As a popular and powerful career tool, IT certification attracts a
lot of interest. Interest leads to many questions. Aspiring IT professionals,
experienced IT pros, and IT managers all have questions to ask.
Answers
to the 5 most frequently asked questions on IT Certification should
give a better understanding of what certification can and cannot do.
Which
certification is the best?
Will
certification get me a good job?
What
is the cost of certification?
How
can I get certified?
Which
is better: a degree or a certification?
Q1.
Which certification is the best?
This question assumes some certifications are better than others. Certainly
some are quite popular. Popular certifications are the Oracle Certified
Professional, Microsoft Certified System Engineer (MCSE), CompTIA’s
A+, Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) and Sun’s Java certification.
But saying a certification is the best is stretching it too far. Can
you say the CCNA is better than the MCSE? Or vice versa? That would
be like comparing oranges and apples. It makes no sense. Assessing the
quality of a certification is best done in relation to your needs. How
does the certification match your interests, your background and your
career goals? How does the certification fit into your career plan (http://www.jidaw.com/careerplan.html)?
A certification that is good for your career may be useless for mine.
Aiming for a certification without a career plan or focus is nothing
more than gambling.
Rather than focusing on popular certifications it is more profitable
to attain certifications that enhance your value in line with your career
ambitions. The key to IT career success is not in following the crowd
but in taking charge of your career based on knowledge and your interests.
If your interest is database administration you will need to be trained
and certified on a database technology, such as Oracle8i or 9i or Microsoft
SQL Server. For Network Operating Systems, Microsoft Certified Systems
Engineer (MCSE) or Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE) should be considered.
A+ is useful for IT newcomers and those who want to build a career in
Tech Support. If your focus is in Network convergence and Network management,
you should take a look at Cisco certifications.
Q2. Will certification get me a good job?
A popular variant of this question is: will certification ensure IT
career success? Answering this question requires an understanding that
while certification may confer advantage, it doesn’t guarantee
anything. It is quite unfortunate that many go into certification for
the wrong reasons. Unrealistic expectations leads to frustration and
dissatisfaction. Be realistic. (http://www.jidaw.com/realistic.html)
Certifications matter, but certification is only one element used in
evaluating a candidate. How does the certification contribute to value?
What value are you bringing to the table? Certification will be valueless
if after having acquired IT certification, you cannot use it to improve
on your job performance and increase an organization's productivity.
You also shouldn’t equate certification with your career. Multiple
certifications don’t add up to a career. You don’t become
a network administrator simply by acquiring numerous network certifications.
Just like other education-based qualifications, IT certification is
only part of the package you need. To succeed in IT you need, knowledge,
attitude and experience. Certification or no certification what is your
attitude towards - lifelong learning, professionalism and ethics, soft
skills and career growth? What is a good job to you – fat salary
or career growth?
Certification doesn’t teach you ethics. But you can’t get
far in IT without Ethics and Professionalism.
Without some business sense and good soft skills, the usefulness of
technical skills acquired through certification is of limited value.
You may need to have one or more of the following soft skills: communications,
teamwork, organization, leadership, sales, presentation and business.
Certification is not magic! You still need to market yourself for job
and career opportunities.
Q3. What is the cost of certification?
To many candidates the cost of certification is simply the cost of
training, books, practice tests and exam fees. This is a common mistake.
Money is only one cost of certification. How much time are you ready
to commit? You need to create time for learning – to acquire knowledge,
to attend class, to practice.
Nobody can learn for you. And learning is quite different from cramming.
Learning enhances your career growth, cramming is for robots with no
career future.
But it’s not just about time and money. Even if you make out
the time, how committed are you? How tight is your schedule? How will
certification preparations affect your job and personal commitments?
Can you make the sacrifice? Effort is a critical cost you must invest
if you are to succeed. Paying for training at the best training school
with world class instructors will not get you anywhere without effort.
You must make the effort. Spending time and money without effort to
actually learn and practice is like trying to fill a basket with water.
It makes no sense. To succeed with certification you must be self-motivated
to make the effort required despite your other responsibilities and
any obstacles in your path.
What you spend in terms of effort, money and time for your certification
should be viewed as an investment into your career. A note of caution:
your investment is for your future long term benefit. The “get-rich-quick’
syndrome has no place in IT. You need to be aware of the investment
required before deciding on a certification.
Q4. How can I get certified?
To get certified, many use different routes. I suggest you include
these steps in your certification preparation:
- Choose the certification based on your career needs, your resources
and opportunities available to you.
- Read and understand the objectives and requirements of the certification.
You can easily get such information from the sponsor’s site
or IT certification sites.
- Choose and use your learning options – training, study guides,
books, hands-on experience, labs, Internet, etc. The options you choose
will depend on resources and opportunities at your disposal. Instructor-led
training with an organization that has a track record is usually the
most effective learning option.
- Review/practice tests. Practice makes perfect. Your exam should
not be your first test. Practice well before attempting any exam.
Make sure you use your practice time to get familiar with the testing
format and environment. Use practice tests not for monkey-like cramming
but to gauge your level of preparedness for the exam. A good practice
test or lab will let you know whether you’re ready for the test
or not.
- Register for the exam at a testing center.
- Take the exam at the testing center.
Q5. Which is better: a degree or a certification?
Again the question should be: which is better for me? It all depends
on your opportunities and your background - your situation. A degree
is expected to develop someone intellectually and mentally and to impart
the required knowledge. It also demonstrates your ability to learn diverse
information.
On the other hand, certification is intended to make you proficient
on a particular IT product or field. IT professionals use certification
to validate their skills and knowledge in a particular area of IT. Newcomers
and career changers who want to get a headstart in the IT industry often
use certification. It may be enough to get you in the door, as it obviously
allows you to acquire specific, valuable skills and knowledge faster
than a university degree.
A lot depends upon the type of position you are seeking and the nature
of the organization. At entry level, certain companies, especially small
organizations, value specific experience and skills over a university
degree.
However, the requirement and value of a degree goes up for high-level
positions, easing the way into the top positions of computer professionals.
It is usually a requirement in many top IT job openings.
The reality is that certification and solid technical experience will
give you opportunities, but a lack of formal education may hinder you
for certain high level jobs. This is true of most professions.
Also you should expect, that as more people get degrees and experience,
there will be increased competition for jobs.
I will advise that if you don’t already have a degree and you
have no immediate plans for university education, you should still consider
it as you grow on the job.
And most importantly, whether you choose certification or degree, this
doesn’t eliminate the need for lifelong learning. You can’t
afford to become a dinosaur (http://www.jidaw.com/dinosaur1.html). Because
of the fast pace of change in IT you can’t go to sleep simply
because you have a degree or you’ve gotten certified.
I hope you have found answers to these most frequently asked questions
useful. You should know there are no hard and fast rules. There is no
straightjacket formula. You are in the best position to determine what
works for you - it’s your career!
All the best in your IT Career,
Jide Awe
Jide Awe is the Publisher of Jidaw.com.
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