As a former IT guy, look at the market. Data science and cyber security are hot. SE should be colour focused. Aws has the biggest market share, but azure is growing. Personally I would look at the latter.

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Jim
"In dog beers, I've only had one"
http://www.shakercolonial.com/
Creating custom made furnishing to your requirements

Microsoft just launched a new online program in Data Science - can be completed in a year or less

https://academy.microsoft.com/...rogram/data-science/

Cybersecurity - In Chicago, there's a bootcamp training place that teaches cybersecurity - it's a few months of classroom labs, then they farm out their students to work at non-profits for real experience. Not sure how much it costs, but I'm trying to get my unemployed nephew to look at this, as I see this as a route to never being unemployed.

if you're looking for a job in IT - start going to Meetups (http://www.meetup.com/) - I've been going to a couple of these a month (SQL server, and network security stuff) - these are real good for networking (you can find out who is hiring), and they often have free pizza and soda.

Years ago I did a certification in "Adult Education and Learning". It got me the part time community college gig that I have which pays me about $20 K a year for about three or four hours a week.

Re. useless piece of paper.
I'm in IT. We hire guys prob once/yr, but usually entry level. I'm the one that does the hiring.

My theory:
A piece of paper doesn't necessarily have to represent real skills. In small/medium size business, or any larger business not choked by bureaucracy, the purpose of the resume is to get you an interview. Barring a huge gap in applicable skills and experience, the interview will get you the job. So the important thing about certifications (etc) is that they look good on paper so they help get you that interview. The job listing might not have a ton of detail, depending on bureaucratic their process is. They will definitely be interested in what kind of person you are, so resume and cover letter needs to somehow reflect the basic personality characteristics that everyone wants in a new subordinate.... enthusiasm, personal responsibility, loyalty, attention to detail, etc. BTW, short resume.

In contrast, outfits that are choking in bureaucracy put a priority on the resume. They like to see long resumes that provide plenty of detail. Then they go thru the detailed job listing and compare the two. Only the folks who's resumes match up with the detailed job description the best will be invited for an interview, the purpose of which is mostly just to confirm that you shower once/wk and can speak in coherent sentences.

So, the purpose of the certification, or any other entry on your resume, isn't about real skills. It's purpose is to appear impressive.

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Books @ Amazon
"If only he had used his genius for niceness, instead of Evil." M. Smart

So I have been in the nuclear engineering business for 18 years. Currently a design supervisor at an NSSS supplier. Based on the trajectory that nuclear is taking (looks really bad from a business standpoint) I am looking to get out. Five years ago I was looking to get out and took a couple of actuarial exams, but have stayed in 5 more years because I fell into my current job (that I kind of like). Again now I am looking to get out and do not want to back to school (I already have a BS in ChemEng, a BA in history, MS in MechEng and I am a P.E.). I am looking at doing data science, because throughout my career one thing I have always enjoyed is evaluating data sets, looking for trends, look for relationships, etc.

Would a certificate like this be sufficient to get into an entry level job? Can anyone in the business speak to the credibility of this program (or any other specific ones I should consider). I see a lot of engineering resumes, but basically you have to have a 4 year degree from an accredited university and at least for what we do (traditional engineering), it is not like the U of Phoenix's of the world are giving out degrees. My point being I am very skeptical of online programs, yes there are some good, but there are a lot that seem like diploma mills. I actually want to learn something, not just get a piece of paper.

This looks like a great situation, as I could self learn (that is how I prepped for the actuarial exams).
What would an entry level job pay? I currently make good money, would expect a pay cut to get into something new, curious how much. I've been pretty good with my money and saving for retirement, so I could get by for a while making half of my current salary or even less. Would entry level pay $70K?