How rare are IT certifications?

[Insomniator]

Looking around my department... no one has them... or if they do they are 10-15 years out of date, even though we are working on brand new stuff all the time. Granted they've all been in the business for a while and not at their first real job like myself. I have friends in grad school, taking actuarial exams, in residencies etc... all 'studying' after they already got their degree! This is telling me I should do the same...

So lets say I want to get the new MCSE (3 exams total, basic server 2012 stuff). Is this useful? Does everyone have this (or the 2008 equiv)? My current IT admin job is good and I'm learning a lot but besides specific applications and skills to put on my resume I haven't gotten any real certs. I'm just wondering if my 3 years of experience at my current job means nothing when a job listing mentions certifications that are preferred.

 

[brianmanahan]

ask alky, he has like 9000 of them

in software development they usually dont matter that much at all. maybe moreso in microsoft/.net stuff and possibly consulting/contracting. but probably not a lot

 

[unokitty]

Looking around my department... no one has them... or if they do they are 10-15 years out of date, even though we are working on brand new stuff all the time. Granted they've all been in the business for a while and not at their first real job like myself. I have friends in grad school, taking actuarial exams, in residencies etc... all 'studying' after they already got their degree! This is telling me I should do the same...

So lets say I want to get the new MCSE (3 exams total, basic server 2012 stuff). Is this useful? Does everyone have this (or the 2008 equiv)? My current IT admin job is good and I'm learning a lot but besides specific applications and skills to put on my resume I haven't gotten any real certs. I'm just wondering if my 3 years of experience at my current job means nothing when a job listing mentions certifications that are preferred.

Just my opinion, but I think that general certifications, such as the MCSE, are worth substantially less now than they were 10 or 15 years ago. Though, if you company will pay for your training or your exam, its hard to go wrong.

Uno

 

[Markbnj]

Just my opinion, but I think that general certifications, such as the MCSE, are worth substantially less now than they were 10 or 15 years ago. Though, if you company will pay for your training or your exam, its hard to go wrong.

Uno

They absolutely are, and part of the reason is that the technology landscape is a lot less consolidated. The web and mobile and open source have all fragmented the power structure such that the certifications that dominating companies issue to users of their proprietary technology stacks just don't carry as much weight. They never did carry that much, imo, but it's waning even so.

 

[edro]

They simply give you an advantage over other resumes when applying for a new job.
All things equal, they will hire the person with the certs.
Most managers know that anyone can pass certain exams with some training, studying and taking it 5 times, so they don't give them much weight.

If you do want some, I would stick with Microsoft (MCP->MSCE) and Cisco (CCNA->CCIE).

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Looking around my department... no one has them... or if they do they are 10-15 years out of date, even though we are working on brand new stuff all the time. Granted they've all been in the business for a while and not at their first real job like myself. I have friends in grad school, taking actuarial exams, in residencies etc... all 'studying' after they already got their degree! This is telling me I should do the same...

So lets say I want to get the new MCSE (3 exams total, basic server 2012 stuff). Is this useful? Does everyone have this (or the 2008 equiv)? My current IT admin job is good and I'm learning a lot but besides specific applications and skills to put on my resume I haven't gotten any real certs. I'm just wondering if my 3 years of experience at my current job means nothing when a job listing mentions certifications that are preferred.

Correction - the new MCSE is 5 exams and the new MCSA is 3 exams.

In my experience, certs are valuable for two things:

1. If you consult, they're a requirement in many companies.
2. They can help you show that you're current and therefore may make moving to a different job easier.

I've got 16 years of IT experience (technical and management) and was a Windows 2000 "early adopter" MCSE. I've switched jobs twice since I got that cert with no other certs on my résumé (but lots of training). I am working on a 2008 MCSA right now because I am looking to switch jobs in the next few months and it is something I think I can do quickly. I've got a PMP in the pipeline as well but have not decided if I really want that.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Just my opinion, but I think that general certifications, such as the MCSE, are worth substantially less now than they were 10 or 15 years ago. Though, if you company will pay for your training or your exam, its hard to go wrong.

Uno

The NT 4 MCSE program ruined it for the people who were actually qualified. What happened was that every Tom, Dick, and Harry found out that having an MCSE was a way to make very good money quickly and as a result, you had people with no IT experience flooding these shady "training" facilities and then passing the tests. When these folks got hired, they couldn't really do anything useful and as a result, the MCSE took a huge hit in prestige. This is part of the reason that nearly every technical IT job interview out there batters you with technical questions -- to ensure you're just not a "paper" engineer, for example.

Microsoft has tried to remedy this along the way but has frankly done even more harm to their certifications due to the confusing way in which they changed them over the years. What they have found, though, is that the MCSA and MCSE designations were known and needed to come back and they've also required a recertification test every 3 years. Again, as I said in my previous posts, I don't think your average corporation with an IT department even cares if their employees are certified. My last two won't even pay for the certification tests but they would pay for the training classes because they felt those were more important.

If you do want some, I would stick with Microsoft (MCP->MSCE) and Cisco (CCNA->CCIE).

Don't forget VMWare either.

 

[Insomniator]

Yeah I see its 3 tests now. I just want to start with something to prove to myself that i can actually do it, plus this first 410 test is real basic admin stuff. I figure I could take these 3, then focus on Hyper V or some other area that interests me the most.

Even if these aren't super helpful, its gotta be better for me than watching Starcraft 2 during my offtime.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Yeah I see its 3 tests now. I just want to start with something to prove to myself that i can actually do it, plus this first 410 test is real basic admin stuff. I figure I could take these 3, then focus on Hyper V or some other area that interests me the most.

Even if these aren't super helpful, its gotta be better for me than watching Starcraft 2 during my offtime.

Honestly, if I were you, I'd probably do the 2008 MCSA and then just take the 2012 upgrade test once the study material is more available. There just isn't much available in terms of study material for 2012 so I decided to do the 2008 stuff first.

 

[Mxylplyx]

People that have come into shops I've worked at loaded up with certs are often pretty low skilled people who think they know everything. When we interview candidates with a penchant for certs, we often grill them a bit harder to make sure they have a clue how to practically apply all the textbook knowledge they have. They often times fail miserably.

 

[Fritzo]

Certifications kind of lost their worth when everyone from a PhD to a homeless person could get them.

 

[Insomniator]

Certifications kind of lost their worth when everyone from a PhD to a homeless person could get them.

Sure maybe everyone can but does everyone actually do it?

I'm just thinking my resume wouldn't prove I can or can't do anything at this point. Of all the applications/projects I've worked on, from just minor things, to being the one implementing them, I wouldn't know how to word it or what is worth wording in the first place.

 

[blurredvision]

Lower-level certifications might not be worth too much, but they sure do look good on a resume and an email signature. Currently working on my 2012 MCSA myself. Knocked the 410 out of the way already, 411 is next week.

 

[amdhunter]

My certs are from the Windows NT days, when employers actually cared about them. I did get my OSX certs for 10.6 though. I thought about taking the new Apple certs for shits and giggles.

I was thinking of taking a few workstation/basic server tests since I get reimbursed for them anyway. Just lazy to do it.

 

[Insomniator]

Lower-level certifications might not be worth too much, but they sure do look good on a resume and an email signature. Currently working on my 2012 MCSA myself. Knocked the 410 out of the way already, 411 is next week.

How was 410? There are no practice tests for it... I don't even know if these tests are multiple choice or fill ins or what. The only section that worries me is IPv6 because well.... WTF is going on in that chapter.

 

[Ns1]

I have my A+ certification from 1998 or so, does that count?

 

[JBT]

If you are in Information Security everyone wants to to have a CISSP or possibly something from GIAC.

 

[Spineshank]

I have my A+ certification from 1998 or so, does that count?

Haha I have mine from 2003. I also have Network+. Thats it. I really should get CCNA but so far it hasnt really hurt me that I dont have it.

 

[Juddog]

If you are in Information Security everyone wants to to have a CISSP or possibly something from GIAC.

^^ True - security work is one of the fields where certs still seem to hold some value. Some good GIAC ones are GPEN if you're into intrusion testing and GCSC as more of a general cert. CISSP is a good foundation for anybody getting into security work.

 

[Fritzo]

Sure maybe everyone can but does everyone actually do it?

I'm just thinking my resume wouldn't prove I can or can't do anything at this point. Of all the applications/projects I've worked on, from just minor things, to being the one implementing them, I wouldn't know how to word it or what is worth wording in the first place.

When we hire, we look at experience first, then education. Certs are just fluff that we look past because of all the non-functional nerds we got in the past with Cisco and MSE certificates they spent a week getting at the local technical college.

 

[DesiPower]

If you are developer and have certifications, you will never get hired.

For DBA, its good, but doesn't really matter.

For BA's it does not matter but good to have

For QA, its good to have, matters most of the time

Project Managers, its a must.

 

[child of wonder]

Certifications don't hurt your chances of getting jobs and promotions but they can be a bear to maintain. As a consultant I've got a slew of them (MCITP, EMC VNX IE, UCS TS, VCP, VCAP-DCA, DCD) and it's extremely difficult to stay on top of it all.

If you're not a consultant, my advice would be to pick one area (maybe two) you're interested in and want to focus your career on, get certified, and go from there.

 

[SpatiallyAware]

Once they came out with 5 day 'bootcamps' where you could leave fully MS and cisco certified these certs became totally worthless.

Past that, most managers have been burned by people who have a half decent resume with some related experience along with a TON of certs which are supposed to make up for that experience.

In almost every situation I have dealt with, someone with a bunch of certs are trying to make up for inadequacies. To me, a couple of certs is neither positive or negative as I ignore them. A bunch of certs is a warning sign.

 

[ViviTheMage]

Not worth it unless employers pay for it, or if you are struggling to find a job while unemployed.

 

[OutHouse]

People that have come into shops I've worked at loaded up with certs are often pretty low skilled people who think they know everything. When we interview candidates with a penchant for certs, we often grill them a bit harder to make sure they have a clue how to practically apply all the textbook knowledge they have. They often times fail miserably.

i would so not get hired. put me infront of a VMWare console, exchange server for Powershell, Citrix server i can do my job, but to ask me how to do it in words i would fall falt on my face. muscle memory i guess. The only cert i have is an old ass Citrix cert.