I'm having a doubt to get certifications

Hello,

I'm a software engineering student.

There are lots of fields that I'm interested in but administration/security are the most interesting fields for me. I'm studying CompTIA Security+, CCNA, and RHCSA for fun.

I had a conversation with my friends and some of them say it's a bad idea to get an IT certificate. If I do have a bachelor degree, I'll easily find a job. They've never heard about a company seeking for people with RHCSA or CCNA. Also, there are lots of ****, so they don't think a company really give you an extra point for certificates.

On the other side, there are few friends say that I need to get an IT certificates to stand on the starting lines. Since I cannot make any portfolio as an administrator or security professionals, it is a good idea to get an IT certificate.

I'm really really confused. What do you think?

Thank you and have a nice day.

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Comments

soccarplayer29

Get certifications.

Here's why:
1. If all of your college buddies have degrees and so do you but you also have certs you'll stand out. Shows you're going above and beyond and have initiative/drive
2. Even if certs are necessary or a job requirement you'll learn a lot studying for the certifications and that will help you stand out in an interview and prepare you with additional skills/knowledge
3. Bachelor programs vary tremendously and there is no standardized knowledge and certs can fill that gap
4. There's tons of (totally biased and self-serving) "Salary Surveys" out there that will support the IT certification market and show that those with certifications get paid more than those without certifications
5. Check job postings in your local area for entry level positions--you'll likely see that in addition to a degree employers are also asking for certifications specifically or skills that you can acquire if you take certifications
6. Compared to a degree the time commitment and cost is low and if you decide later it wasn't the right choice for you then you're not out that much

Remember you're asking this on an IT certification exam focused forum...other members feel free to pile on if I was light on any areas or missed anything. You're doing the right things and being proactive and asking questions to help prepare you for life after graduation and continue asking/reading and you'll pickup a lot of helpful tips around here.

yoba222

Consider the success stories and experience backgrounds that got your friends to where they are today. If they all have high paying jobs already then their advice on whether or not to earn certs has value. If they don't--maybe find someone else for success advice.

jelevated

MTLChrisLEE wrote: »

I had a conversation with my friends and some of them say it's a bad idea to get an IT certificate.

Get new friends.

A certificate won't hurt you.

Think of it this way, if you're actually losing points with a potential employer because you are certified, do you really want to work there?

Software development is a little trickier because there are few programming certs such as the Java certifications but, I don't think they're as well known as the other OS, Networking and of course security certifications (which are the norm).

TheFORCE

Go to LinkedIn or any Job board and see if company care or dont care about certificates. See how many jobs need certificates vs how many jobs. That will give your answer.

packetphilter

MTLChrisLEE wrote: »

I had a conversation with my friends and some of them say it's a bad idea to get an IT certificate. If I do have a bachelor degree, I'll easily find a job.

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

easily find a job with a degree...

...hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

kiki162

You are studying to be a programmer/SE but you want to get in as a sysadmin. Your friends have no clue about IT yet. Most of the Computer Science majors don't have to deal with certifications, because there's really not much of a market for it. You'll see more "coding boot camp" in the programming world, then certifications focused around SE.

No matter what your major, getting a degree is always a good thing. You don't need to renew or take exams every few years to keep that degree. However, degrees only get you generic experience and really don't focus on key areas that you should be learning about. Once you look at a Master's program (and depending on the university too) you'll get more in-depth and exposure to areas within IT.

Certifications help show your knowledge in a certain area. For example, the CompTIA certs will educate you on a lot of general topics and terms to know. Certs like CCNA or MCSE gives you knowledge on setting up and administering a network/domain. Does it give you everything you need to know, of course not, as that's what real world experience is for.

On the subject of ****, that crap isn't gonna get you anywhere. Seriously, if you really want to get into a job, and you **** a few exams just to get a cert, then what good are you to the company and as a person? Putting in the work to get a certification takes time and patience. You aren't expected to know everything right out of the box, but you should have enough knowledge to at least get started.

Studying for fun may be a waste of your time too. Think about this, you are a newbie, and even with some certs, you really need that core skills set to sustain you over the long term. For example, you want to get into sysadmin/security role, but you remember some key terms from your Security+ book, or MCSE books, and that's all the experience you have. You barely know what the registry is, ways to exploit it to gain access to a system, or look at the "lack of" group policies that are enabled. You should know what ping is, netstat, and nmap, and how to use them across different platforms. If you seriously put some effort into it, and get a few mid-level certs, try getting a job at your local college/university in IT first. Also, take a look at all of the jobs within your area, see what skills are required.

TechGromit

MTLChrisLEE wrote: »

I had a conversation with my friends and some of them say it's a bad idea to get an IT certificate. If I do have a bachelor degree, I'll easily find a job. They've never heard about a company seeking for people with RHCSA or CCNA.

er huh? If you do a search on Monster.com for CCNA, you come up with 190 hits for jobs with 200 miles of Washington DC. Are your friends still in College? Have they ever tried to look for a job yet?

Yes, a Bachelors degree is great, your studying the CCNA now, and of course you learned all the material you studying now in one of your college courses as part of your Bachelors degree haven't you. Wait you haven't? That's strange, I thought when you have a Bachelors degree in computer science, you know all about computer science, don't you?

The simple fact is a College degree is a very board overview of the specialty it's in. A lot of what you learn really has no practical application in the real world. Yes, having better writing skills is going to help you write reports for work, but really how does gym or Differential equations going to apply to performing your job day to day? Chances are they are not. Having a Bachelors degree pretty much tells companies your trainable, but if you have training already, like having a CCNA certification, this will give you an edge over other applicants. Yes it's possible to Brain **** some of these certifications, it's becoming more difficult to do so, but it still happens. This is where a technical interview comes in, if you can't answer technical questions that should be part of the certification you hold, then you'll be quickly exposed for the brain dumping fraud you are.

Do you have to get certifications? No, you could very well have a long and fruitful career without them. But they will never hurt you having them. You could obtain every certification available for your are of expertise in IT and not see any benefits doing so, but chances are they will. You'll have an easier time getting hired and an easier time staying employed. I can't guarantee you'll make X amount of dollars more with a certification than someone without or you'll spend X number of weeks or months less looking for work, then someone without certifications, but certifications stack the odds in your favor.

I can tell you in my case certifications have benefited me. At one of my former positions, management decided that my salary will be based on the number of certifications I held, which I had none. I studied my butt off for a month and took three exams and obtained my A+ and Network+ within a month, and was rewarded with a 3k raise. Most certifications you obtain will not show you such clear and measurable return on your investment in time and money, but they are of value, regardless of what other people say.

Node Man

I'm still stumped on a CCNA not being a good idea.. . .

NetworkNewb

Do you need certs? No. Will they help you find a job faster, learn more, and make more money? Yep, most likely

But your friends aren't necessarily wrong. Maybe your friends are just looking to go into another field that doesn't look at certifications?

anhtran35

In the government DOD/DHS/DOS sector you can't get into IT without a Security + CE. Additionally, you can't get a network admin position without a CCNA. System Administrator position will eventually require an MCSA 2012.

JasminLandry

Let's put it this way, you're looking to hire a Network Administrator. Would you hire someone with a degree only or someone with a degree and a CCNA/CCNP?

Certs also help to stay up to date with the latest technologies.

Node Man

I've heard tech people say "If your degree is over 4 years old, you don't have a degree".

shimasensei

+1 for certs! It will set you apart from a lot of other people with just tech degrees.