IT Certifications
You can find me regularly in Techrepublic, answering questions or participating in discussions, hidden behind the alias "JimBb". More and more I noticed there that people are wondering what certification they should persue. One friend said Linux, another said networking, a third claimed a Microsoft certificiation guarantees the best future.
Well, that's all a load of bull. Certifications guarantee nada. Even more, certifications don't tell a thing about the one holding it, and companies are not really interested in them(1). Huh? Not interested? Are you kidding? Well, companies are interested in people that make their organisation (more) profitable. And that has nothing to do with certifications, but with knowledge, attitude, experience, and other such qualities. Your boss is not interested in a card hanging on your wall, but she or he wants to know if you will be able to solve a problem.
Then why are certifications so popular? Why do they seem so in demand? Because people apply for a job in the wrong way. Or rather, with the wrong people. Most of the time, you respond to an ad you find, in a newspaper, on the internet, whatever. And you nicely send in your appliance, and end up in a pile at Human Resources. And what does the average HR guy know about an IT job? Umm, something with computers, right? So, how on earth is she or he going to decide who will be elected to come and have an interview, and who not? Well, they check pure data. x Years of experience, y number of certificates. Whether that experience is relevant, or that certificate received after studying without any practice - who cares.
OK, fine, but that's the way it is, you cannot alter the hiring process. Oh no? You can't? Says who? First of all, try to get in touch with someone at the inside. A technical forum (Techrepublic, Experts Exchange, MSN Communities, ...) is already a great tool to find someone in the company or niche you're after. Ask her or him who to contact, what kind of people they look for, what kind of job it is. Second, try to make a phone-call to the hiring manager. She or he doesn't care about certificates, they want someone that fits in the team. Be curious. Ask questions. Tell how you have tackled a problem they mention in the past. You'll be amazed of the results. And then you can mention that you haven't really got the certifications their HR requires, but that you do believe that your experience matches any certification. You'll notice that you can get an interview, without the certifications. Then it's up to you.
Yeah, but, I don't have the experience either. Then what? Then get that experience. If you cannot get it paid, then do it unpaid. There must be a school or a charity organisation that can use your help. They'll even be happy to get you for free, and you bet they'll be delighted if their only "payment" is their permission to be mentioned on your resume.
And then, once you're in, you can get that certification, just to avoid all these difficulties in the future, and fight with the same weapons as the others.
Which one? Take one that guarantees you a job, or would going for an "expensive" one be better? Either is stupid. Go for what you like, and get good in that. Can you imagine working late doing a job you don't really like? Can you imagine spending a weekend finding out how a certain feature functions, for something you hate working with? You won't do those things. But if you do something you like, the chances are much higher that you'll be interested in additional tools, related products and technologies, and so on. And only then you'll get the jobs you like, and oddly enough, the money will come too, all by itself. Sort of ;-) So follow your guts, don't follow your friends' advice or market trends or so. And have fun in your job - it does help.
Good luck.
(1)One exception: IT companies. But they don't care who has it, or how you got it. Usually they need "2 CNE and 1 CNS" on staff, to get or hold a certain status, like "Business Expert" or "Authorised Reseller" or so.
© Jim Bella 2002-2003