Ever hit a period in your career where certs don't make sense?

I don't mean FOREVER, I am talking more around the immediate future or 1 - 3 year plan. Not to say this won't change as the months and years roll along. I am very curious to see how others view this. Thanks

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GoodBishop

N2IT wrote: »

I don't mean FOREVER, I am talking more around the immediate future or 1 - 3 year plan. Not to say this won't change as the months and years roll along. I am very curious to see how others view this. Thanks

The question is, what are you doing to stay relavant. That's the question. Whether it is certs, education, or experience - what are you doing to stay relavant.

LarryDaMan

I am at a break point too, I'll add the CISA to the resume when ISACA approves my application. But, I can't foresee taking any more certifications in the near future. The cost/benefit analysis just doesn't add up right now. By cost, I mean time as well. Being a "certification collector" is more satisfying to the ego than it is helpful to a career.

A few of my current and former colleagues have written books and self-published on Amazon, so I might give some thought to doing that. From what I hear,this can occasionally lead to other writing work with real publishers. I have to believe a few book credits on the resume would have more gravitas than an additional certification at this point.

Haswell

dave330i wrote: »

I prefer to use general examples since I don't know the interviewer's IT skills. Driving is a good example because everyone does it, but everyone does it badly. Braking while turning makes the car unstable so it shouldn't be done, but everyone does it because they don't know about it even though they have x years of driving experience. I know about it because I studied vehicle dynamics while in college and attended car control clinics.

How to use a chef's knife is another example. My mom's been cooking longer than I've been alive, but she never learn how to cut properly. She can cut very quickly from experience, but she does it incorrectly so she damages the edge.

This is one of the VERY best posts that I've ever read on this site.

N2IT

@ Larry Da Man - Now that would be exciting!

LarryDaMan

GoodBishop wrote: »

The question is, what are you doing to stay relavant. That's the question. Whether it is certs, education, or experience - what are you doing to stay relavant.

I agree. But, since when are certifications or even a college course on the cutting edge of relevancy anyway? Depending on which certification we are talking about, the bulk of exam questions are often 2-3+ years old. CISSP candidates were still prepping for Orange book questions 5 years after most everyone stopped using it.

N2IT

I go to work everyday and bust my tail for 9+ hours to stay relevant. When did giving a honest 8 become such a bad thing? Just saying.....

pram

Staying relevant doesn't necessarily always require studying and book reading. It can be as simple as watching something like convention presentations and similar things. Watching Puppetcon for instance familiarized me with ElasticSearch, Logstash, and Kibana, which I ended up implementing for my current company. LarryDaMan is correct, you'll rarely find cutting edge stuff in books. Those tend to materialize after the technology is well established.

Polynomial

Claymoore wrote: »

Certification isn't everything, but it does show that you have at least cracked a book since you got your first position and are making an effort to keep up with the changes in technology.

I have my eye on IT Management so its a little more difficult for me to pursue certifications directly related to management. Sure I like Microsoft tech and am beginning to like Linux but I really have my eye on management.

dave330i wrote: »

I prefer to use general examples since I don't know the interviewer's IT skills. Driving is a good example because everyone does it, but everyone does it badly. Braking while turning makes the car unstable so it shouldn't be done, but everyone does it because they don't know about it even though they have x years of driving experience.

I see eye to eye with you on just about all the topics here and really value what you have to say. This is such a great example and a way of thinking I haven't come across yet. Thank you.

dave330i

@networker,

I've used similar arguements when I was starting out as a mechanical engineer, but you are correct. Your resume has to be impressive enough to get you in front of the interviewer. I think this is easier in IT due to certs.

@Poly,

Glad to help. I ran into "lack of experience" question often enough in both careers.

GoodBishop

LarryDaMan wrote: »

I agree. But, since when are certifications or even a college course on the cutting edge of relevancy anyway? Depending on which certification we are talking about, the bulk of exam questions are often 2-3+ years old. CISSP candidates were still prepping for Orange book questions 5 years after most everyone stopped using it.

No, I would agree on most of that. There's a lot of stuff out there that is old.

I would say that it is tough staying relavant for security. It changes too fast.

Iristheangel

Certifications aren't always the newest and grandest technologies so I'll agree with you there but as far as understanding theory and concepts, certification can definitely show your aptitude in regards to that. There are always new things to learn to stay competitive and keep yourself sharp. No one is ever going to understand 100% of security concepts or networking concepts but trying to understand as much as you can is admirable and keeps you competitive. If there is a certification aligned with learning those concepts, why not get the certification so you have something to show for it?

I love Dave's analogies and completely agree with them. I suppose that from a knowledge standpoint, you could always mix good ol' reading industry-specific publications/best practices along with relevant certifications in order to stay current. From a business perspective, there will probably be a point where you won't see a worthwhile ROI on the time/money spend on certifications after a certain point. It's like the 7 CCIE thread; After a certain number of CCIEs, you don't see as much of a ROI but that's not to say you shouldn't pursue them if you enjoy learning.