Does your employer pay for your certification tests?

Just curious. I've done a couple interviews here lately and their response to this question is "No, only training is paid for." My current employer has always reimbursed me for the tests. Is this uncommon?

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Comments

Essendon

All my employers have paid for my certs, it's usually the norm.

emerald_octane

I paid for all of em.

pevangel

My employer pays for training and reimburses for certifications.

lsud00d

My employer pays for certifications. We have set goals aligned with the overall focus of the business but as long as you take care of those they will typically work with you on other certs you want to do.

TechGuru80

I have heard of employers: not paying for anything, only paying for prep classes (many give free vouchers in the class), and ones that pay for certifications or reimburse for completed certifications. Companies worried about losing employees that they developed paying for certifications will probably lose employees for several reasons.

N2IT

Looking back I would never take a certification exam if it wasn't paid for. But that is just me.

Iristheangel

My first two IT jobs wouldn't pay for anything but this job and the last job pay for everything (training, certs, etc)

Barone

Training isn't paid for, you need to demonstrate "initiaitive" and do that yourself.

Exam costs are reimbursed.

hoktauri

They paid for my SIP training and certs and provide other classes but most of what I am looking for is out of pocket.

Danielm7

Nope, I haven't worked for a company yet that does. My next job said I could take time as needed to train at home, and they would count it as hours, but it is a contract position so I wouldn't really expect them to pay me hourly and also send me to training camps paid as well.

it2b

It has varied depending on the company I worked for.

The company I have been with for the last 5 years paid for the exams and that helped me upgrade my MCSA this year. But we were just bought by another company and they will not pay for certs. They will pay for classroom training but don't feel the "piece of paper adds any value".

Verities

The only one I didn't pay for was the Security + because I took a boot camp class that they had on base when I was still enlisted. I've sponsored myself through the rest

JustFred

I paid for them all except one, I do prefer to pay myself, just so no one would hold me at a ransom if i want to leave.

BerkshireHerd

Training costs are paid for if the are in line with department goals and needs, exam costs are paid for or reimbursed

dsgm

My new Job will reimburse if you show them the receipt and that you have passed.

JasminLandry

Unfortunately I pay for everything, they offer to pay a total of 500$ per year which I use to help pay my university classes.

Chitownjedi

N2IT wrote: »

Looking back I would never take a certification exam if it wasn't paid for. But that is just me.

Man.. I've paid for every single cert that I've gotten....And you know what... I would and will continue to do so.... I have not been fortunate at all to ever work for any organization that gave a damn about training and reimbursing certifications, and I'm not going to stagnate my growth because of their lack of foresight.

I've probably spent 3,000.00-4,000$ on study materials the last 3 years. But I've also went from 18,000$ a year to $95,000+ at my peak because of that knowledge and skills I gained. So I'm not concerned with employers reimbursing me. I reimburse myself with better roles that leverage my new skills.

I've taken a paycut and a less stressful job just so I can pursue more education and have my life back after work. So I'll be spending more money, and don't expect this place to reimburse me at all.

If I ever got to a place that helped with reimbursement/certifications/training. I definitely would appreciate it and take advantage.

joelsfood

If it's required by a contract or something job related, they pay. If it's not, you can still get them to pay, but has to go through three layer approval process, and has to be refunded if I quit less than a year later, prorated. IE, I'll be asking them to pay for my CCIE Lab (I got a voucher from contracts guy for the written,w hich is another whole deal) in January so I can take it in APril. Let's put that at 1600 even (not counting travel, etc). If I quit 6 months later, I"ll have to pay back a prorated amount (half, or $800) of that reimbursement. It's basically same policy they have for regular education reimbursement.

For all of my cisco tests though, other than the lab, I've managed to work with our contracts guy to get vouchers, of which I have the last two coming next week. I helped him fill out our partner requirements (Data center specialization requirement in gold partner status), so he helped me with vouchers for my CCNA datacenter. CCNP datacenter was both of us (ie, I had to get the CCNP to fill out his requirements, so win-win).

Itrimble

My company will pay for training. If you leave the company shortly after, they expect you to reimburse them a percentage of the course cost. My company also pays for certs and materials. Usually I just schedule the exam and then I get reimbursed during the next pay period.

wolfinsheepsclothing

If I'm able to articulate its relevance to my job (even tangentially so), my company will pay for the course(s) and exam(s).

TheProf

For me, all companies I've worked for, paid for certifications / training... but in some places I worked at, that was a grey area. For example, if am an Infrastructure Integrator/Architect in my previous job, but if I wanted to pursue CCNA certs and it had nothing to do with my job, then I'd have to pay for it myself. If I were to get certs in the technology that is part of my day to day job, that would be covered by the employer. This of course makes sense and I can understand that.

Most of the time however, I've paid for the certifications myself.

nachodba

My old employer would pay for them if they were required along with a bonus, such as MCSE (required for Gold partnership) was $1500 (split in half, 750 now, 750 in 6 months, but take taxes away and it was barely 600 all together), Security Plus was $250 (again, split in half, 125 now, 125 in 6 months, it was like almost nothing), etc. On any other work related certs they would reimburse the exam.

My new employer doesn't care about exams except for security + for the 8570 compliance.

Verities

Chitownjedi wrote: »

Man.. I've paid for every single cert that I've gotten....And you know what... I would and will continue to do so.... I have not been fortunate at all to ever work for any organization that gave a damn about training and reimbursing certifications, and I'm not going to stagnate my growth because of their lack of foresight.

I've probably spent 3,000.00-4,000$ on study materials the last 3 years. But I've also went from 18,000$ a year to $95,000+ at my peak because of that knowledge and skills I gained. So I'm not concerned with employers reimbursing me. I reimburse myself with better roles that leverage my new skills.

I've taken a paycut and a less stressful job just so I can pursue more education and have my life back after work. So I'll be spending more money, and don't expect this place to reimburse me at all.

If I ever got to a place that helped with reimbursement/certifications/training. I definitely would appreciate it and take advantage.

This is a good outlook. I currently work with quite a few people who are completely unwilling to take certifications unless they receive a voucher and/or training for it, which is appalling to me. Fortunately its starting to work out where I will be sent to training over these people and who knows, if I play my cards right, they might end up working for me someday

flyerxl

At my level we don't get training anymore. But cert tests are reimbursed.

Nersesian

I've got a departmental training budget where $X is allocated for training, but reimbursement for the exam fee and one book is external to that budget, meaning I/we get reimbursed, but I don't have to budget for it ahead of time. If any of my direct reports want to sit for an exam I have to sign off on the cert as being of some benefit to the company and they're golden. I've had all of mine paid for in a similar fashion

What I don't do is involve work with my WGU expenses as it would tie me to the company for X amount of years and get them too involved in my educational pursuits for my taste. I think if I worked for a company that didn't at least reimburse me for my exam fees and certification renewals it would stick in my head and bother me on some level. I would regard them as cheap and consider they probably don't have my best interests at heart. I'm not going to play internet tough guy and say I would quit, but they would be treated the same way they treat me.

cs8400

I've paid for a couple myself, but my current employer pays for them now. It's difficult for me to consider going to an employer that doesn't reimburse for certifications even though the pay is higher.

matai

My company pays for exams and training.

I'm taking as much advantage of it as I possibly can.

kriscamaro68

The company I work for will pay for cbt nuggets, safaribooks, and buy actual books as long as everything is relevant to what you do. They will also reimburse for certs if you pass.

Plantwiz

The certificate and knowledge stays with the individual...I paid for mine, and wouldn't expect anything different.

One place did offer a 'bonus' where they would pay for the exam and a second chance (if needed) or you were given the money from the second chance if not needed. If a person took four exams a year, they could earn an extra $500 (based on the $125 MS exams at the time), additionally, the individual was not out of pocket the exam cost (another $500 savings).

Unfortunately, not many took advantage of the program and one fella keep taking exams and failing, and using his 'second' chance from future exams...he is working in a different field now.

Nevertheless, this makes a great negotiating conversation at time of hire! In the end, the candidate benefits. Never shy away from improving yourself!

Dakinggamer87

I get tuition reimbursement and paid training classes specific to my role in virtualization which works for me. Prior to my current job I had to pay for all my certs out of pocket and any training with the only exception of a few courses at my previous employer.