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Certification in the News

Is your IT certificate worth the paper it's printed on? (David B. Horvath, CCP)

Open letter to Lisa Vaas (Ziff Davis)

Lisa: Your article was forwarded to me by a friend. After reading it, I felt that I had to comment.

While I agree with much of your remarks (especially about the limited value of some vendor-specific certifications), you completely missed one category of certification: vendor-independent.

I hold the "CCP" (Certified Computing Professional) from the ICCP (Institute for the Certification of Computing Professionals. The CCP is completely vendor-independent and requires more than just a stack of books or a "boot-camp" training program in preparation for the test. In addition to the tests promulgated by the ICCP, the other requirements include real work experience and a continuing education/recertification program.

While there are preparation materials for the ICCP test, experience is something that cannot be picked up in a class. You probably remember the term "paper-CNE" (referring to someone who held the Certified Novell Engineer designation without ever working on a real network); it has been applied to other vendor-specific certifications since then. Fortunately, it is not possible to be a "paper-CCP". With the continuing education/recertification program (each CCP holder needs to show 120 contact-hours of continuing education every three years), skills remain current. There are many other vendor-independent certifications that you missed. Three that come to mind (because I've worked with holders) are the CQA (Quality Assurance), CPIM (Inventory and Manufacturing), and CPM (Project Management).

What is the value of certification?

First off, it all depends on the certification program itself (i.e., "paper-CNE" versus a CCP or Cisco-certification where real-work skills have to be demonstrated) -- if the program only proves that the holder can pass a test then there is little value (since material is forgotten shortly after taking the test).

Getting beyond those issues, I have to say that the certification holders and organizations that employ them receive a better value.

For the holder, there is the personal satisfaction of gaining the certification itself. More importantly for most people, is the added marketability. The employer knows that the prospective employee has a minimum skill level which makes the candidate more attractive. With certification programs that require continuing education/recertification, the employer knows that the candidate has made the effort to keep their skills current.

Remember that no matter which certification a person has, they had to feel there was some value to it -- otherwise, why bother and why put out the effort?

At the very least, having a designation after my name has gotten my resume a second look as hiring managers go through the stack of papers on their desk (or screen). Even if they have no idea what "CCP" means, it attracts their attention. Some see it and automatically assign some value without knowing what it means (think about it -- when you see the title "Dr." before someone's name, you assign them a certain level of respect -- without knowing what education they really specialize in ). Others are intrigued by it and ask.

While having a certification is no guarantee of getting hired, it certainly helps. And in portions of the field where they are expected, not having the right certification (i.e., MSCE for an NT Administrator job) could mean *not* getting hired.

In your article, I found the following particularly interesting: {There are those who would challenge the value of Kotwicki's certificates. Steve Farr, a Microsoft Certified Professional and assistant network administrator at Salerno/Livingston Architects, in San Diego, thinks Kotwicki's certifications are, basically, fluff. "A+ is very easy to obtain," Farr said. "I don't think that's very respected. Neither is Network+." And even Microsoft Certified Systems Engineers aren't a sure bet, according to some. }

Of course Farr thinks that A+ is fluff. It is much easier to attain than an MSCE. Having reached that level, anything easier is going to be fluff!

Also of interest was: {What's notable about the model is that at its very base are the soft skills enterprises are now clamoring for: teamwork, employability skills, communication and even ethics.}

While it is difficult to test for those skills, having the right certification implies the ability to realize the importance of those skills. In addition, some certification programs include a code of ethics which the holder must subscribe to (I know the ICCP does).

David David B. Horvath, CCP Consultant, Author, International Lecturer, Adjunct Professor; Board Member: ICCP Educational Foundation, ICCP Test Council, and Philadelphia Association of Systems Administrators