Are we suckers?

JDMurray

fonestar1978 wrote: »

Having doubts about whether you're being exploited doesn't mean you're in the wrong field and many other techs would agree with me.

phoeneous wrote: »

How exactly are you being "expoited"? It's not like its the bar exam for lawyers where if you dont pass, you dont practice. If you dont want to get certified then dont, noone is forcing you to.

And if you are in a situation where an employer is requiring certification for you to keep your job, the employer is either paying for the certification or allowing you to expense it on your income taxes.

DevilWAH

I think the certs you do should be closley linked to the work you do, if you are going to bother doing them.

I'm Doing my CCNP and so, as a way of keeping up and filling in any blanks in my knowledge for areas I don't cover in my daily job.

And of course certificates are going to expire, I mean what's the point of having a certification in windows NT these days? (ok some specialised jobs it may be useful for) but at the end of the day certifications are meant to show working knowledge in "current" technology.

I think if you run your certifications alongside your job and what you are doing there then there is no reason for them to be a hardship, in fact they are only going to help you do your job better.

twodogs62

DevilWAH wrote: »

I think the certs you do should be closley linked to the work you do, if you are going to bother doing them.

I think if you run your certifications alongside your job and what you are doing there then there is no reason for them to be a hardship, in fact they are only going to help you do your job better.

Well said. However, I want to add.

Get certs for what kind of job you want in the future.

Doing certs outside of job which is not challenging will also allow for personal growth and potentially growth into that more advanced position.

Norbie

I think I look at certs as character building. I think the lessons we remember best in life are the ones where we had failures to learn from. I learn more from my failures more than ever I did my successes. Do certs open the magic door to bigger and better opportunities? Not always. But if you earn them the old fashioned way (and don't ****) then the struggle itself becomes worth it. You learn something about yourself in addition to learning about the material.

If a guy is a super genius then he probably doesn't need certs to make him feel better or build up his confidence but he's probably also a douchebag who thinks he knows everything. Certs make me realize how little I do know and that is sort of humbling but it gives me a sense of perspective and appreciation for the field I'm in.

brucewhunter

Funny I interviewed for two jobs today one sortof cared about the certs but was really interested in the years of experience the other definitely wanted the certs but bitched about the amount of time (8 months) that I have been out of the work force in order to recertify! You can't win. I look at certs as being a definitive measure.

Up here if you want to work for a MS gold partner you need certs. Want to work in an office you need experience. I don't know how someone with certs and no EXP can get a job in the field.

As far as expiring certs go I don't care. I have a few but they no longer have any weight as compared to what I have now. You gotta start somewhere but as a technologist I keep moving forward.

GrayhenTor

brucewhunter wrote: »

.... the other definitely wanted the certs but bitched about the amount of time (8 months) that I have been out of the work force in order to recertify!

Did you get a feel for why they bitched about the 8 months off ? i.e was there a valid reason or were they just envious that you took 8 months off while they've been stuck in the office?!

It's not like you've suddenly lost those years of experience and, even in IT, your previous skills don't go stale in just 8 months.

bradtechonline

I find learning new technology enjoyable, and fun. Retaining everything is the key, and very difficult. If you don't use it, you lose it.

Ashenwelt

Experience does not equal certifications. Certifications do not equal experience. You really need both to get through the HR departments of the world. That or contacts.

Heck, the number on thing you gain with your experience is a network of contacts. Some high, some low. Sometimes the guy who is low will go managment and hire you for a job years down the road... because they became your contact.