Ever hit a period in your career where certs don't make sense?
N2IT
Inactive Imported Users Posts: 7,483
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
Comments
Obviously everyone's situation will be different, but I'm kind of a Geek because I enjoy the challange of getting certified. Even if I was a CIO for a large company, and needed no more certs, I would still be hitting the books/labs and taking exams!
* Certifications: CISSP, CEH, CHFI, CCNA:Sec, CCNA:R&S, CWNA, ITILv3, VCA-DCV, LPIC-1, A+, Network+, Security+, Linux+, Project+, and many more...
* Degrees: MSc: Cybersecurity and Information Assurance; BSc: Information Technology - Security; AAS: IT Network Systems Administration
Well, sure! There have been times in my life when family goals totally trumped career goals. And this may also be true if you're aiming away from the technical into management or sales roles. However, I can't recall any primarily technical networking roles where abandoning certifications for 1-3 years was the best option for career growth.
"Simplify, then add lightness" -Colin Chapman
I also think there are positions, areas you can be in that don't necessitate certifying further, at least for the foreseeable future. It depends on what you do, but there are positions within IT that just don't justify getting additional certifications. That doesn't mean you stop learning or keeping up-to-date, just that you stop certifying.
Complete: 55/120 credits SPAN 201, LIT 100, ETHS 200, AP Lang, MATH 120, WRIT 231, ICS 140, MATH 215, ECON 202, ECON 201, ICS 141, MATH 210, LING 111, ICS 240
In progress: CLEP US GOV,
Next up: MATH 211, ECON 352, ICS 340
So very true...
I think that it's largely a function of how someone's career progresses. I didn't hold a single certification until very recently. For first 20-25 years of my career, I never really figured out what the fuss was about. It was at a point in my career about 2 years ago when I started feeling very nostalgic about not having the in-depth experience and hands-on work of my earlier career. I had started to re-build an old lab and stumbled on the idea of getting a certification as a way to focus on knowledge retention. And as I was looking on the internet to learn about certifications - I came across TE. Admitedly, I got a bit addicted to various certification programs.
When it comes to learning new topics, I am not very focused and wander through lots of topics as my interests shift hourly. What I have discovered is that a certification's body of knowledge and layout of topics keeps me focused.
For me - although I may be towards the top of the IT food-chain, I am probably just starting to explore all the different certifications and taking some of the tracks depending on my interest at the time. I will probably not stop - I find it too addicting.
I think they will get your resume past the circle file and in the running; however, how you present yourself and the way you handle the questions will ultimately win or lose the job.
And...I have been on both sides of the interview table.
Well my job is so broad and wide and only an inch deep that going even after general certs are kinda a time waster for me now. I keep thinking I should get the CISA for the letters but once I crack the book I find I am falling behind on basic stuff like how much Microsoft Server has changed over the years. I really only need to know the basic functions of Server 2008 and up and going for a cert above say MCSA is a waste of time. Except even MCSA covers so much across three exams.
So I need the CISA if I want to stay doing what I am doing which I am not sure of lol except the material in it is so useless to me "now" and I want the cert just for future jobs mostly.
I need to learn functional Linux also and now find myself dabbling with basic SQL....
I might just keep my CISSP current, do the CISA and focus on labbing for learning purposes. If I go to an interview I will bring my laptop and fire up Vmware and show all the labs I have performed to try and stay current. If they don't like that then I give up lol.
Sorry to bust your bubble, but many "cushy gov't positions" require certs to maintain your position.
That's not to say I don't personally pursue certs, because I do. They're very useful for learning new material, and that has benefits even if employers don't care about the piece of paper.
What's the difference?
You know your own case the best. If word of mouth is enough to get you by and you can afford to leave the certs go idle for a few years then go and smell the roses.
when you have the experience certificates don't matter unless the job description requests for a specific certificate.
just my 2cents
So I think certs might become less important to your current job but when job searching it can help you stand out from your competition.
Experience can be completely meaningless. Many drivers have years of experience, but are terrible drivers. Why? Because they never bothered to educate themselves on how to drive.
"Simplify, then add lightness" -Colin Chapman
Certifications pay off the most when you jump to a new job, which usually means your advancing in your field so salary increase should naturally happen.
That's why when I interview I point out the flaws in "experience trump everything" mentality. One of the reasons I've been successful.
"Simplify, then add lightness" -Colin Chapman
Could you elaborate a bit?
- 10 years of experience is different than 1 year of experience 10 times.
- People who know 'how' to do things, but don't understand 'why' they are done that way
- Folks that read about a recommended best practice 10 years ago and still use that practice even though the product has had 3 versions released since then.
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. At many of my client sites I can tell what version of server or Exchange the person trained in, even if they are running a different version now. I see VMs being built today like they were building a physical server in 1998. Or a shiny new feature like thin provisioning storage get implemented without understanding the potential impact.I know I'm not getting as much out of pursuing certs as I used to. I don't have the time for them so I do just enough to pass and move on. The certs also aren't pushing me to learn like they did 6 years ago when I got back on the MS cert train. I've passed exams without studying or only studying for a few hours. I passed 3 beta exams in 6 days last year, including both Exchange 2013 exams on the same day, with only a couple of evenings to prepare. The certs are more for partner competency and funding requirements than for personal development now. They also aren't as fun as they used to be.
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.
"Simplify, then add lightness" -Colin Chapman