[PLUG] What certifications to take?

[Mike C.]

>
> > Chuck,
> >
> >    I'm not a computer professional (hardware, software, networking, etc.
> as
> > my posts here consistently demonstrate), but I have run a
> sole-practitioner
> > consultancy for more than two decades and suggest that my perspective
> might
> > have value for you, Mike, and others in the same position.
> >
> >    The bottom line in job seeking (whether as employee or consultant) is
> > what
> > value you bring to the company. They don't care about us, only what we
> can
> > do for them.
>
>
I'm going to be a bit argumentative to Rich's perspective and advice. I
think it's a bit simplistic, idealistic and not very applicible to those of
us who are IT professionals.

If you're being hired to a job such as a Desktop Technician, Network
Engineer or software developer, certfications and/or degrees are generally
used as a measuring stick of your competecny and hence value to the
company. Because you're only as valuable to the company as you're in being
able to fix PC hardware & software problems quickly and corectly. That's
what they're paying you to do becuase downtime is costly.

Certifications are a general competency check and by no means replaces real
world experience. However,if you can't get real world experience than
they're the next best thing. Perhaps the best thing to do if possible is to
build/create something that solves a problem and document it and/or
demonstrate it.

I'm willing to bet I've had more jobs in the IT field than anyone on this
list: PC Tech,. Linux Admin, MS WIN Admin, Data Network Engineer, Telecom
Netwrok Engineer, IT Security. QA, Software Techncial Support and IT
Manager.

What enabled me to do this is not that I'm a genius, far from it.
Certifications always opened the door for me. When I was offered a job at
AT&T, I had just passed my CCNA a few months prior. I had never touched a
router in the real world and didn't have a college degree. I was paid
$10,000 more than the guy who did at AT&T who traned me on the job.

I had a job offer on the table as a contractor at Coca-Cola in Atlanta. It
was supposed to be for a Network Enginee position but they wanted someone
with a Checkpoint certfication.and asked me if I could get it in a few
weeks. I studied, took the test, got the cert and got the job that paid $
60.hr.

I could and would gladly write more similar paragraphs but the bottom line
is that acquiring certs has only helped me and never harmed me. Not every
cert is worth the effort, time & cost. It doesn't make much sense to get A+
certified if you want to be a Software Developer.