Hang on are we being had...?

elaverick1981

I started working out how much I've spent on IT certifications the other day (it's almost £1000(GBP) excluding text books and PC's for labs etc) and it occured to me... are we just particularly unlucky for having chosen IT as a career or are there other careers where you're expected to shell out so much of your own money to improve your promotion chances?

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undomiel

This can very easily spiral down into a certs vs degrees debate/flamewar. Not all (or even any) of the certifications necessarily have to come out of your own pocket if you can find employers willing to pay for them for you. Or you can calculate whether it is something that will pay off for you. If you have enough and varied experience the certifications could be a waste of money for you. For others it may jump start their IT career or get them off the phones into the server room.

NetAdmin2436

1000 GBP = 1,517 US dollars (I think)

I would say that's about what I've spent so far too. For me I enjoy learning about computers, so that's where I spend some of my money. I'm not really concerned, since it's not that much compared to other hobbies/careers. My company does reimburse me for any exams that I take. I could probably ask them to pay for my study resources, but I doubt they will in this economy. Have you looked into seeing your company will reimburse you?

But some professions like being a doctor/surgeons have to go to college for X years. I think 8 years is common for a doctor. Now THAT is expensive, especially if they go to a University. Of course they make very good money when they graduate and can pay it back.

If your willing to put in an investment (money for books/study resources and study time) into your career, it will pay off.

nel

Ive spent more on uni than that. And to be honest FT undergraduate courses in england usually cost minimum of 3k per year. So i think certs are quite good in relation to the cost of a degree.

its all part of the game...

kctxau

1500 or so is little to pay for education/training that is "almost" immediately useful. Look at how many college students/grads are facing debts in the tens of thousands of dollars and are still (and may continue to be) unemployed. The college education has the benefit of outlasting the certs, but it still doesn't guarentee employment either.
At the end, its all the same unemployment line, its just a matter of how much you spent to stand there.

skrpune

I've spent about $1300 or so USD so far on materials, books, CBTs, & vouchers for A+, Network+, 70-620, & 70-290 (no voucher purchased yet for 290 though and about $500 for CBT Nuggets for A+/Network+/Server+ is included in that total). All in all, I'd say it's been worth it. I've learned a helluva lot in the process. It's stuff that I have already been able to apply, both in a work capacity at my last job and in helping other people (friends, family, other forum members, myself, etc.). Yes, it's been somewhat expensive so far, but I think it's been well worth the cost. And I would have spent TONS more money if I had gone to an institution or training company or tech college to get the training instead of doing the self-study method, so I'm pretty pleased with my expenditures, my knowledge gained, and the certs I've achieved.

I think that each industry has its own costs for training, some being more expensive than others. IT training materials & certification are certainly not cheap, but you'll have that knowledge forever (and for the certs that don't expire you'll have those titles/credentials forever) and they can more than pay for themselves in the long run in more ways than one by helping you get a job you enjoy.

dynamik

One point that someone made some time ago is that the beauty of IT is that you are able to achieve and advance based on your efforts. How many other fields have the advancement options that IT does? Sure, you need to spend some time and money to get there, but it's usually worth it. I've seen people spend $10k+ getting their CCIE. Have you seen the average CCIE salary? Getting a certification doesn't magically improve your situation, but it usually leads to better things. And as always, it's only one piece of the puzzle. No one is going to hire you if you don't bathe.

Aldur

With lab equipement, study mats, travel expenses, I spent over 7k last year, not to mention the money put into getting my BS.... Thankfully I was able to convice my wife that it was a investment that will pay out in the long run.

Thankfully I believe it will pay off very soon. Everything is on track for the Design Resident Engineer job with Juniper up in Canada.

Did it cost a pretty penny, sure, was it worth it, definitely!

Aldur

dynamik wrote: »

One point that someone made some time ago is that the beauty of IT is that you are able to achieve and advance based on your efforts. How many other fields have the advancement options that IT does? Sure, you need to spend some time and money to get there, but it's usually worth it. I've seen people spend $10k+ getting their CCIE. Have you seen the average CCIE salary? Getting a certification doesn't magically improve your situation, but it usually leads to better things. And as always, it's only one piece of the puzzle. No one is going to hire you if you don't bathe.

+1 and well put. I spent the last year studying my butt off, time and money, to get my JNCIE, but it is paying off without a doubt now.

And also, the taking a bath part is highly advised. Sure the networking equipement doesn't mind the stink but your potential employeer will!

networker050184

I have spent $750 on exams, and quite a bit more on material. During that same time frame I have probably spent at least double that on beer though. If you are going to spend the money it might as well be on something constructive is the way I see it.

t49

I stopped calculating how much money i sped on training,books, labs, and tools after i reached $4000 USD

I see it all as personal development for my career. The more you put in the more you get out.

IT is changing everyday so we have to constantly re-train ourselves to keep up.

I'm speaking from the freelance side of things, so i dont expect anyone to pay for my training.

Daniel333

elaverick1981 wrote: »

are we just particularly unlucky for having chosen IT as a career QUOTE]

Yes.

skrpune

networker050184 wrote: »

I have spent $750 on exams, and quite a bit more on material. During that same time frame I have probably spent at least double that on beer though. If you are going to spend the money it might as well be on something constructive is the way I see it.

Wait, are you saying that beer is not a constructive way to spend money??

savior faire

elaverick1981 wrote: »

I started working out how much I've spent on IT certifications the other day (it's almost £1000(GBP) excluding text books and PC's for labs etc) and it occured to me... are we just particularly unlucky for having chosen IT as a career or are there other careers where you're expected to shell out so much of your own money to improve your promotion chances?

If you were a CPA, you would be required to take continuing education classes at an acredited college/university on an ongoing basis. The number of credits/classes you need to do escapes me at the moment.
Your employer may pay for your training....

ULWiz

I personally would be more than happy to sink money into anything IT related from certifications,books, hardware,software etc. I look at it this way personally. I am spending money to invest in my future and career. Can you really put a price on advancing yourself in a career.

elaverick1981

lol, some interesting viewpoints, and to be fair many which I share. I love IT certification which is why I persue it. It's also why I've been persuading my G/F to do her 70-620. I love adding certs to my resume, and it is one of the few professions where you can build you career expereince without having to spend 20 years in one god-awful deadend job.
I guess what I'm really asking is are we lucky to be in position where we can develop ourselves outside of a professional constrain or is it ultimately a limiting factor.
While we have this fantastic sense of cameradre on TechExams we are all ultimatley in contest with on another, there are only 2.5Mill MCP's worldwide all hunting for the same jobs. I can think of no other profession where people try so hard outside of their core business time to improve themselves.
Personally I am all in favour of certification and recertification. My previous employer reguarded certification as a one time event that didn't need updating and this really infuriated me.
I realise that many employers will actively encourage those members of staff seeking to certify and I love this, but for so many people new to IT a basic IT certification seems to be a nesicarry step into the industry (its one of the reasons I started my training wiki).
I don't want to get into the degree Vs cert argument. I have both and in fairness value both pretty equally, each shows a commitment to a career path and each show a willingness to study and learn beyond the confines of a daily structure.
Of my drinking buddies tho, I know very few who would ever consider heading off and buying a book to enhance their knowledge of their trade.
Maybe we're just great... I dunno

seuss_ssues

I have absolutely no problem spending money to invest in myself. That is how business works. You have to spend money to make money. Also basically anything that you want to learn can be had without spending money. Sites like TE and search engines like google will give you everything that you need. However that being said having a "for X cert" book does generally consolidate all the information that you will need.

But no its not just IT, lawyers take the bar, HR people take HRCI, truck drivers take CDL, project managers take PMP.....the list goes on and on.

brad-

That is not unreasonable.

Ive spent a total $2,270 for certifications in one calendar year.

My B.S. in CIS = $27,000

savior faire

brad- wrote: »

That is not unreasonable.

Ive spent a total $2,270 for certifications in one calendar year.

My B.S. in CIS = $27,000

That $27K is over four years...and you took other general studies classes, such as public speaking, writing, etc....

JDMurray

For a comparison, do some research in to the cost of a Masters degree in IT and you'll quickly realize what a bargain spending as little as $1,000US for an MCSE or $10,000US for a CCIE certification is. While the MSIT will open a few more doors for you (especially into management), certification studies definitely give a better ROI over the long haul.

savior faire

JDMurray wrote: »

For a comparison, do some research in to the cost of a Masters degree in IT and you'll quickly realize what a bargain spending as little as $1,000US for an MCSE or $10,000US for a CCIE certification is. While the MSIT will open a few more doors for you (especially into management), certification studies definitely give a better ROI over the long haul.

A masters in information technology is a waste of time. Going the MBA route would be much more valuable.
I agree that pursuing lower level technical training for staff jobs is beneficial, but someone holding a business degree will go much further.
Do you have any relevant studies showing tech training provides a better roi over graduate degrees?

skrpune

savior faire wrote: »

A masters in information technology is a waste of time. Going the MBA route would be much more valuable.
I agree that pursuing lower level technical training for staff jobs is beneficial, but someone holding a business degree will go much further.
Do you have any relevant studies showing tech training provides a better roi over graduate degrees?

I think blanket statements about the value of one degree vs another are flawed, and the value depends on what path you actually want to follow. For me, an MBA is not an option. I have no interest in getting a business-oriented degree whatsoever, so the MBA would be worthless for me.

JDMurray

savior faire wrote: »

A masters in information technology is a waste of time. Going the MBA route would be much more valuable.

Not if you are a technician or a (computer) scientist. An MBA would not advance me at all in my career path. In fact, having an MBA might cause me to be diverted from my chosen career path in information security.

savior faire wrote: »

Do you have any relevant studies showing tech training provides a better roi over graduate degrees?

I'm comparing graduate-level education with self-study certifications, not with formal technical training. I do believe that it's better (in the long haul) to have an education from a proper college/university rather than from a technical trade school.

savior faire

JDMurray wrote: »

Not if you are a technician or a (computer) scientist. An MBA would not advance me at all in my career path. In fact, having an MBA might cause me to be diverted from my chosen career path in information security.

Technicians and computer scientists, typcially have doctorate degrees in disciplines like physics, mathematics, etc. If you had an mba, you would likely be managing security admins, not being one, not suggesting being a security admin is bad.
I do not have a graduate degree by the way, I have BS in Management, and a BS in Accounting. At this point in life(I am 53), I likely could get into grad school, but probably would not survive it, keeping tech skills up to date, like I am doing is more beneficial to me.

I'm comparing graduate-level education with self-study certifications, not with formal technical training. I do believe that it's better (in the long haul) to have an education from a proper college/university rather than from a technical trade school.

Yeah....

JDMurray

savior faire wrote: »

At this point in life(I am 53), I likely could get into grad school, but probably would not survive it, keeping tech skills up to date, like I am doing is more beneficial to me.

Don't sell yourself short.

I started grad school at 41. By taking only one (sometimes two) class per quarter I graduated with a 4.0 GPA. It was a long, slow haul, and I had to fight for keep my perfect GPA, but it was something that I felt I needed to do. However, graduate degrees are expensive, so your ROI needs to considered as well.

Psoasman

I think I've dropped about 9000 for my certs. I went through a program, though. I think more employers will begin to appreciate the value of certs, especially since you can specialize in a particular field.