To hang or not to hang

phantasm

I worked with an engineer who held a CCIE and several other high level certs. All his email signature said was "Sr. Network Engineer". Conversley at the same company we had a Tier I tech who thought he was God and placed all of his certs in his signature, A+ Net+ CCNA MCSE 2000 etc etc ad nauseum.

erpadmin

phantasm wrote: »

I worked with an engineer who held a CCIE and several other high level certs. All his email signature said was "Sr. Network Engineer". Conversley at the same company we had a Tier I tech who thought he was God and placed all of his certs in his signature, A+ Net+ CCNA MCSE 2000 etc etc ad nauseum.

That's even better than my original point; the CCIE didn't even have to be pretentious.

Even though I hope to become a MCITP: EA, at my job it just wouldn't impress anyone (ANYONE) if I got it so for me, it wouldn't make sense to do that. At another shop, perhaps it's encouraged to do so and if put in a situation of "When in Rome...", hey why not.....

Also, when the list is like that Tier 1 tech, that is very pretentious. If it's just a CCNA or MCSE, perhaps it isn't as much.

shaqazoolu

I'll hang them in my office at home...mostly because it would take an engineering miracle to rig my cubicle walls at work to where they would support anything framed. I don't think it's that big of a deal to hang them at work, as long as you don't act like a douche because of it. For me it wouldn't be a "hey look at me" type thing so much as something other than gray fabric to look at.

RobertKaucher

OK, I have decided to chime in here. I think it is perfectly valid that you hang the certs that pertain to your job. At my previous job I hung my MCSE Security, MCITP EA and MCITP DBA as those pertained to what I did daily.

I am in no way a pretentious person, so even if I felt like placing MCITP, MCSE blah in my signature for my professional email, I would. Because I'm not a jerk, no one would complain about it. And if some snide little hater wanted to talk about it he would do it behind my back anyway because that's what those types do and because I would make hime wish he had said nothing at all if he said it to my face.

If you are a DB, people are going to recognize you as such if you hang the certs or not. If you are a nice guy, helpful, and proud of your earned certs, hang them if you want to. People will recognize you for who you are by your interactions with them.

If phantasm's buddy with the A+, Net+, etc where not an @$$munch, his post might have looked like this:

There's this guy who has all his certs in his email signature. He's a pretty good support guy and knows what he's talking about.

So not worth the mention. It's the fact that he's an @$$munch that makes his listing the certs d-bagery, not the listing of the certs that makes him a db.

erpadmin

Devilsbane, Rob,

I never was trying to attack you personally. In no way would I ever try to minimize your accomplishments (that's not why I come here). I'm just saying it always seemed pretentious when folks would act like phantasm's tier 1 colleague in a e-mail signature.

But Rob, you may have a point there. If that tech was cool, he could do the runoff all he wanted, and no one would think nothing of it.

Just understand I wasn't attacking anyone here; just stating my own personal observation.

poriggity

rogue2shadow wrote: »

I remember the last thread on this lol. I would hang them up at home. It's like a nice mural of your career progress.

This is what I have done. I bought quite a few stainless steel frames on sale a while back, and I am using those to frame and hang my certs in my home office.... So far I have A+ and MCP...
Scott

RobertKaucher

erpadmin wrote: »

Devilsbane, Rob,

I never was trying to attack you personally. In no way would I ever try to minimize your accomplishments (that's not why I come here). I'm just saying it always seemed pretentious when folks would act like phantasm's tier 1 colleague in a e-mail signature.

But Rob, you may have a point there. If that tech was cool, he could do the runoff all he wanted, and no one would think nothing of it.

Just understand I wasn't attacking anyone here; just stating my own personal observation.

Dude, no idea what you are talking about. I was not talking about you when I said "hater" and did not feel attacked at all. So we are quite cool. I was just talking about those types who cannot handle other people's accomplishments because they feel it reveals their own lack of success and makes them insecure. I'm sure you have met one or two in your life!

erpadmin

RobertKaucher wrote: »

Dude, no idea what you are talking about. I was not talking about you when I said "hater" and did not feel attacked at all. So we are quite cool. I was just talking about those types who cannot handle other people's accomplishments because they feel it reveals their own lack of success and makes them insecure. I'm sure you have met one or two in your life!

Oh no, I got that, and I never thought that you thought I was a hater. I've been dealing with them since the late 70s.....(in other words, all my life...just comes with the terrority of being from Jersey.)

My thing was I wasn't trying to say you were pretentious if you wanted to list your certs in the e-mail. When I thought about it....those folks that did that were in fact the very d-bags you mentioned. But I just didn't want you to think I was lumping you or anyone else on here in that same category.

Sometimes things gets lost in translation on the Interwebs....we are very cool.

MentholMoose

poriggity wrote: »

This is what I have done. I bought quite a few stainless steel frames on sale a while back, and I am using those to frame and hang my certs in my home office.... So far I have A+ and MCP...
Scott

Good idea, I like it! Buying the frames in advance will help motivate you to study and get the certificates. You should hang the empty frames to further motivate yourself.

DevilWAH

My view is that while people have certs that are higher than mine, then I have no right to say if they should put them on the wall or display them in there signatures. If you have put years of hard work in to some thing why should you not be proud of the fact and want people to know. After all its going to be a big part of your business and career.

And I hope once I do have the high level certs I still remember the sense of achievement I felt as I passed me CCNA, and can be just as happy and make sure I congratulate the new guys as they sheepishly hang up theirs.

I think I would suggests that some one who has a out of date cert should take it down, but for the new guy who is adding / updating to the certs on the wall behind him every few months, that shows some one who is working to move forward in there career. If I was the boss walking around the help desk and saw one of the staff with an ever growing collection of certs next to there desk, I would be much more likley to go over to have a chat with them, than the person with the blank wall behind them.

A certification is an achievement and no one should be made to feel embrased putting it on the wall.

To hang or not should be a personal choise, never worry what the guy at the next desk thinks. If he doesn't have any him self then he is probable jealous. If he has every top level cert going, then hopefully, he will congratulate you and offer to help you achieve the next step.

DevilWAH

One thing I would add is that if you add certs to a signature or hang them on the wall, I would only hang the latest.

no one needs to see you have a CCNA when you have your CCIE hanging above it.

Paul Boz

DevilWAH wrote: »

for the new guy who is adding / updating to the certs on the wall behind him every few months, that shows some one who is working to move forward in there career. If I was the boss walking around the help desk and saw one of the staff with an ever growing collection of certs next to there desk, I would be much more likley to go over to have a chat with them, than the person with the blank wall behind them.

The CEO at the last company which I worked for used to walk by my desk, look at my certs, and say "I like that, that makes me proud." There were engineers that were somewhat resentful that I displayed my achievements but I didn’t give a damn. I didn’t intend to impress other engineers.

Geek1969

Had to dig up this thread.......sorry. The senior engineer and team lead where I work has been bugging me to frame and hang up my certs in our shared office like he has, but only for one reason. We have been "graced" with the addition of our project manager to our office recently. He was a tier II tech forever --8 years at least, who has moved into project management and will now be "managing" our projects for us. He has his MBA, PM, and ITIL certs stuck to the wall with push pins now. For us hanging them is more of a slam than anything else. Took me a few hours to find all of mine at home actually. I'm personally indifferent on the whole matter, but I don't mind playing along.

Turgon

I remember wearing my hard won MCSE badge back in 1999, it made a nice tie pin. My line manager at the time proceeded to wear a Blue Peter badge to make fun of the situation.

hehehe..I guess it's just not a British thing to brag about your accomplishments. It was only a tiny badge!

TimTheEnchantor

No one in my office hangs certifications. At home is another story. If my office was viewed by upper management more often - I would do it at the office.

Turgon

Geek1969 wrote: »

Had to dig up this thread.......sorry. The senior engineer and team lead where I work has been bugging me to frame and hang up my certs in our shared office like he has, but only for one reason. We have been "graced" with the addition of our project manager to our office recently. He was a tier II tech forever --8 years at least, who has moved into project management and will now be "managing" our projects for us. He has his MBA, PM, and ITIL certs stuck to the wall with push pins now. For us hanging them is more of a slam than anything else. Took me a few hours to find all of mine at home actually. I'm personally indifferent on the whole matter, but I don't mind playing along.

I like it, I like it. Pi$$ off the poor new PM by putting all your certs on the wall too.

N2IT

The company I work at has people who put their certs in their signature block. You see MCP sometimes MCSA and even A+, N+, S+.

I think it looks bizarre to be honest.

rwmidl

N2IT wrote: »

The company I work at has people who put their certs in their signature block. You see MCP sometimes MCSA and even A+, N+, S+.

I think it looks bizarre to be honest.

Pretty much we all do it where I'm at. The common one for the sig block is CISSP. I don't hang any of mine up at work. I have my GIAC certs sitting on the floor at the house.

N2IT

rwmidl wrote: »

Pretty much we all do it where I'm at. The common one for the sig block is CISSP. I don't hang any of mine up at work. I have my GIAC certs sitting on the floor at the house.

Not that I have a problem with it, but what if you have 20 certs? Do you all just pick out the top 1 or 2?

Just curious how that works.

And for the records, ITIL, PMP, CISSP doesn't put me off I just wouldn't do it.

NOC-Ninja

I don't hang mine on my wall yet. However, I have it on my signature. I don't really care what people say. I worked hard and sacrificed my social life to get those.

Our senior architect hang his certs on his wall and have it on his signature. Also, we have another PM here that has CCSP but doesn't post it on his signature or hang it on his wall. Usually the news of passing or getting a new cert spreads like a fire in my company.

logisticalstyles

I have my A+ and Net+ hanging in my cube. I do it for a couple of reasons. 1st, getting my A+ helped me move into the IT depatment, so I'm pretty proud of that after being with this company for 10 years in the mail/copy room. 2nd, they paid for my Net+ so it's my wasy of showing appreciation for it. Besides, the people in my department are interested in seeing each other progress in our education and careers so it's a good way of showing what I've accomplished. As I move on to bigger certs I will take down the entry level ones.

instant000

I don't hang my certs up in the office.
I don't hang them up at home, either.
I don't place them in my signature.

I save a hardcopy in a folder, and obtain/scan softcopies in PDF format.

About the only way you know of my certs is if we're specifically on that topic, or you're looking at my resume.

This is one thing I would like to know:

Has hanging your certs up in the office led to any pay/promotions because of it? If you could say that it had, then I would start plastering mine all over this cubicle of mine ... but that tends to break my ideals of office space. I like to work in a totally blank office area, devoid of personalization, with the ability to take everything personal of mine home when I stick my wallet in my back pocket. (Or, if I have a book or two there, in my backpack.) I do not want to ever get into a place and "set roots" until I have a position with a stable, rewarding organization, or I open my own business, whichever occurs first. Until that time, I am not going to waste my time by setting up house in temporary quarters. I actually use this as motivation to keep pressing, keep working, keep getting better. ... not for the current position, but for the next position.

TheShadow

instant000 wrote: »

I don't hang my certs up in the office.
I don't hang them up at home, either.
I don't place them in my signature.

I am amazed that this thread has so many entries. I think that I am getting silly after an all night coding session but this sounded like Dr. Seuss. Sorry don't be offended.

I will not hang them on a wall
I will not hang them in a hall
I will not hang them on a gate
I will not hang them for goodness sake
Would you hang them here and there
I do not hang them anywhere
Sam I am

groan... Visual Studio is hazardous to your mental health late at night.

rwmidl

N2IT wrote: »

Not that I have a problem with it, but what if you have 20 certs? Do you all just pick out the top 1 or 2?

Just curious how that works.

And for the records, ITIL, PMP, CISSP doesn't put me off I just wouldn't do it.

My personal opinion is take the top 2-3 and list. Ex: right now I have listed, GCIH, GSEC and MCSE: Security (even though I have Sec+, MCTS, MCP, MCSA). Once my endorsement for CISSP is complete I'll probably change it to show "CISSP, GCIH, MCSE: Security" Why GCIH over GSEC? GCIH is a 500-level SANS course where as GSEC is 400-level. Whenever I get around to finishing my MCITP that will probably replace the MCSE: Sec.

Forsaken_GA

N2IT wrote: »

Not that I have a problem with it, but what if you have 20 certs? Do you all just pick out the top 1 or 2?

Just curious how that works.

And for the records, ITIL, PMP, CISSP doesn't put me off I just wouldn't do it.

Have to use some common sense. I don't list my CCNA, for example, as it's required for the CCNP, so anyone likely to care or know is already going to be aware. Same with the CCDA.

On the other hand, I absolutely do NOT put my A+ and Net+ in my sig at work. Mixing professional level Cisco certs with entry level Comptia certs just looks like bragging, and undue bragging at that.

I do have my CCDP, CCIP, CCNP, and GSEC mounted on the wall at work. It wasn't something I had initially planned on doing, but it was common place around the company to do so, so I fell in line with company culture. And since we get visits from upper level management more frequently than I'd like, I figured it wasn't a bad idea there either.

GoldenKnight

This thread has been really amusing in a positive way, and it’s been really interesting to read the responses.

As I’ve read the discussion, I can’t help but think that this discussion is about something bigger than just hanging certifications. We aren’t really discussing whether it’s best to frame a certification, or to file it away… It’s about whether or not it’s ok to “brag” to some extent about your accomplishments.

So with that in mind, I say go for it, but follow normal bragging rules: Don’t brag to someone who has accomplished something greater than you; and don’t be a dick about it (i.e. don’t hang up 15 certifications).

RobertKaucher

TheShadow wrote: »

I am amazed that this thread has so many entries. I think that I am getting silly after an all night coding session but this sounded like Dr. Seuss. Sorry don't be offended.

I will not hang them on a wall
I will not hang them in a hall
I will not hang them on a gate
I will not hang them for goodness sake
Would you hang them here and there
I do not hang them anywhere
Sam I am

groan... Visual Studio is hazardous to your mental health late at night.

I will hide this sh!t in you snippets, man, so when you try to implement IConvertable this gets inserted instead. That is some funny stuff.

instant000

TheShadow wrote: »

I am amazed that this thread has so many entries. I think that I am getting silly after an all night coding session but this sounded like Dr. Seuss. Sorry don't be offended.

I will not hang them on a wall
I will not hang them in a hall
I will not hang them on a gate
I will not hang them for goodness sake
Would you hang them here and there
I do not hang them anywhere
Sam I am

groan... Visual Studio is hazardous to your mental health late at night.

I'm not offended at all. I was thinking of Dr. Seuss also

Forsaken_GA

Turgon wrote: »

I like it, I like it. Pi$$ off the poor new PM by putting all your certs on the wall too.

I've found the best way to piss off a PM is to innocently ask them 'What exactly does a project manager do, anyway?'

Turgon

Forsaken_GA wrote: »

I've found the best way to piss off a PM is to innocently ask them 'What exactly does a project manager do, anyway?'

hehehehe..slow down the project? Waste our valuable time? Interfere? Require everything explaining to them? Cause problems? Offer no assistance of any consequence? Take the credit for all our hardwork? Depending how useless some of them are it can be quite a list!