Monday Morning Conversation: Certifications. Got Certs?
I've always been of the impression that Certs will definitely help you get an interview if someone is looking for that particular skill. I have even heard people tell me that they have selected one person over another because they had a certain Cert.
As a consultant it is expected that I have Certs for the technologies I work with. Most partners are now requiring that people who sell and implement their technologies have a certain number of people in the company certified.
So who really needs certifications? What do the customers think? Is it an advantage to have a Cert over someone that doesn't?
November 26th, 2007 at 10:12 pm
Hmmmmmm…. Having certs will certainly not do you any harm.
I see it this way, Having certs does not make you an expert – we all know that – experience is far more important. However, I've worked with some real losers who have worked in IT for years but are absolute cowboys! Many of them couldnt get a cert to save their lives.
So personally I think a combination of certs and experience is your best bet.
Certainly in the UK agencies and HR departments often ask for certs for screening CV's/Resume's.
In fact I heard from a friend recently that when the 'vendors' put their exams together they often have a guy there who is a professional exam taker (there really is a job for everybody). He knows nothing about storage or IT in general but can breeze his way through the initial exam material. He then helps them make the questions tougher for people who are good guessers. Apparently even by the end when the exam is ready for publication he can still usually pass.
I personally have quite a few certs, although I certainly dont frame them and hang them on the wall
November 28th, 2007 at 2:15 am
I am certifiable.. Does that count for anything?
I have two certs that are both way out of date. HP Openview Certified Consultant and Sun Certified Systems Engineer (signed by Scott McNeally). Nothing on paper for anything storage related but I have been doing it for 10 years. I am working on a Cisco CCIE for Storage Networking but it interests me where not much else does.
Does a computer science degree count for anything anymore?