Certifiable or Just Plain Insane?
Written by The Geekette on August 21, 2005 – 11:09 pmPosted in Certifications, Ramblings, Users |
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Loading ...True - You can have the knowledge without having to pay to be Certified when it comes to computers.
True - Just because you have the certification does not mean you actually know the material as well as someone who is not certified. You might just be good at taking tests.
So what is the point of getting IT Certifications? To have a piece of paper? Superficially that might be the big debate. But, take a closer look at that and you might find more to it than what meets the eye.
IT Certifications can be pretty expensive for many. So, many decide why certify if you already know the material? You do not have to have a piece of paper saying you know it if you can SHOW it. Unfortunately this day and age as technology grows and more and more people become accustomed to working with computers, Certifications are becoming more "needed" by people in the IT industry.
This is especially true if you are looking for a job in the IT field.
If you submit a resume, most likely it will go through the HR department before you are even considered for the position. HR does not know you from Adam. They don’t know how technically inclined and good you are. You can’t "show" them what you can do. HR will see that piece of paper of a resume and decide whether to put you in the interview stack or move on to the next resume. If they see you have a certification, that could mean way more than experience points for you. It could be the extra little bonus you need to get to the interview level. When you make it to the interview, your prospective employer once again will not be able to see how you can demonstrate your 5 years of working with computers and how good you may be. He might ask you a few simple questions to see where your skills are. If he sees you have Certifications on that resume.. He most likely will assume you are at LEAST at that level - instead of just guessing if you did not have any certifications listed.
And then there is the companies standpoint. Many companies have a quota to meet. To get the discount or to be able to offer certain services, they might have to have X amount of employees who are A+, Microsoft of Cisco certified. Once again, another plus.
If you have the skills, it IS worth getting certified. To you, it may just be a piece of paper that cost a small fortune. But, that piece of paper may also be the difference in a better job, a higher pay, and people taking you more seriously. The people that know you may KNOW that you know your stuff when it comes to computers. But where does that get you in the real world? Just because Johnny knows you can network 10 computers and run them as a System Admin for those users does not have as much credential as that piece of paper to a prospective employer who is looking for a quick fix to replace the old system admin. After you are in THEN time will show the employer you know your stuff - the certification is just a foot in the door.
For years I knew my stuff when it came to computers. I could hang with the best of them. All my friends had seen me progress from thinking AOL was the internet to learning how to network and use various operating systems and build many new systems. When I wanted to break free from being a secretary, the problem was no one took me seriously. Besides not having a piece of paper - which meant I did not meet some companies minimum number of a+ certified employees so they could get their discount - I had nothing to back up what I said I could do just to get my foot in the door.
I can even remember the pain of having a prospective employer look at me in the eye and tell me that saying I could do something was not good enough. He did not have time to stand around for months and watch me to make sure I knew the difference between a modem and a network card. He wanted someone who had a piece of paper so he knew I at least knew the basics. It added to the pain when he mentioned running a Network was not the same as going to a co workers computer and getting a MS Word document to save correctly - referencing the fact my current job was as a secretary. That hurt. Of course I knew this, but what proof did I have?
If you have the skills, then from my experience it is defiantly worth paying for that piece of paper. It might not mean a hill of beans now.. But when you are looking for a better job - and IT turnaround IS high - then you will have the credentials to get your foot in the door to show what you can do before people get to know you and SEE what you can do.
For more information view:
Microsoft Certifications
CompTIA Certifications
Cisco Certifications
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August 29th, 2005 at 11:46 am
A certification helps get a job, but a fat resume with references does even more. A CS degree will get you even farther.
You might need to start with a low level help desk job. It pays crap, but it’s a foot in the door. Any idiot can fix a computer or install Windows. While you probably do know your way around a computer, I doubt you’ve ever touched a massive Active Directory installation (multiple forrests, cross domain trusts, etc.) or been the tech on call when it broke.
Next thing you need to do is learn to program. Anyone you can write a program for, any excuse to code at your job, do it. And if you don’t have one, program on your own time. Every single day. Luckily I got started about 8 years ago when all it took was a resume and a bluff to talk yourself into a job. But learning to program is what took me from being a $30k/year techie to the $70k I’m seeing right now. Once your employer gets hooked on custom programming, they’ll never let you go. In fact, at your present sectretarial job, that’s a good way to start. Take what you do on a daily basis and automate it. Show it to your boss, get him/her curious about what can be done. I’ve seen a lot of people work their way up that way.
August 29th, 2005 at 11:54 am
I believe that certifications are worth it with caveat that you have done the work before.
I have many certifications in different Java technologies and have seen some good interest and even job offers due to it.
I recommend that you get certifications when you set upon the work. For example, as a new programmer, I would recommend (in the Java world) getting the Sun Certified Java Programmer. This will be a valid cert for you because you will be using all the topics mentioned in the exam. As you become more and more senior and do different types of work, match that up with an exam.
This methodology is the best way to make your resume sparkle, imho, because not only will you have the exam but you will able to counter anyone who says certs are useless, with the fact that you actually can back up that cert with a real-life project.
August 29th, 2005 at 12:14 pm
I think you’re pretty much spot on with your evaluation of the worth of certification: it doesn’t prove that you know the subject, but it is what you need to get past the corporate gatekeepers, ie. HR and recruiting professionals. I’ve got a BS in IT, my CISSP and my CCNA. The Bachelors degree shows that I have the tenacity and dedication necessary to work my way through the college system. Never mind the fact that I didn’t get it until I was 35, I’ve got it, and that fulfils a check box on the HR spreadsheet.
On the other hand, the CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) and CCNA are both certs I got to get me calls from recruiters. I was working in the security arena long before I got either certificate. I’m good at what I do, but it was nearly impossible to get a job at the level I wanted without the CISSP.
The CCNA was a little different for me. The local junior college offered a series of 4 6-week long classes focusing on the material directly from Cisco and allowed me to get more hands on experience with routers than I had a chance for on the job. It forced me to learn some technologies I’ll never use again, like AppleTalk and novell, but it also gave me a much firmer grounding in routers than I would have had otherwise. I probably could have passed the test just on book learning, but that wasn’t what I was looking for.
I get several calls a month from recruiters, mainly because I have the letters ‘CISSP’ after my name on my resume. I am neither more nor less skilled because of it. But all things being considered equal, someone who is looking for a security expert is going to find my resume long before they find someone who doesn’t have the certification. And the best experience and resume are going to be worthless if no one ever reads your resume.
August 29th, 2005 at 12:17 pm
i am scientist performing drug discovery research. i am contemplating a career change so that i may work with automated systems (robots). this requires a good amount of programming (java, C++). this means for someone in position (no experience in IT/programming. etc.) the more certifications i can add to my biology background. the better my opportunities will be in the biotech/pharmaceutical industry. i would imagine that i am the exception in this particular discussion but it does show a need for certifications.
August 29th, 2005 at 12:58 pm
I feel that certification has not yet reached a level where IT professionals are really properly trained. By this I mean that ther are many who hold A+ qualifications but their social and thinking skills are not up to par.
They may be able to code games or widgets to teir hearts’ content, but do they really have what it takes to get along in the workplace?
For many who hold their BSCs in IT, that answer would be a resounding “No”.
In my experience, it is the hobbyist with no qualifications that shines above those who have letters behind their names. Hobbyists usually have a passion for their work, keep up with emerging trends and have no prjudices with regard to new ideas and products.
In a nutshell, I feel that having letters behind a name can be a burden rather than an asset.
August 29th, 2005 at 1:18 pm
A certificate is another paper to add to your credentials. Why do people get a B.S. or a Masters .. or a PHD … It is all paper cert. Nothing more… nothing different.
August 29th, 2005 at 2:15 pm
Thank you for all of the replys
Currently I do hold some certifications. I am in the process now of working on my CCSP as well as linux+ and server+. I do personally think my certifications helped me get my foot in the door. I am thankful I had them. Although a foot in the door won’t make it for a person, it is the knowing that comes into play and experience. The certifications in my opinion will get your a chance, but the skills, knowledge, initiative to learn and experience are what keeps you there.
August 29th, 2005 at 2:26 pm
I live in this situation where I am the uncertified variant of technician. I cannot be shown, in the matter of the position I fill, a solution or means for resolve that is faster and more accurate than my current methods — by those who are certified. If the corporate gatekeeper is not a friend, friend of a friend, or relative, be prepared to defend yourself in the interview with the knowledge you have.
HR and hiring professionals _believe_ they can count on those with certificates to do the job, and will then hire in a more speedy fashion as IT jobs are a ‘need now’ position.
My take?
I’m very well without a broad certificate that I would need to test for yearly or bi-yearly. A certificate gets you through the door faster, but employers who base their hiring on certificates are taking the ultimate fist in the gut as a certificate would seem in my eyes as your job is your life. My life is my job and hobby.
August 29th, 2005 at 2:33 pm
Bit of a 50/50. I don’t have any formal certifications at all, but I got lucky… my employers KNEW what I could do when they bumped me up into a better position…. in fact, I left uni 3 months into my course to work for them.
That was more than 3 years ago…. in retrospect, I would rather have gotten SOME sort of certification, but then again, I’m much more a practical learner than anything else so university really was not for me. I’ll probably get some certification down the track, just to back up what I already know, but I’ve just moved onto my second job and yes, REFERENCES count for HEAPS.
But I still think spending thousands of dollars and attending an institution for 3 years just to get a collection of acronyms after your name is a real shame - there are some brilliant people out there who seriously know their stuff without having to attribute that to spending a small fortune on uni study.
Having said that I think there are some exceptions - legal studies, commerce, business, medicine… anything that isn’t a strictly technical trade definitely requires certification.
My $0.02.
August 29th, 2005 at 2:37 pm
I think that the boss described in your interview is not someone I would want to work for. A competent boss who has put time into planning his hiring process would be able to make sure that you weren’t just a handy secretary with a few well-placed questions. Or, why not just have their own written test that you take prior to your interview? That would tell them much more than someone else’s test and would add no time to the interview. It sounds like he was planning to rely on the certifications to mean that you were competent…very irresponsible in my opinion.
August 29th, 2005 at 2:47 pm
While there are arguments for and against obtaining a certification, in my opinion having a degree in CS/IT degree will surely help land a job in IT field. As somebody mentioned earlier, a fat resume with good references and a decent skillset will land you a pretty decent job. Of course, all this provided that you actually *learned* the skills in class or outside class. Bottomline: the “paper” that says you have BS/MS/PHD is more important than the paper that says you have skills in “Linux Administration”.
August 29th, 2005 at 3:27 pm
While one could argue that a college degree (e.g. BS CS) is ‘just paper’, it generally holds more weight than a certificate. However, I’ve met just as many people with degrees that couldn’t answer questions that they should have been able to answer about basic computer science as I have people with certificates.
FWIW, someone whose resume crosses my desk with a java certification usually does themselves more harm than good. Very few have been able to answer simple java api or general programming questions that should have been very easy if they truly knew what was on the certification exam.
If someone has a cert and can’t back that up with answers to questions about the technology that they are purportedly certified in, they are immediately disqualified whereas someone without a cert if given much more leeway.
And, FWIW, I’m much more likely to interview a candidate with a CS degree and no certifications than I am someone with a sociology degree and 10 certs for a programming job. Maybe it’s a bias–I have a chemistry degree and when I decided to get into software development I went back and got a masters in CS because I wanted to have the pedigree to get the job.
August 29th, 2005 at 4:28 pm
What needs to be recognised is the difference between a degree and a certification, and between a certification and real-world knowledge and experience. Essentially, a degree (should) teach you skills and strategies that are flexible, and adaptable across the whole of one’s career. Certification, on the other hand, is about quantifying knowledge - at one particular time, a certain knowledge-set was possessed by this person. Really, it’s no different from real-world experience in terms of knowledge, but real-world experience can teach the kind of problem-solving and higher-level cognitive skills associated with a degree. What’s my standpoint? The degree is the first step, then certifications are useful only in terms of minimally guaranteeing knowledge. Charles, I think, is on the right track - although I’m a socio major myself I have friends who took certification quick-fix paths into industry, and other friends who did degrees. A few years out, and the degree-holders are in more stable and career-oriented positions, whereas the certification-holders are struggling at the same level they started at.
August 30th, 2005 at 9:37 am
response to #12:
Hey charles, if you happen to read these posts again I would like to ask you a couple of questions regarding your chemistry background. It sounds like you might be able to answer some of my questions.
September 1st, 2005 at 11:36 am
So, Where does that leave people like me?
I have a BSc in Applied Physics, An MSc in Software Technology, and over ten years of experience doing Network/Unix Administration.
There are no certifications that I feel make sense for me. I am already past the point where a certification would show that I know how to X. I’ve been to training courses where the trainer took me on one side and told me that I was too advanced for the class. There are a few certifications (CCIE for example) that make sense at an advanced level but none that I am aware of for Unix.
Z.
September 2nd, 2005 at 3:48 pm
IT certifications has had its fair share of lively debates and very likely, will continue to do so. I will say however, that having IT certifications has definitely helped me in obtaining new jobs. Not all IT professionals believe in them, but there are many companies out there who do use them as a benchmark. So whether you actually believe in IT certifications almost becomes a moot point especially if you happen to be applying for a job at a company that does emphasize having those credentials.
You simply cannot afford to not have certifications on your resume. In such a highly competitive environment, you need to do everything you can to set yourself apart from others. Of course, if I had to hire someone fresh out of college and one of them has an IT certification or two, I will go with that one. Of course compare that same person fresh out of college with an A+ but no experience with someone who has been in the industry for 5 years and has multiple certifications, of course, I will go with the latter.
IT certifications helps get your foot in the door. Certifications measure a standard baseline and for most employers seeking qualified candidates, that is what they are looking for. The interview process is where you will have the real chance to sell yourself.
October 4th, 2005 at 7:10 am
Having climbed the ranks in a telecom R&D department, and spent the last 7-8 years as a web application developer for that company and some others more recently, it may be shocking for you to learn that I only hold an Associates degree.
My learning in the realm of web server maintenance, DNS management, DB design and development, and the programming languages that I utilize have come directly from my experience on the job. I have taken classes along my carreer path, and have had some of the greatest tutors who do hold advanced degrees and certifications, but I don’t hold any myself, unless you count Certificates of Completion for coursework. I have run into other developers along my way, both certified and not, degreed and not, and I can’t tell you that the certified/degreed developers were any better. I have seen some really incompetent people on both sides - equally distibuted.
I believe the only good in pieces of paper is to impress an interviewer… interviewers without any technical background. In reality, an interviewer should be looking at references and examples of actual work done by prospects. A sample of this kind can quickly shine the light on someone who knows what they are doing - or doesn’t!
I will admit that I have had to be more forward at times, and have had to sell myself a little harder here and there, but in the end, I believe I have been better off for it.
But, am I biased?? Of Course - biased by my experience.
December 14th, 2005 at 7:37 pm
I would like to detail the horrible customer service experience that I have had attempting to take Microsoft MCSE exams. I think I have made reasonable efforts to correct this situation and I am extremely frustrated by an obnoxiously anemic bureaucracy at the offices of Thomson-Prometric. This website is a result of that frustration. If you are from Thomson-Prometric and reading this site, my name is Richard Matthews. In addition to my $500 you have my phone number in your database, give me a call.
In summary, during the course of nearly a month and a half I have attempted to take Microsoft Certification Exams. I estimate that in my three attempts to take an exam and in the hours spent on the phone with Thomson-Prometric bureaucracy I have wasted over 8 hours of time. It is evident to me that this is an organization that does not care about the treatment of its customers. Below is the excruciating detail of my experience.
http://thomsonprometricsucks.com/