Computer Certifications
This updates my article at:

Computer Certifications for Not Yet Techies

In the past 3-4 years, computer certifications have
boomed.Every new company and every new product
and every new technology demands its own certification
or four.

Of course, not all survive. If Baan's certifications survived
its buyout by another company, that company has
successfully hidden them on its website - and refused
to answer my enquiry by email. The JCert initiative
to promote Java certifications failed.

The advantage to companies is strong. The first
biggie -- Novell's Certified Networking Engineer
(CNE) was started as training for its salespeople
but was soon recognized as a way of marketing
its NetWare network operating system by
reassuring potential customers that a pool of
NetWare professionals existed in the labor market.

Microsoft followed suit with its famous Microsoft
Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE). Red Hat followed
with one of the first Linux-related certifications, its
Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE). Many more have
followed since then.

Having one of these credentials is a great way for
techies looking for work or a promotion to prove
that they do have the skills they claim. This is of
primary benefit to people with experience working
in their fields, but many computer schools continue to promote the MCSE and others as entry-level credentials even though that was not the
original intent of Microsoft, Novell etc.

Of course, many certifications are as specialized and
obscure as the products they are about. The "hot"
certifications change from year to year.

If you are already an experienced techie, I'd certainly
advise you to get any and all certifications that cover
your field of expertise. Yes, it takes time and money
to study evenings and weekends and then pay $100
or more to take the test, but it will pay off in increased
employment and promotional opportunities - or even
just help you keep your job during layoffs.

If you are looking to get into computer networking,
MCSE is still what to shoot for. The Microsoft
Certified Systems Administrator (MCSA) is a
good interim certification that you get after you
take some of the MCSE-required tests and might
help you get a job as a network administrator, thus
giving you that most desireable commodity -- paid
experience. But don't stop studying and test-taking
until you get your MCSE.

Actually, you shouldn't stop there. You then can choose
to stay with networking or advance to database
administration or security etc.

One interesting thing is that I have yet to see any
sign of universal acceptance of an Internet related
certification.

Novell came out with some years ago and so did
Prosoft. I passed the Novell ones -- and they are
probably due for recertifications, but why should I bother?

Still, nobody owns HTML, JavaScript etc. - so no
company has a lock on them. HTML is so easy even
I know enough of it to put up my own websites.
There are a lot of HTML and JavaScript and PHP
etc sources available. And since so many people
are using them to put up their own websites
rather than be hired as a web designer (which
also demands special design skills), there just is a
lot less need for a certification in this area. No
individual decides to design and install a large
network as a hobby, so this is not an issue with
the MCSE.

Overall, I think by now it's safe to say that computer
certifications have proven their value to employees,
employers and technology companies and are here
to stay.
- posted by RickStooker @ 12:39 PM