Outcert and LPI: Lifelong Learning is More Than a Purpose

Lital Shoshan Idel tells me, "We want to spread a message to the world. A message as to why lifelong learning it is more than a purpose; it's a vision that must be clear to all of us. Sharing in that desire, the Linux Professional Institute (LPI) is one of our main and great partnerships." Lital is the CEO of Singapore-based, OUTCERT, a technology education platform that aims to simplify professional tech certifications in many different areas, including Linux and Open Source Software, by serving as a global certification hub. Founded in 2016, OUTCERT has positioned itself as the Certification Hub.

Born in Israel but now residing in Singapore, Lital says that she was born armed with an entrepreneurial mindset. Eventually, she took that mindset to Heriot-Watt University, in Glasgow, Scotland, where she earned her MBA. She has a background in Marketing and Business consultancy, and for the last 6 years, she has also been the CEO of LSI Business Strategy & Marketing Agency, based in Singapore, a company she founded.

In parallel, and as an entrepreneur, she recognised the high potential in EduTech and loved the idea of OUTCERT's objectives and vision. "I am a big believer in lifelong learning, for the self, and professional development," she says. "I see the future in this, and I think OUTCERT is going to be one of the important leading platforms for leveraging tech educational development."

"I started as a CMO with OUTCERT, and along with the team, helped build all the foundations of the company, including marketing and business development opportunities. But then, after 2.5 years, we saw the opportunity of me stepping in from the inside as the new CEO and a co-founder.  So at the moment, I am putting in all my efforts to push OUTCERT forward, and to focus on the incredible potential and opportunities we have created over the years. Now, the growth intensive phase is knocking on our door! Lot's of things going; we are thrilled and looking forward!"

The platform at outcert.com is free to use with free registration. If you're already on LinkedIn, you can even sign up with your LinkedIn account. Once you register, the OUTCERT platform will ask you a short series of questions. I went through the process myself, just to see what a student might encounter, so I'll just point out that while that Q&A session is short, basically just three questions, the choices are many.

Those questions are about the certification areas that interest you, certifications you may already have, and then will ask you about the technology areas that interest you (e.g. machine learning, Linux, cloud security, etc). It will then create a dashboard like profile page, from which you can narrow down your interactions with all of these. Given the dizzying number of organizations, technologies, and certification options, that dashboard will be a welcome sight.

Simplification itself is the whole idea behind OUTCERT. Lital points out that, "our platform simplifies the search for certifications in over 100 technology areas and creates an engaging roadmap of one’s learning way into – and throughout – their career. We want to practice open source in the way we do our marketing, in the way we share knowledge, in the capabilities we offer, so that students can concentrate on their careers and learning paths."

As for that learning, she explains, "We live in the age of the infinite learning and getting certified is part of being an infinite learner." 

The whole process is stressful enough and contemplating infinity even more so. Lital jokes, "Maybe it's time to rebrand certifications."

To begin your own journey, head over to outcert.com, register, and you'll be on your way.