IT Employment

Ask something
Discussion Locked

Certification a Joke?

0 helpful
13 replies

by darthen

Closed to new repliesThis discussion is closed. It stays readable, but it takes no new replies.
I'm a new techie who just read the article about certifications becoming a joke. how there's boot camps and sim tests to help pass the tests quickly and easily. this is bad news for people who actually learned and studied the hardway to pass those tests. What are people like me to do. Are there respectable certifications out there where memorizing Q's&A's won't pass the test and when obtained will be useful to the careers of techies.

13 replies

by ghstinshll

Since this is happening, like we've mentioned in numerous other postings below....

Experience + Certs + training + professionalism =
An Interview = A New Job

There is always hope, as long as your skills are up to date and you're experienced.

by thomasswalker

Since all written tests can be compromised, the only reliable exams are hands on. The only "too-tough-to-fake" test is the CCIE lab exam. Even though their qualifying exams can be cheated this one can not. But any "certificate" is only evidence thatyou can learn, not a "union card".
CERTIFY AS EVIDENCE, WORK AS PROOF

by lordinfidel

then still take the exams.

By taking the exam and passing, you lend credence to the cert.

Let's face it, I probably would never hire a non-cert to take over my position or my counterparts position.

Not that I am a biased against those without certs. Obviously you can have no cert but years of knowledge. But if you have been in the buis that long, and there when the certs meant something, you would probably hold it anyways.

My point is, I would never feel comfortable with someone telling me that they know MS or Cisco systems, but decided not to take the exams because they are bogus. There would be something fishy there. Unless of course I knew the person or they were reffered to me by someone I knew.

by -bw-

What's the deal with certs anyway, sure...you can read and retain what you've read, and then pass a test...so what! I've worked with numerous individuals holding CNA, CNE, MCP and so on who didn't have the ability to translate it to "real world" scenarios. What good are they? Absolutely none! I am an IT professional with over 15 years in the industry and not a single cert, other than certs of course completions for all the classes I have taken, however, I know my stuff and my resume should be able to speak for itself, unfortunately, I believe in the corp sector, businesses would rather have a "braggable" employee with paper than one with experience and knowledge and the ability to get the job done. Doesn't say much for Corp America.

by generalist

I would say that certifications make it easier for Human Resource and other non-IT types to make a first pass as selecting people for job interviews. If you have the certification, you at least meet certain minimum standards.

As far as experience is concerned, I had over twenty years as an IT professional before I got my first certification. By my guestimates, I had learned about 70% of the A+ information and 40% of the Network+ information before taking a course to fill in the gaps. The lack was mainly because I was an applications programmer and not a hardware/networking/operations type. What I had learned towards the certifications was done at home and didn't have a link to what could go on my resume.

So for me, certificationsare a good thing, especially in a job market that is limited. The more skills you have, the better your job opportunities.

by lordinfidel

But how you get them.

I have no regrets over the 4 certs that I have. And I plan on going for more.

Not because of bragging rights or anything like that. I just feel that if you force yourself to study for an exam, you pick up information that you would not normally find out.

I'm pretty adpet at security and routing. But I am 1000% sure that when I go for the CISSP and the CCIE that I will probably learn things that I have not thought about.

I lump it with continuing education.
But for those people who go to boot camp and get their cert in 5-10 days, well then that is a joke and is sad.

But to blanket say that ALL certs are boot, is not an answer at all.

BTW- I have never stepped foot in a classroom. With the exception of security conferences with my peers.

by admin

They are not totally a joke nor do they insure anything. It is really obvious in an interview to many of us if someone has really learned anything or just got through exams as quickly as possible. Believe me, you will be better off having done it the hard way and actually learned some things you can use.

:)

by chouf

As mentionned by admin@l33tcentral, certifications are only a part of the picture; but don't forget that you're not studying only for the others but also for yourself. Being certified by an external authority let you know what's your knowledge and lvl in IT. I'm sure you can perfectly live without getting any cert and being a really good tech, but at the end of the day, the ones who have a paper to show people what they achieved will be choosed first, that's how the job-market works !
The second thing is that by studying for aan exam, you have to go a bit more in the theory, which is often an aspect that technical people are missing.
See you

by talleywho

No one ever didn't get the job because they had a cert. Here's the reason I'd consider:

John Doe trying to get a job w/ firm A and meets the qualifications nicely in terms of experience. Steve Smith is applying for the same job and has nearly the same experience as John, but also has a cert in that line of work. Both do well in the interview process, etc. Steve gets the job...why, b/c he had 1 extra line on his resume.

Certs can set you apart from your peers, but are unlikely to give the drastic boost that most are hoping for. Nothing is more important than experience.

by warbug

You ppl can complain about certs all you want, but in the end they will count...sooner or later the industry will organize, like so many others have, and if you are not certified you will not hold a job! You can whine and cry all you want but if you really have the experience then getting certified should be an easy joke for you.Do you really belive that in the in the next 10 to 20 years of our industry that you will be able to walk into a technical enterprise and say "hire me because i've been doing things like this for a long time"? Nurses may be able to heal you as well as a doctor, but guess what?...there not allowed to...why?...school..and a piece of paper! So if you really are the thecnical masters that you claim to be ....then prove it, get certified, because sooner or later you will need it,or you will be left by the wayside...complaing to whomever will listen...about all the paper tigers that "stole" all the good jobs!

by c_wing_ca

Doctors and Nurses only have one certification to go thru, their Diploma (M.D. or R.N.) IT has to do the same. Nobody wants to be certified and then get to be tested over and over again for updates and new product release. Im certified since the evolution of LanManager to NT. But is it fair to get tested over and over again as new technology come out? Do doctors and nurses get certified this way? Can a doctor specialize on Heart, Brain, Skeleton, Eyes, etc. Nobody can be a know all and beall. Accountants has their own designations CA, CPA, CCA, CMA, etc. IT should learn to have its own designation and not let vendors push what you have behind your name. Who gets the big bucks? Microsoft, Novell, Cisco, Citrix, and other vendor you choose to get cert. are getting wealthier while you get strapped studying and testing all your life. Brains do get weak as you get older. Doesn?t it look funny in your business card Mr. John Doe MCP, MCSA, MCSE, CCA, CCNA, CNE? I prefer Mr. JohnDoe, I.S.P. (Infomation System Professional) that says it all. A title that will tell your employer that I have been tested once and proven worthy to take a job with accountability and respect earned from colleagues in the IT industry and can learn new things and apply them effectively in your current position. By the way that guy who has all the letter in world behind his name got canned for not doing the quality job and could not apply what he learned.

by handyman

Computers are my hobby. I like to fix and repair almost anything. I thought A+ would be a breeze since I "already knew everything". Not so. I am taking the A+ Certification Course for the second time, as the first time, I too thought it was a joke. I did not do the readings or homework because I had an attitude problem, and wanted to be the hotshot. I lacked as a team player, and was only interested in the end result - a certificate. I cheated myself and my peers of a combined learning experience. I am glad I woke up.

Without the passion and interest to learn new computer skills and to earn a certificate correctly, these dudes will be exposed for what they really are. A cheap immitation of a PC Tech that will be plagued with problems.

by tim_barrett

LordInfidel,

You make a valid point. Still, the idea of being "1000% sure" that you will "probably learn things" cracks me up! ;-)

-Tim

This discussion is closed to new replies.