Alphabet Soup - Chasing Microsoft Certifications
September 7, 2007
I really liked this picture, it’s from the Microsoft Certification site.
I have been guilty in the past of chasing Microsoft Certifications, heck, any certifications. Today I was looking at Redmond Magazine’s 12th Annual IT Salary Survey (Registration required to view the whole survey), and I didn’t recognize many of the Microsoft Certifications that were listed. Sure, I knew the products that they were talking about, but not the titles.
To be perfectly honest, I haven’t looked at the certification tracks since Microsoft introduced Windows 2000.
So I figure maybe it’s time for me to look at them again. I have already been giving it some thought, because it seems like this would be a really good time to start a certification.
This is because Microsoft just released a new operating system (Vista), and will soon release a new Server Operating System (Windows Server 2008). Not to mention the fact that their product releases have been happening so fast now that they will make your head spin.
So, Why get certified?
Many people like certifications because they can:
- list the titles after their names in their signatures
- find new jobs
- have better job prospects
- show that they have proven themselves on a particular technology
The reason I like them is that you actually have to learn something in order to get certified. Sure, you can memorize test question answers, but that’s only going to get you so far. If you really want to make sure that you are going to pass an exam, you should learn the material.
I am also a huge believer that anything that you learn in a technical discipline, will one day help you understand something in another technical discipline. Really.
In studying and learning for the Windows NT certification, I learned so much, but much of it I had already learned when I was working with Banyan Vines. I bet most of you haven’t heard of Banyan Vines.
Do I need to be Certified?
No, you don’t have to be certified. Currently I’m not. I actually have never had a certification at the time of my hiring for any of my jobs. I do see certifications listed as being required, or at least desirable, in many job postings. Same goes for technology degrees.
The Paper Tiger and a change in the industry
Back when I was getting certifications, the industry was flooded with people who memorized answers, and became certified. When they were hired, their employers, employees, and co-workers soon found out that they did not have any idea of what they were doing. This made certifications less desirable to employers.
This is not to say that everyone who has a certification is a sham.
Over time, the vendors started making their certifications harder to achieve. Questions were really difficult, and tests became adaptive. On some tests, if you answered a question wrong, then you were asked more questions about that topic. I believe that certifications have gained back their credibility.
Danger Will Robinson!
Now there is one tactic that I would not suggest. In this particular salary survey, the top dog expertise is “Identity Integration Server”. I’m sure there are a lot of people out there who are thinking that they would like to earn $104,333 dollars a year.
Guess what, there are a lot of people out there who are thinking that.
Don’t run out and base your career on that technology. I really don’t suggest doing that.
Also on Port 16:
Posted in Certifications, Career, Microsoft
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September 9th, 2007 at 3:18 pm
You can read about certifications in my blog: securecyber.blogspot.com
I am wondering what you do think…
September 9th, 2007 at 4:43 pm
Thanks for the link Roman, I eyeballed your blog, and it is definitely right up my alley. I tried to subscribe, but the feed kept coming up as not having any new posts.
Expect to see me back soon. I’m looking forward to reading the certification post, as well as the post about getting into the security field.
September 11th, 2007 at 12:40 pm
Curious on the cert end of things. Other than getting my CCNA five years ago (now expired) and a cert to teach web design, I haven’t really chased after any others. While I think the certs have value into themselves in terms of learning, not sure what they offer for career advancement especially in web design. Certs for system admin seem to make more sense to me. The CCNA has won me some credibility and the fact that it has expired is inconsequential as It shows more my IT depth. I’m not currently running a network or working towards that end. So, I’m curious about the topic, just not sure where to progress from here. The one thing I’m going to be ramping-up on this next year is .Net development. Is it worth pursuing a cert?
September 11th, 2007 at 12:59 pm
From my experience, and the experiences of others that I have read, the certs don’t really help much when it comes to your current job, but they can help you when you are looking for another job. At least in my field.
Now as for the developer certifications go, I can’t really say. I would think that hiring managers would see it as a good qualification, but I couldn’t say how valuable it would be.
September 11th, 2007 at 1:09 pm
The certs started in the realm of system admin. My general experience in regards to web stuff is the question, “What have you done?” While that’s always true w/ system admins as well, I wonder if the show-and-tell aspect of websites presents a more compelling argument. Still, it’s a question worth asking. If you happen to come across anything that directly answers that question let me know.
September 11th, 2007 at 2:29 pm
Will do Phil.
September 12th, 2007 at 10:35 am
Phil,
I talked with a co-worker, who is a developer and also has done a bunch of hiring, and basically his thoughts were that the certifications for developers:
1. Will get your resume near the top of the stack.
2. Show that you have a drive to learn.
In his experience, the certification didn’t prove you knew what you were doing, and you would still be asked appropriate interview questions, but it would really help get you the interview in the first place.
So it would seem that they provide the same benefits that IT certifications do.
September 12th, 2007 at 10:51 am
Mike, That’s good feedback. Haven’t settled on any particular cert, but it’s good to get some input from a hiring developer on the underlying value. Thanks!
September 12th, 2007 at 11:17 am
No problem. After you asked, I became curious too.