Earn the Trust of Employers

There is no doubt in the fact that employers trust certified experts for any job role. You must use professional certifications as the credentials to prove that you can manage complex responsibilities right away. Professional certifications from reliable providers can ensure authenticity and build trust in your qualifications.

• Find Access to Communities

The next useful way to capitalize on the benefits of certification programs is to participate in professional communities. Certifications not only validate your skills and knowledge but also provide you access to exclusive professional events and communities. For example, you can use a certification to gain easier access to opportunities for networking with industry experts.

• Always Aim for Specialization

When you decide to go for a certification, make sure that it is for a unique skill or ability. Specialization in a specific field is a very rare trait in the job market and certifications dedicated to one specialization can enhance your employability. Professional certifications prove that you not only know a specific industry but also have the commitment to achieve excellence in it.

Final Thoughts 

The different reasons for which employers trust in certifications has been increasing show that professional certifications have significant impact on hiring practices. Employers trust certified experts for any job because they make hiring easier by reducing the need for extensive screening and training. Companies which offer certifications and upskilling initiatives for their employees have a better reputation and will attract top talent. Going by the stats and success stories, the ability to showcase your certifications will determine the course of your professional growth. Learn more about the benefits of professional certification programs now.

We all have doodles, little bits of forgotten art in the margins of our lives. In the case of Mario Caldato Jr., these were remixes and B-sides that were recorded between larger tracks that he produced for the Beastie Boys. 

It can be easy to over-fetishize the Beastie Boys. You can find yourself walking a line between toxic nostalgia and true delight. 

Alack, with all this walking we missed some vital parts of the line. I mean, it was never advertised that Adam Yauch played bass on a Björk track. Nobody talks about the time Mike D played drums for Ween. It’s just never been brought up.

“That’s true,” says Mario Caldato Jr., the resident producer for the Beasties’ stretch in LA, “but there’s only a handful of these songs.”  He sits across from us on a shady patio in Highland Park, somewhat skeptical. “I don’t really know what we’re gonna talk about.”

He’s got a point. There’s a lot out there. But the scant byproducts of these artists are still better than some of the music being made today, and therefore deserve a closer look. It’s my kind of cultural baloney. 

1995, in particular, was a potent time for these cuts. Flourishes were added to the work of Björk, Ween, The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Beck and a random DJ from the streets of Japan. Most of this work came from the ABA All-Stars, a pen name for the random Beastie Boys who were available, with Mario C in the booth. 

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of this era in Grand Royal history, we sat down with the maestro to dish on these side songs.  

__________________

How did the G-Son Studios remixes come about? 

Mario Caldato Jr.: We had our recording spot in Atwater Village, and we worked on Beastie Boys records and some other projects. Occasionally someone would send us a song and want a remix. 

By this period, it seems like you guys had a healthy sense of workflow. 

MC: We did three years in the studio to make Check Your Head. That’s a long time. That’s a lot of hanging and getting to know each other, then we went out on the road and had a bunch of ideas and came back and did Ill Communication, and we knocked that one out in six months. And that’s when these remixes all started happening, once we had everything dialed in. They would be in between records or somebody would be putting out a single. 

The track listings usually credit the ABA All-Stars. Who was in the lineup?

MC: Sometimes Mark, sometimes Yauch, sometimes The Kid, sometimes all of us. It depended on which one we were doing. It was very in the moment.

Photo Credit: Robbe Rees

What were the steps for these? 

MC: Every remix was kind of different. First, we would check the vibe. We would pull it up and hear the track first, see what’s inspiring and then determine if there was some element that we wanted to add onto it. 

If it was beat driven, sometimes we would program a beat, or try to sample a whole idea. Or play a beat. That was the main option. Then we would add bass or keyboard or some other groove element. And then we would add some kind of scratching, or some other flavor. Rarely did we ever add any vocals. 

When it came to the block itself in Atwater, did you guys have a particular food spot? 

MC: Peaches had a little taco stand. We mostly went to Nonni’s, right across the street. It was this Italian restaurant, the pesto pizza was bangin’. It’s not there no more. 

How long was the process? 

MC: Usually one day. Then maybe we’d come back the next day and do some kind of tweak, adjust a couple things. Nobody shot down ideas. We encouraged and the stronger ideas got through, and the weaker ones got put aside, no hard feelings. Pretty democratic and chill. 

Can we talk about some of these songs? 

Björk: “Army of Me“

MC: We toured Europe with her before this. That’s a beat that got programmed, it’s a combination of samples and playing. 

So is that MCA in the first loop? 

MC: Oh yeah, that’s Yauch playing the upright bass. 

That’s amazing. There’s not much out there since he passed away. 

MC: He was a good soul. He could really bring out the best in us. 

Anything else you hear? 

MC: There’s a lot of echoplex for the vocals that I mixed in from the board. This was all random, very on the fly; we could never reproduce that (laughs). Y’know, nobody could say, “can I have the vocals louder?” Once we sent it out, it was done.

Ween: “Freedom of ’76”

There’s all this vocal stuff at the beginning. 

MC: They had a little speech, but I added some radio noise to it. That was Spike’s idea. 

Spike Jonze? He was at the remix session? 

MC: Yeah.  He asked me “Can you make this part sound old?”

Damn man. Directing the video and showing up for the remix. 

MC: We actually did that at my house. That’s Mike playing drums in my living room.

Did he play with a click track?

MC: No, it’s all feel. And then that’s Money Mark playing the vibraphone. We didn’t change much else, I mean, the vocals are so good  (Listens more.) I really like this song, I’m glad you guys like it. 

Jon Spencer Blues Explosion Experimental Remixes: “Flavor Pt. 2”

MC: That’s Mark playing clavinet, probably Mike on drums. Definitely Beck on vocals. 

That little descending warble there at .51? 

MC: That’s an echo or a record of some old synthesizers. That “What Goes Up” bit is a Biz Markie sample, that was probably Ad-rock. We loved Biz and his records were always nearby. 

Who is saying “Beck and Mike D, white boys in the house”? 

MC: That was Russell Simins, the drummer for JSBX. He’d always come around the studio. Russell was a trip. That was just a wild jam. But the vocal sample you hear on Flavor Pt. 1 is the other Russell Simmons, the actual producer. 

Beastie Boys: “Root Down EP”

There’s this hidden track at the end of the Root Down EP, which is Japanese? 

MC: Ohhhhh, that’s an ad for some Japanese shows, I think. That’s this guy MC Boo, we hooked up with him over there out of nowhere. We ended up bringing him out on stage. 

Money Mark: “Mark’s Keyboard Repair”

You took that gatefold inner photo, right? 

MC: Ha, yeah. Mark needed a photo so I jumped out and did it. That’s his van,  Mark always has a van. I produced “Pinto’s New Car” on that. 

I used to drive home from my girl’s place with that playing and all the windows down. Thank you. 

Beck: “Minus” and “000.000”

MC: That’s actually not an ABA production. Beck showed up at G-Son with Joey Waronker, his drummer. So we did a couple sessions, like two or three days when we weren’t working with the Beastie Boys. 

Did you have any idea, sitting there in the booth, that you were part of some classic record? 

MC: No. By that point, Beck figured, “Let’s do this live thing first.” He did like it. But it was kind of wacky, all over the place. Then he went and started working with the Dust Brothers, they had a refined sound, all these loops and things. It was more structured, and that became 95% of Odelay, except for Minus. There was no punky element, so he figured they’d go back and toss that in. I mean, it’s cool, I’m glad they ended up using it.

That random session is history now. 

MC: As my daughter says, it’s her favorite record. It’s special. 

So the other songs were used as B-sides?

Yeah. There were some weird songs, I don’t know if you heard 000.000, it’s on the Odelay Deluxe Edition. For that one I took the tape and said, “Yeah, it sounds alright. Hold on a second,” and I flipped the reel backwards. It went zoot zoot zoot zoot and then I slowed it down and put it through the plate reverb. He was like, “Daaaaaaamn.” You know, it’s kinda creepy.

Any final tech notes?  

MC: For those sessions, Beck used the Sony Variety Karaoke Mic (ECM-V1), which is what we used for “So Whatcha Want”. If you just cup it like this (mimicking hand over mic), then it sounds distorted. That was our number one weapon, and people who used our studio wanted that broken mic sound. And that was on Odelay all over the place and Beck handled it so well. 

I got that mic for all three of the Beastie Boys for Christmas, but the original one, that’s mine. 

__________________

Speaking of cheap sounds: while prepping for this interview, I didn’t know how to best remind Mario of these songs, so I grabbed the Bluetooth speaker from my shower on my way out the door. When we sat down I was a bit ashamed to hand him such chintzy gear.

Photo Credit: Robbe Rees

But as each track played, he held the speaker closer and closer to his ear, like an old telephone. His face would light up. And by the end of our lunch, it turned out that he had plenty to talk about. 

I still have so many questions. I want to ask about Bobo. Or dig into their drugs of choice. I want to know why we can’t just have Beck shemp for MCA so we can get more Beastie tours and albums. It wouldn’t be any crazier than Ronnie Wood joining the Stones. 

But those are Mario ’95 questions, and Mario ’25 is a family man now. And this guy has already been nice to me about my stupid shower speaker. 

So we just shake hands as I thank him for the songs. “Hey, it was a chance to put our stamp on someone else’s vision,” he sighs, “And that brought us all together.” 

Lee Keeler is a writer and educator living in Northeast Los Angeles.

Previously:
• Beastie Boys’ ‘Sabotage’ was about the band’s frustration with their sound engineer
• Beastie Boys Story to show at select U.S. IMAX theaters
• ‘Beastie Boys Story’ drops in April, watch the first trailer
• The forgotten trans history of the first Beastie Boys record
• Beastie Boys’ ‘Sabotage’ starring Big Bird and the Sesame Street gang
• Before GoldieBlox, Beasties plundered the ‘Girls’ melody (fair and square)
• Beastie Boys’ ‘Sabotage’ reenacted with librarians
• Still Ill: 25 Years of ‘Ill Communication’ by the Beastie Boys

Ethereum is growing, and diversity of human participation creates resilience throughout the ecosystem. The Devconnect Scholars Program is one small effort that aims to create resilience through community diversity. Better representation across human geography and demographics leads to diverse experiences and new perspectives that help the Ethereum protocol serve the coordination needs of all humans, not just a lucky few. Not only does better representation – leading to better geographical distribution of Ethereum nodes for example – help the security of the network, but we believe it is crucial in enriching our community and in making Ethereum stories tangible for more people.

The Scholars Program brought to Devconnect Istanbul 22 builders from communities that are currently underrepresented in Ethereum. This post highlights just a few of the Scholars and their stories.

Meet the Scholars

Meet Ovia, a blockchain researcher who studied Proof-of-Work blockchains as part of her PhD research. She is an active contributor to India’s Web3 community, in particular by giving technical workshops, and by helping to empower female and non-binary individuals at the Phoenix Guild. Ovia said she left Devconnect with ideas and potential collaborations that can contribute to her ongoing work besides having some “fan-girl” moments meeting some of her tech-heroes in real life. You can read her takeaways here: “Introduction to ZKVMs and Types of ZKVMs” and here: “Simplified moonmath behind ZKSNARKs.”

Meet Elnaz, a Java backend developer from Iran turned smart contract developer. After her centralized exchange banned her and people from certain countries, Elnaz read the Bitcoin and Ethereum whitepapers and found the decentralization innovation “mind-blowing.” Speaking about her community, where access to banking is limited and inflation is high, she said that educating people on the disadvantages of centralized networks and onboarding them to decentralized networks still needs work. You can find her reflection here: “Enabling Low-Cost, Decentralized Micropayments on Ethereum Through Layer 2 Rollups.”

Meet Alphonce, a software engineer from Kenya. He was initially drawn to crypto because of speculation, but his perspective changed when he started taking part in open-source projects in Ethereum and realized that it can be a “powerful platform for fostering financial inclusion and innovation.” He said he wants to contribute to the blockchain ecosystem in Africa by bringing back the collaborative spirit and knowledge exchange from Devconnect. Continue reading his findings here: “Reflections From DevConnect: Unveiling Opportunities for Financial Inclusivity with Ethereum.”

You can find stories, insights, and learnings from more Scholars here.

What’s next?

Together with efforts already taking place in our community for better representation, we hope that the Devcon and Devconnect Scholars help expand and enrich the Infinite Garden of Ethereum. For future Scholars Programs and more stories, follow @EFNextBillion.