Certification Process: Out With The Old!
The certification path in IT is a touchy subject; everyone has an opinion on how certs should be obtained and what step comes first or which is more valuable; experience, degree or certification. Even if someone can honestly study and pass an exam without any hands on experience they are sometimes deemed a “paper cert.” Why ridicule this person I ask? He simply has met all the requirements set forth by this particular vendor to be declared “certified.” Instead of ridiculing this person for passing the exam, the arguments and opinions should be shifted to the actual vendor who sets the standards.
The ultimate IT disgraces are those who use the braindumps. Microsoft and countless other vendors are pursuing the invisible **** sites with little or no success. Instead of spending millions or even billions of dollars chasing these sites, they should put that money into revamping the certification process thus eliminating cheating by means of certification. Include more prior requirements and hands on labs, eliminating braindumps once and for all. As bad as the college football’s BCS needs a playoff system, IT needs a huge change in the certification process.
For example: Currently anyone can obtain an MCSE; it has been the down fall of MCSE since the bubble burst. Instead of revamping the certification process, vendors have created trickier questions with strange wording and sims leaving even the most seasoned veteran scratching his head. To avoid this dilemma, I have heard of experienced professionals illegally turning to braindumps to “brush up” on skills to ensure a pass. People argue there is no excuse for cheating and that “it’s simple; study hard and you will pass.” This is true and I do not condone cheating and I myself have not cheated but I understand why some feel the urge to ****. People **** because it’s easier, readily available and it works. There needs be no more second guessing someone’s list of proud certifications because of his prior work experience, how fast he acquired the certification or because of his age. It should be known when seeing a resume that the certifications listed cannot be faked, easily passed or was acquired simply by studying braindumps. Sadly, this is not the case.
I would like to see all certifications rated and controlled by a third party company which would endorse the certification, similar to what state universities have done with degrees/diplomas. This would separate any vendor trying to circumvent this process and in turn validate and endorse accredited vendors for national attention. Currently any vendor can award certifications to any person they feel fit; it is a free for all. Some of those who are not in IT cannot distinguish between a Dell certification and SSCP. The third party would help regain the status of certifications, create a standard for certifications, educating those who will be hiring IT staff. The third party could separate the certifications into categories based upon vendor, the achievement process of the cert and what skill level must be reached to successfully complete the process. There are too many websites, magazines and so-called pay scales for certifications that are off the mark.
Vendors with multiple level certifications (ex MCP/MCSA/MCSE) should have a written exam and a lab. For example 80% of the MCSE exams should be available for anyone to sit but a handful of the exams should have experience requirements before an individual is allowed to even sit that exam. Once those experience requirements are met, the individual can now sit the exam. Once all the written exams are completed for MCSE, the individual will now be faced with one last task; a full blown, hands on lab covering everything learned in his prior written exams. Once the individual successfully completes and passes the lab, they are now MCSE....Sound difficult? It should, only knowledgeable, experienced staff should be able to pass. The only difference between an experienced windows/system engineer and experienced MCSE should be a matter of taking the exam.
Look at how successful CCIE and CISSP are. CCIE boasts an extremely tough written exam and lab that will leave a highly experienced network engineer hoping for a pass on the next attempt. CISSP is a brutal written exam equipped with mandatory on the job experience. These certifications rank high on the pay scale and are on a lot of IT staff’s must have list. These certs take experience, personal time, along with blood, sweat and tears. I believe three people lost their lives in 06’ while preparing for the CCIE lab….j/k
These are just thoughts, not necessarily perfect but one thing is certain the process needs a change. We need a standard, something that puts an end to braindumps, cheating and paper certs. Deserving people should be placed into deserving jobs.
