Senior Managers/Execs that hold IT Certifications

One thing that I've been wondering about in the past… For those that are line-managers, supervisors, or individual contributors - do you encounter senior IT managers (VP and higher) and executives that publically say that they hold IT certifications.

Is that something that you secretly giggle about because folks in those roles are not hands-on? Or do you have more respect for them?

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jibbajabba

In most companies I have been working in, including current, most manager (line manager, technical lead etc.) are coming from lower ranks in IT and do hold a whole bunch of certs. Having said that - they do all always say that they are 'out' of the technical area for a long time and always say they forgot a lot of it. One manager even got a CCIE. It also works the other way around - the director from my last job didn't hold any certifications but knew everything and anything. It was sometimes scary and embarrassing. The latter, because he sometimes knew more than the people who do hold certs. I am VCP certified and if someone asked a specific VMware question and I thought about it - he sometimes already answered which made me wonder 'wth - how does he know that'.

DevilWAH

jibbajabba wrote: »

In most companies I have been working in, including current, most manager (line manager, technical lead etc.) are coming from lower ranks in IT and do hold a whole bunch of certs. Having said that - they do all always say that they are 'out' of the technical area for a long time and always say they forgot a lot of it. One manager even got a CCIE. It also works the other way around - the director from my last job didn't hold any certifications but knew everything and anything. It was sometimes scary and embarrassing. The latter, because he sometimes knew more than the people who do hold certs. I am VCP certified and if someone asked a specific VMware question and I thought about it - he sometimes already answered which made me wonder 'wth - how does he know that'.

My old Manager was a bit like that, I have no idea what certs she did hold, but she contently shocked me how much about IT she knew. She was know guru in every area, but she had her areas of expertise, but most important she had a real fundamental and wide ranging understanding of all areas of IT. You could discuss any thing with her and get good feed back with out her eyes glazing over as it went over her head. The longer I worked with her the more she shocked me at what she knew.

Sadly also had the opposite with bosses that know nothing and just cause road blocks when you want any thing doing.

I think it depends how long some one has been in the field before they move to management. Many managers stop getting certified as soon as they move away from the technical stuff. So you get some who send 2 years on a help desk, become the supervisor and then move in to management. So never gain the certs or experience. others I know have worked in managed service companies, on custom networks, designing and deploying networks for 15+ years at the highest level before moving to a management role.

So it really does depend, Level of technical skill is only one of many skills a good manage needs to have, you can be a good manager with minimal skills if you know how to handle people and acknowlage you staff as the experts. In the same was a highly technical manager can be a bad manager if the put them selves above every one else and mico mange every situation.

jibbajabba

DevilWAH wrote: »

My old Manager was a bit like that, I have no idea what certs she did hold, but she contently shocked me how much about IT she knew. She was know guru in every area, but she had her areas of expertise, but most important she had a real fundamental and wide ranging understanding of all areas of IT. You could discuss any thing with her and get good feed back with out her eyes glazing over as it went over her head. The longer I worked with her the more she shocked me at what she knew.

Sadly also had the opposite with bosses that know nothing and just cause road blocks when you want any thing doing.

I think it depends how long some one has been in the field before they move to management. Many managers stop getting certified as soon as they move away from the technical stuff. So you get some who send 2 years on a help desk, become the supervisor and then move in to management. So never gain the certs or experience. others I know have worked in managed service companies, on custom networks, designing and deploying networks for 15+ years at the highest level before moving to a management role.

So it really does depend, Level of technical skill is only one of many skills a good manage needs to have, you can be a good manager with minimal skills if you know how to handle people and acknowlage you staff as the experts. In the same was a highly technical manager can be a bad manager if the put them selves above every one else and mico mange every situation.

I think the reason our director knows so much is because he built the company from scratch and had to google himself to networks, virtualization, Win / *nix hosting and the sorts .. Once you have to do that (including 24/7/365 support) you probably end up to be the know-it-all

N2IT

@Paul

For the most part no. It's either degrees around business or IT and sometimes a master degree.

No data to back this up, but ITIL is the only one I see fairly consistently.

Everyone

I once worked somewhere and had an IT Director that was a CISSP. I only knew this because it was hanging on his wall with his degree in his office.

In the DoD world, even Senior level IT Management has some certification, they are required to have them to meet the 8570 requirements.

ColbyG

I work for a VAR. A great many of our managers and up hold advanced certs (tons of CCIEs and other high-level certs). I think it's the nature of the VAR business.

DevilWAH

Everyone wrote: »

I once worked somewhere and had an IT Director that was a CISSP. I only knew this because it was hanging on his wall with his degree in his office.

In the DoD world, even Senior level IT Management has some certification, they are required to have them to meet the 8570 requirements.

same kind of thing here, working for a CISCO Global gold partner, every one from the bottom to the top is expected to keep certs up to date and achieve new ones. You don't go any where fast in this company with out certification.

MrAgent

My director at my company currently holds 2 CCIE's. He's super smart and I definitely respect him for having those 2 certs.

N2IT

Most the IT Directors I have known and worked with have skills sets revolving around finance or accounting. Sometimes Business Adminstration or other mathematic type degrees.

It just goes to show you there is no one certain way to go about getting into senior management.

The last job I worked with a director of application development had an CS/EE Master from Michigan and a Masters from MIT in artificial intelligence. No certifications though. He is one of the only directors I have known of to have a degree outside of business.

paul78

Thanks for the responses. It sounds like most people think that a senior manager that hold certs are ok as long as there is actual skill and knowledge behind that individual. A bunch of you mentioned IT Directors, what about the person that the IT Diector reports to? Do you think its weird if that person goes for a CCNA or MCITP.

NetworkVeteran

paul78 wrote: »

One thing that I've been wondering about in the past… For those that are line-managers, supervisors, or individual contributors - do you encounter senior IT managers (VP and higher) and executives that publically say that they hold IT certifications.

Is that something that you secretly giggle about because folks in those roles are not hands-on? Or do you have more respect for them?

It sounds like most people think that a senior manager that hold certs are ok as long as there is actual skill and knowledge behind that individual.

I don't recall ever working with a VP or public CEO who advertised an up-to-date independent certification. Note, the VPs and CEOs I work with tend to have salaries in the $300,000+ range, and in my experience are as sharp as a tack. I'd rather my VPs and CEOs focused on their own set of skills, rather than wasting time on a low-value technical certification.

PS - I'm obviously excluding "courtesy" VPs and rather mean the real deal.

N2IT

In short yes I think it extremely weird if a senior leader gets a MCITP or CCNA. It would scare me if he was in charge of an operation that I was apart of.

I don't think a vice president of a mid - large size company would be wise to get a CCNA or MCITP. Show me how that would add value to the company? These guys/gals are responsible for corporate governance, capital expenditures, assessing financial risk and planning for those potential risk. Not getting a technical certification.

C's and high-level VP's operate in the clouds not in the trenches.

They analyze reports all day and harvest relationships with other companies. Do a lot of high level analysis of the business and how gain to market share through different strategies.

paul78

Wow - rough crowd

and tough to impress. But I see the points and I understand the perception. Appreciate the comments.

DevilWAH

I would think it strange for a senior manager to be starting out on the certification path from scratch.

However I do know senior managers who keep there certification up to date that they have brought with them from the field. People here still have valid CCIE's but have not worked hands on for 10+ years.