I agree to an extent. I have been on numerous job interviews and I have never been on one that doesn't inquire about certifications. Anyone can put so many years of experience on a resume, but having the associated certification to go with it is proof. I know people that worked as a technical person for years and all they did was change tapes and maybe swap out a keyboard now and then, yet they can proclaim having a technical job. When potential employers call your previous or current employer the only information that can be given is dates of employment and job titles. That doesn't tell the employer too much. However when you have the certifications, they can verify these. Some people may think anyone can pass a test and get a certification but they are missing a few critical points that employers look for.
A certification not only shows you can study for a test and pass it. It also shows that you have enough ambition to attempt to better yourself. It shows that you can still learn. It shows that you are still interested in your line of work. These are just a few. You can ask any employer that if he\she had two resumes sitting in front of them both having the same amount of experience but one having certifications along with the experience, they would call the certified person first or at a minimum they are going to stick out from the other individual. I don't only get certified to show my expertise in a specific area, I get certified to beat out the other person sitting in the waiting room applying for the same job. And 9 out of 10 times that can do it. Don't get me wrong the experience is far more important than any certification, but coupled with certifications is your best bet. Jason -----Original Message----- From: Mike Schieuer [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, December 30, 2003 4:10 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [sclug-generallist] certs -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 I couldn't agree with you more Ted. I was just going to sit and watch the conversation. But, it's time to jump in. If any thing SOHK (School Of Hard Knocks) is the only cert I've ever needed. If I'm going to spend money or have my company spend money on training I'd look into something like Pine Mountain Group training www.pmg.com. Which is true network troubleshooting. We've purchased their training cd's and these sessions are amazing. They push getting back to fundamentals and take troubleshooting to a defined approach. I think that "being certified" has gone a little far. I know people who still talk about being Netware certified. Anyone can take a test, but it's putting that knowledge to use 6 months after that test has come and gone. Mike On Tuesday 30 December 2003 14:02, Ted Kat. wrote: > I was under the impression that certs are a joke (unless your a M$ OEM) > A number of people in the biz, both the high ups and low level, have > toldme that any MCSE || MCSA certs don't prove anything more than you > can point and click. Not to put down anyone who has those certs as I > too have the work sheets and books for the Server certs. > > I have come to realize that experience working with the Open Source > community caries more weight than any cert.(unless it was some > elitist certification where there are only three people who > could pass it) > > I would love to be proved wrong. So that I could get as many as > possible > and finally get a good job. > > > > ===== > Ted Katseres > > ------------------------------------------------ > ------ C , C++, Java or Cobol ------- > ------ Linux doesn't care ------------- > ------------------------------------------------ > > __________________________________ > Do you Yahoo!? > Find out what made the Top Yahoo! Searches of 2003 > http://search.yahoo.com/top2003 -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.2.1 (GNU/Linux) iD8DBQE/8fe/mUFtrUUciv4RAumAAJ40PPrkbzUSRMov4OWOBKmUJoH0OQCffyjk Ree8F/q+zaIkpmAQFwGkR3s= =QQD8 -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
