How should I ask my boss to help me get certified?

Zoomer

I've been a system admin for over a year now at this small company. Now we are expanding greatly and some of the equipment we are getting may require some more technical knowledge. My boss has expressed interest in sending me to classes on learning how to better use and secure an XServe and their Mac network. We're planning on getting a Cisco 3650 switch and an ASA 5505 for our Windows network. They want to setup VLANs and add all this new security, but don't want to hire anyone else to help adminster it. They want me to do it (cheaper I suppose).

Now I wanted to approach my boss and ask about possibly helping me get certified (CCNA mostly, Security+, Net+) since I don't have any certs at the moment. I believe having better knowledge would help me troubleshoot possible problems in the future and setup any additional equipment should the need arise. But what should I ask him to do? I was thinking of asking for them to purchase the CBT Nuggets series videos to help me out. I don't like the idea of those expensive 3 day classes. I do have some books I could read through, but having more visual aids is how I learn the best.

Any suggestions?

EDIT: Oh sorry, this might be in the wrong forum. Feel free to move it.

dynamik

I have my employer pay for CBT Nuggets, a subscription to Safari, Transcenders, and the exam fee. I occasionally have throw in an extra written resource if I can't find it on Safari. That covers all the bases for me.

BeaverC32

Definitely ask for CBTNuggets -- not only can you go back and review them to your heart's content, but other employees may also be able to benefit from them. Get more bang for your employer's buck

HeroPsycho

If he won't help you, get certified anyway.

One last tip, prove to him in business terms what is the *business case* for you getting certified. Figure out a way that it's worth his money for you to get certified. QUANTIFY IT IN DOLLARS WHEN POSSIBLE!

"It costs X amount per hour when X is down. If I have the knowledge necessary with a certification, I could solve the problem in 2 hours instead of 8, saving you Y dollars!"

If he's more technical in nature and not business oriented, show how it would reduce downtime instead, or would make his life generally easier.

If you don't put it in these terms, often times your boss will see certification as a waste of money or an avenue for you to simply move on and they have to go to the trouble and expense to replace you.

Netstudent

ask him to invest in the professionalism of his IT staff to enable the staff to be more productive under time constraints.

endersftd

My situation's slightly unique because I work for state government (so they encourage this sort of thing and sometimes have caches of fundings for this), but my supervisor found out I was taking exams (and paying for them) to get certified and she was told me, "You should've let me know! We could have arranged to have them paid for!" So while I'm getting ready for 70-620, I had them buy me the MS Press book and (if I'm still working for them when I'm ready to take it), they'll probably pay for my exam if I pass it.

I never thought about asking my supervisor to pay for my exams because the certifications aren't necessary for my job (I'm the IT Manager, but the job description doesn't require the certs), so I wasn't sure if they would pay for something that makes it all the more likely I'll leave for a higher-paying job, but they don't have any problem with it.

undomiel

I tried asking my boss for investing in certifications but she didn't go for it. I thought it kind of odd because just a few days before she had been asking me to come up with ways to invest in my education to make me a better IT person. I found out later it was just a farce because they decided to move me into graphic design and I'm only allowed to do anything in IT when things break.

andygee

A lot of companies have training budgets and i know in the Uk at least most can claim back agsint tax and what have you.

One thing to be aware that HR don't ask you to sign a contract to paying back the cost with in a certain period if you leave with in the next few years. This may not be a problem but could be if you get a job offer you can't refuse out of the blue.

Zoomer

Netstudent wrote:

ask him to invest in the professionalism of his IT staff to enable the staff to be more productive under time constraints.

That's funny, because I am the IT staff. Other than a few other programmers that help occasionally, I am the only one that goes around and fixes problems, sets up computers, printers, switches, etc and configures everything.

I like the suggestion of using a business approach to justify it. I think it's true that if we lose connectivity, having the expert knowledge would definately help fix the problem and save money as opposed to bringing in an outside consultant.[/i]

dynamik

undomiel wrote:

I tried asking my boss for investing in certifications but she didn't go for it. I thought it kind of odd because just a few days before she had been asking me to come up with ways to invest in my education to make me a better IT person. I found out later it was just a farce because they decided to move me into graphic design and I'm only allowed to do anything in IT when things break.

That's a bad way to go about things. Things are considerably more difficult to repair if regular maintenance hasn't been performed. You should be more involved than only when things break. Plus, if you're certified and more knowledgeable, you will be able to correct the problem faster. Think about how much money is lost for the company when 5, 10, 100, etc. employees can't do their job. A few hundred dollars for training and certification is nothing compared to the money that will be saved for fast resolutions to whatever problems you encounter.

eMeS

dynamik wrote:

undomiel wrote:

I tried asking my boss for investing in certifications but she didn't go for it. I thought it kind of odd because just a few days before she had been asking me to come up with ways to invest in my education to make me a better IT person. I found out later it was just a farce because they decided to move me into graphic design and I'm only allowed to do anything in IT when things break.

That's a bad way to go about things. Things are considerably more difficult to repair if regular maintenance hasn't been performed. You should be more involved than only when things break. Plus, if you're certified and more knowledgeable, you will be able to correct the problem faster. Think about how much money is lost for the company when 5, 10, 100, etc. employees can't do their job. A few hundred dollars for training and certification is nothing compared to the money that will be saved for fast resolutions to whatever problems you encounter.

Dynamik makes an excellent point here, the cost of waiting for things to break probably exceeds the cost of the training you need. Depending on your business, some government regulations require that employers prove that their employees have certain types of training required to fill their roles and deliver IT services. I don't know what business you're in, but I am assuming that it is not one of those.....

I don't want to give bad advice here, and only you know your organization well enough to know the right approach, but in my experience it has always been more effective to "ask forgiveness" than to "ask permission"....with that in mind, is there some existing training budget in your organization or some other method of reimbursing you for the expense of the training? My advice to you is to get creative about ways you can accomplish this goal...ultimately it helps both you and your employer.

As another poster mentioned, if you're employer doesn't see the value in developing their employees, then you should do it anyway, and then find yourself another employer that does value employee development!

MS

undomiel

Well I do have the current know-how for doing the IT job, I'm just not allowed to apply it. They really only want a graphic designer which is why I'm now looking for a new job, though with my experience levels it looks like I'm going to have to work my way up from help desk again sadly. I am taking the time though to work on my MCSA/MCSE. Picked up my Security+ a couple weeks ago and as soon as I can afford (temporary financial set back) I'll be taking my 70-270 and the 70-290 shortly after that. Just need to get in a bit more studying for the 70-290. I would've appreciated the financial help from work but I can do it alone since it need be.