It has been a while since my last posting because I am writing my Master’s Thesis and have not had much time to write anything else. Although tonight I wanted to post my final thoughts on certification based upon a posting I started a few months ago on LinkedIN.
What is certification and why do some of us pursue it and others shun it? The first answer that comes to mind is money or the promise or perception that a larger paycheck will follow. To those who are seeking work it may open more doors. Alternatively, perhaps it may represent a personal goal of achievement.
On LinkedIN there were some heated back and forth comments pertaining to certification vs. experience. This is interesting to me in that is there really a difference. I mean look at it this way one camp says, “I have experience so I do not need to be certified.” Moreover, the other says, “I have certification so I must know everything” Enter the contentious ITIL v3 Expert or CISSP or any other one I can mention.
In short, all IT certifications imply a base knowledge or assumed knowledge. Those with experience can site in their experience numerous “certified” individuals who did not know what they were doing. In turn, those who are certified can site numerous “experienced” individuals who did not know what they are doing. Fair enough….what about a middle ground.
I say if you have experience then get certified. In the end you will be judged on your on the job performance. I would add one additional thing. Let us step back and look at IT as a whole. Forget certification and experience. IT is moving very fast today. Imagine you are stranded on a desert island for one year. You are rescued and return to civilization, how much in IT would have changed in this one year.
Therefore, what does certification mean? To me I would say it means you are an individual who can study new material, are willing and able to learn new things, open to new ideas and able to absorb new concepts. In short, you are humble and willing to grow. In other words, certification is a means to not only gain more experience but also grow ones existing experience.
What is experience? I have experience doing things wrong. Great job, what have you accomplished? Just because you have been, doing something for years does not mean you have been doing it right. To be certified is to close gaps in one’s knowledge and to be open to learning. In short, IT is all about being open-minded and learning.
Look at it this way what is the most important trait of a good IT project manager, aside from being organized and knowing what you are doing? It is listening, being able to take in information and process it. One who says experience is all they need is not open to listening and learning. One who is certified is saying, I have experience and I want to make sure I really understand my area of expertise.
So in conclusion I say get certified and to those who say I have experience and do not need to be certified, what are you afraid of?
No comments:
Post a Comment