Use of a certification

I too agree, but The indidual certification will help the company in many ways.
like the company want to project their resources to the client, they have to show the client that the company got certified professional in the particular prime area. it is kind metual trust between client and company, so based on the skills strength the client will decide wheather to join hands or not. I would say that's how the indidual certification will help the company to grow more and more.

Muthu

The old cert debate again.

My feelings are that to be a valuable and well rounded IT professional there really are really three components that are required and the fourth is helpful, but largely optional.

The required 3:

1) Good personality (I'm being very broad here - throwing in your social skills with your general attitude and demeanor as well)

2) Formal Education (This leaves out certs in favor of college degrees or at the EXTREME minimum a H.S. diploma)

3) Experience (Preferred is on-the-job experience from a previous employer, however for new comers it relates to EXTENSIVE hands-on experience with simulated real world IT situations/problems)

The optional 4th "component":

4) Certifications.

Despite the claims of newspaper and magazine ads, I've yet to find an IT job in my area that outright refuses or dismisses an applicant due to lack of certification. Along those same lines however, I can say with confidence that at LEAST 90% of all well-to-excellent paying IT positions REQUIRE college degrees and/or practical work experience.

I'm working on a BA degree, which I just started to supplement my 6 years IT experience (manager), 2 AAS degrees and three certifications (I actually have more certs, but I only count 3 as "real" ones - the others are from small time education programs). I got lucky now that I think about it - my employer didn't require a BA degree six years ago when they hired me, so I've been gradually building up my education and experience over the years.

I plan on getting more certs, but its no rush. Certs are more for the individual than anything else - IMO. If you work HONESTLY (ie. no cheating/using brain dumps) for your cert they are great tools to assess your skills,target your strengths and your weaknesses.

That's how I use them and it has made me a better IT manager.

later.

Absolutely, some of us were "grandfathered in". I got into IT back during the transition from the mainframe/terminal to client/server. My first network was terminal emulator on PCs and / or terminals connected to comm servers DIX connected to ethernet.

The environment HAS changed. There are degree programs in IT now, when there only was CS when some of us got started. It most definitely is harder to get that important first position now. Tooling on us "old farts isn't going to help you.

Many people have been screwed with this "HOT IT JOB TRAINING". They have been sold training with the idea that the job offers would roll in after certification.

Anybody with some certification and little experience is going to have trouble gettingthat first break in the absence of an "inside" buddy. My advice is to go with a small company who needs someone on their small network. The money and the hours will suck, but the experience will help in the long run.

I think that maybe when the recovery happens, things will break open for many. If its any consolation, a lot of guys with both training and certs are riding the pine right now, (I know 2 who "dropped dead" in the layoffs after 9-11). One is going for real estate license, and the other is eaking out a living selling web pages.

Certs are only a door opener. If you believe anything else you are only fooling yourself. Yes I have been in the IT profession for more then 15 years. I wouldn't give you a dime for a room full of MCSE's with no experience. Or any other cert holder without experience for that matter. I could rattle on and tell you the stories, but that would be a waste of bandwidth. I can tell you having worked up from nothing and becoming the Director of a corporate IT departmrnt that in my experience hiring so called "IT Professionals" based upon a cert aquired from a camp that guarantees the particpant will pass is a shallow cert for sure.

I will tell the originating poster, that from your post I would think before hiring you as an IT team member in my organization. I look at the professional manner of the team member. From your post I gathered that you are hurried, unorganized, and not very professional. Your post was poorly worded and, well, the spelling is another matter. I don'tmean to sound cruel, but I am assuming from your post a critique of sorts is what you are looking for.

Clients look for knowledge and professionalism with regard to the IT industry. No matter how many certs' you or your orginization possess, if you lack the latter it means nothing.

Lets all wake up and smell the roses.
In-case you are wondering I am A+, MCSE, CCNA certified.

Very good point, I also put in my time at a help desk. Nothing short of a miracle and placed in a hot spot will you get better experience and for the most part at your pace. A good help desk org will give you free training and assistance in aquiring excellent troubleshooting skills.

Maybe more importantly it gives a better then McDonald's cash flow until something else opens up for you.

Hopefully, this boss is over the help desk and not whatever other department covers what you want to do. If he is not, get qualified/certified at the tasks that would be required of you in that department. Meet/greet the current employees there. Network Network Network. When a position opens up, make sure that you are the #1 person the other folks think of to fill it. Make sure that your buddies in the other department KNOW that you're interested, and that you want to know as soon as they find out that a position is going to open.

Make sure that you are ready for the posting when it happens, check in with HR and articulate your qualifications.

Good luck!