Do your coworkers actively seek Certification?

I keep finding it amazing how my everyone I work with does not seem to care much for certification, education, or moving up.
They all seem pretty content were they are and have no intentions of ever leaving unless they have to.
At my first helpdesk job there were 2 of us who were trying to get certified and we both left that company after 3 months or so because we both got better jobs. All the other guys are still there.
At my current job literally no one has any certs or a degree.(My title is Network Tech) On paper I am the most qualified employee.

When I talk about certs or degrees with my coworkers they usually look down upon them. They say things like "I've known MCSE's who weren't too bright" or "Nothing will change if I get my CCNA."

I am wondering if this is how it is with other people and their coworkers.

On the other side, both my IT employers only cared about the CCNA. And they dont treat it like an entry level cert.

Also I dont mean to sound negative. Its good that people are content with their jobs and if they are happy who am I to judge them for staying static. I just find it odd that so many people are this way (that Ive seen)

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tpatt100

My current employer doesn't even track them. I sort of bring it up to my manager once in a while "Hey I passed the CEH, or CHFI or GIAC" but her response back is sort of like telling somebody the time if asked.

The sys admins work hard and are smart but some of them only pursue certs if they are thinking about leaving the company.

Claymoore

Yes, we are all required to be Microsoft certified and we are encouraged to keep our certifications up to date. Exams are paid for, we have some training made available to us, and we announce who has passed exams at our monthly meetings. It's just one of the differences between IT as a cost center and IT as a profit center.

JustFred

vCole wrote: »

None. Management won't pay for them, and have told everyone that they mean nothing to management in regards of moving up in the company/raise/etc.

Very encouraging and great place to work. May as well work for Foxconn

JDMurray

olaHalo wrote: »

They say things like "I've known MCSE's who weren't too bright"

Since when has the MCSE ever been a benchmark for brightness?

But seriously, this is an example of people reading stuff into certs that simply don't apply to their scope, such as assuming that an MCSE should automatically be able to work on any server hardware that is running Windows, oe someone with Web programming certs can plan and design a Web site, or having a CISSP means you can do anything in InfoSec. All of it is just erroneous, off-the-cuff assumptions that spreads negative opinions and hurts the credibility of IT certification.

pamccabe

The guys I work with have even mentioned that they are burnt out on schooling/studying. Some of them seem to know what they are doing and could probably get certified if they put some time into it. However, most of them want to go to the bar after work, or spend time with family, they consider their studying days done with.

GoodBishop

vCole wrote: »

None. Management won't pay for them, and have told everyone that they mean nothing to management in regards of moving up in the company/raise/etc.

I would ask myself if I wanted to work at a place that did not invest in me, were I in your shoes.

NetworkVeteran

olaHalo wrote: »

I keep finding it amazing how my everyone I work with does not seem to care much for certification, education, or moving up. They all seem pretty content were they are

We all have different goals. I have a colleague who may never move up, but owns a nice house, volunteers, and runs marathons.

When I talk about certs or degrees with my coworkers they usually look down upon them. They say things like "I've known MCSE's who weren't too bright" or "Nothing will change if I get my CCNA."

That is wise. One should play up their strengths and play down their weaknesses.

On the other side, both my IT employers only cared about the CCNA. And they dont treat it like an entry level cert.

Some jobs only require the networking knowledge of a CCNA while others require the networking knowledge of a CCIE. This is an indication that, if you improve your knowledge further, you may need to seek out another employer.

Polynomial

Do you guys think certifications would matter more when the company's business model is IT?

I'm currently in higher ed, where degrees are highly valued and certifications are not really encouraged.

NetworkVeteran

kfcdude wrote: »

At work We r encourage to **** and get paid money and raise.

What a strange business model. More certified employees often leads to better vendor discounts, but I'd imagine even an unethical company would only pay a fraction of the going rate to employees who dumped their way through certifications, since their value-add is clearly less than someone who legitimately earned and could defend their certification.

Certs are good if people didnt **** to get th

Oh, no, they're still extremely helpful even if some **** to get them! Say I'm looking for a CCNA. I scan 1,000 new graduate resumes, and only 20 have that certification. Even if 20% of those cheated, I've significantly cut down my interviewing work! And once those four are placed on the black list, others won't have to waste time on them.

TLeTourneau

My employer encourages education of all kinds and has certifications reimbursement for exams and tuition reimbursement for college. Many of my co-workers actively seek degrees and certifications. It's a nice environment for learning.

olaHalo

TLeTourneau wrote: »

My employer encourages education of all kinds and has certifications reimbursement for exams and tuition reimbursement for college. Many of my co-workers actively seek degrees and certifications. It's a nice environment for learning.

Where do you work? That sounds great

Essendon

At my current place of employment, the employer doesnt encourage certifications, but they dont discourage them either. When I passed the VCAP5-DCA, I told my manager about it and he said - O Good. That's it, really. They dont NEED us to certify hence they dont see them as important, but okay/good to have. I was hired over someone else because I had the VCP and the ITIL while the other dude didnt.

As for my co-workers, they could care less. They'll only cert up when they're thinking of changing jobs. And they'll stick to the stock certs, the VCP/MCSE/CCNA type ones.

I met a guy whom I worked with at an ISP (doing level one phone support) in 2006, guess what? He's still there, doing the same thing. He's probably good at it by now, I asked him if he had obtained a cert or two or was thinking of getting some and he said he couldnt be stuffed. Lazy, plain lazy. I've worked for all these certs listed on the left and quadrupled my salary since 2006.

TLeTourneau

olaHalo wrote: »

Where do you work? That sounds great

Mayo Clinic, it's a nice place to work.

dave330i

Ambitious ones do. Don't know anyone on the same crazy pace I'm on.

blargoe

Polynomial wrote: »

Do you guys think certifications would matter more when the company's business model is IT?

I'm currently in higher ed, where degrees are highly valued and certifications are not really encouraged.

Yes, I think so. The people with whom I have discussed ths topic, if they were under the employ of a MSP or a technology vendor, have indicated so to me.

wweboy

I'm the only one actively getting certs. I've tried to talk other people on my team on getting them but they never do. They say they will but an excuse always comes up I even tried to start a small study group for the ICND1 while I was studying even got gear to use and what not. In the end I was the only one to study and the only one to pass.

On the flip side I have no motivation by management to study the company doesn't pay me for passing or reimburse me for anything I buy I just study for myself and keep myself motivated and worry about me if everyone else is happy doing their thing then so be it. I pretty much use it as one of my goals every year so it keeps me motivated as I yet to actually see any benefit from getting any of my certifications and sometimes I wonder if I was just given a chance or the chance to shadow the next tier that handles all the servers I could catch on quickly and not have to rely on getting certs just to move where I want to get to in my career.

Nytrocide

No one at my place. I'm the youngest one (25) and everyone keeps telling me that they're happy I'm going for Cisco stuff. They all say "Wow Jeff, going for Cisco? Best ticket out of Helpdesk..." and they look to the ground...feel kinda bad, but they can do it too if they tried!

gorebrush

Nytrocide wrote: »

No one at my place. I'm the youngest one (25) and everyone keeps telling me that they're happy I'm going for Cisco stuff. They all say "Wow Jeff, going for Cisco? Best ticket out of Helpdesk..." and they look to the ground...feel kinda bad, but they can do it too if they tried!

Anybody is capable of doing the cert's if only they could be bothered

I think people just don't want it sometimes when it is easily in their grasp. If only I could teach motivation to people, I'd be minted.

webgeek

Currently, my coworkers don't care about certs either except ITIL Foundations....seems like they are fine but I want MORE! My thirst was quenched when I got my CISSP but since then I've been hitting books again hard! Let the people who are unmotivated stay where they are.

eansdad

Thanks all for making me depressed!!.....lol

We don't get any incentives or training/help with certs. Only incentive we have is to get out. So far only 2 of us (out of 11) that are actively pursuing certs. We are both going through WGU since the union pays 6 credits a semester but won't cover cert training.

We were told that we do not get cert training or training in general because then "we might leave". This coming from the person, assist super, that is actively trying to outsource us by buying MacBooks and iPads and wants to bring in an Apple partner to support it all.

Sponx

No co-worker's at any of my jobs have actively seeked getting more certifications except maybe one or two at best.

Hypntick

blargoe wrote: »

Yes, I think so. The people with whom I have discussed ths topic, if they were under the employ of a MSP or a technology vendor, have indicated so to me.

I currently work at an MSP and my previous job was also an MSP, both jobs actively encouraged certs and provided compensation for them. For example, previous company, get your MCSA, get a 3k raise. I was the first person in 5 years to do it. Where I currently am, a percentage of your quarterly bonuses are tied to certs as well, yet only myself and one other guy have any kind of certs. It never made a lot of sense to me as both places have paid for training materials, the test, and provided additional compensation for having them, yet people are content to do nothing. Where I was previously, I was 2 tests into my MCSA, and was approached by another guy who said "Knock it off, you're making us look bad", my response was that "you're making yourselves look bad".

vCole

Regardless of my employer not supporting me taking certifications or learning, I'm going for my VCP5 tomorrow.

NetworkVeteran

To answer the original question, many of my colleagues stopped pursuing new certifications after earning a CCIE or two. This doesn't imply a lack of ambition--there simply are diminishing returns to certifying beyond a certain point. It also doesn't imply an end to studying or training, as they strive to keep abreast of new and emerging technologies.

antielvis

I would say the bulk of my co-workers do not put much emphasis on certification even if the exams & courseware are free. Sometimes people simply don't have the time (family pressures) and other times they're not interested.

I will say one thing. Over the past 15 years I've noticed those who actively pursue education & certification seem to be the people who excel in this career. I have a couple of friends, both the same age, both got into IT the same time. One dude spent a great deal of time playing sports & hanging with his buddies. The other buckled down, focused on his career and certifications. The first guy works in Desktop Support. The second guy is a Systems Architect.

kohr-ah

Ours once the Network Engineers hit CCIE most of them stop. Some want to do dual CCIEs abut that is a rare few.
Microsoft Engineers seem to do the one certification to go from 2003 to 2008. 2008 to 2012, etc

The lower level engineers or help desk keep up on certs to move up.

DB Cooper

One one, she has been in the IT industry for 15 years and says she was an System Admin for her last company, her level of knowledge and motivation I kinda doubt it. But she did get her A+, then asked our Dir for a raise and was denied.

RoyalRaven

At my current employer, hardly anyone cares about degrees or certs. It's uber frustrating. I've done some of my best advancement throughout my years when I had a co-worker or fellow student to "compete" with or have a fun time pushing each other to better work. I can't stress how much that is helpful, otherwise I tend to fall off the learning path and spend plenty of time "ramping back up". It's motivational to have others around you who enjoy similar pursuits in some way.

I do most of it on my own dime and for my own reasons. When I check out other places for employment, it provides serious credibility (certs + masters degree). What I have to laugh about is that my current employer re-wrote my job description by including some of my educational & cert background. No one would qualify for my job other than me or they'd never find anyone with the same make-up. However, they don't push any of those requirements on anyone...guess I just raised the bar for any external candidates.

Either way, I'm like many of you on here..when I'm not moving up and up with certs, I feel like I'm leaving things undone/on the table. Certs provide enjoyable means and measurements for training. It's the difference in having real, tangible goals vs. just staying comfortable. I know "lifers", or many people set with just the minimum to make it through the day and to me they're a real drag because they actually lower the bar outright. I want to be around people who inspire and push others to achive greatness (now I sound like a pro athlete...).

DavidHoffmanJr

Hear hear Royal Haven! I agree with your viewpoint completely! I'm carrying around the videos with me on my iPhone so I can use the commute time as learner time. Here's a pic of what I was able to transfer to my phone:

davidhoffmanjr-albums-mcts+70-680+tools+used-picture3807-messer-70-680-videos.jpg

blargoe

Like vCole, I'm going to continue pursuing the certifications that I feel will benefit me despite the fact that currently, my employer is not reimbursing me. I think I'll get back the ~$400 I had invested in the VCAP-DCA before it's all said and done.