Certification..

[Dareshiranu]

Do you find having Certification really necessary? To me, a couple of tests mean nothing, nothing will replace hands on experience and know how. Same goes for schools that have 47 hour courses, spread across 6 months, heh. In reality I don't think ½ the people that graduate have any real experience, just a couple classes and a cert.

To a customer who has no idea, I guess a cert is good, but how many times has a customer asked you what certs you have?

Do you think it's feasible to run a business with out any certification? At least in the beginning? Do you find you can charge more with a cert?

If anything a certification just proves you can pass a test, but what does it mean in the real world of computer problems? Has passing those tests ever really helped you more than Google does? Lol

 

[Luis]

I think as an effort to regulate the industy there should be atleast a basic Hardware/Software exam such as the A+, is it necessary for business. No.
It means you can pass a test, yeah, but you still need to have some kind of knowledge in order to pass that test. however there should be a more hands-on approach to testing, with a battery of hardware and software related issues that have to be fixed within an alloted time.

But yeah, certs are good if you are working for someone, but an honest person who truly loves computers and fixing them will not just want to brain dump the A+ and will actually try to learn all he/she can and pass the test legitimately. I'm actually taking courses on the A+ through school, and I love it. It's just one more thing that I can say I have, and I know that I really earned it.

 

[Dareshiranu]

Thank you for the reply, I know it is an enjoyable experience to go through school and get the certs, was just wondering how people feel about them.

A certification never makes the Tech imo.

 

[hondablaster]

Thank you for the reply, I know it is an enjoyable experience to go through school and get the certs, was just wondering how people feel about them.

A certification never makes the Tech imo.

I agree, but tell that to your hiring manager or HR department or temp agency. I couldnt find a job even if I had to work for free.

 

[anonymous Mac Tech]

Once you have plenty of experience certs mean little. But to get a chance at getting the experience, a cert is a hellova lot better than nothing.

 

[Kenhelms]

Most do not affect your ability to do business, but some like for example CISSP, may be a deal breaker between you and a client if its in a niche area. However most of the time though certs really do not mean much.

 

[cmonova]

To a customer who has no idea, I guess a cert is good, but how many times has a customer asked you what certs you have?

Typically they will never ask you about a cert. But, what about those times that a business ask you for a proposal and they are going to get proposals from other companies as well.

Then at the end of your proposal you put something like:

Past Performance

Company: XXXXXXXXXXX
Point of Contact: XXXXXXXXXXX
E-Mail: XXXXXXXXXX

Phone: XXXXXXXXXX

Nature of Contract and Relevance. For XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX was responsible for the installation of a state-of-the-art network in a Doctors office. The network consisted of a Server (Windows 2003), firewall, backups, computers, and network drops. All employee accounts were established as well as individualizing each of the computers. This support encompasses providing technical support on all network services.

And the next person puts:

Past Performance

Company: XXXXXXXXXXX
Point of Contact: XXXXXXXXXXX
E-Mail: XXXXXXXXXX

Phone: XXXXXXXXXX

Nature of Contract and Relevance. For XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX was responsible for the installation of a state-of-the-art network in a Doctors office. The network consisted of a Server (Windows 2003), firewall, backups, computers, and network drops. All employee accounts were established as well as individualizing each of the computers. This support encompasses providing technical support on all network services.

BUT....They also throw this at the end:

CERTIFICATIONS
The following is a list of certifications currently held by employees of XXXXXXXXXXXX:

MCSE (Microsoft Certified System Engineer)
CCNP (Cisco Certified Network Professional)
CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional)
A+ (International Industry Credential)
Net+ (International Industry Credential)
CIW (Certified Internet Webmaster)
DCSE (Dell Certified Systems Expert Foundation 2005 Latitude)
DCSE (Dell Certified Systems Expert Foundation 2005 Desktops)
DCSE (Dell Certified Systems Expert Associate Server Certification V7.0)
DCSE (Dell Certified Systems Expert Basic Wireless Technology)


So did the company as about certifications "no",,,,will it weigh in on their decision? Why take that chance.

 

[anonymous Mac Tech]

I think it depends on who you talk to or who is looking over your resume.

Cert vs. nothing = cert wins

Cert vs. experience = you'd think experience hands down but once again depends on who is doing the evaluation.

Self employed with cert vs. self employed without cert = may not ever come up but like cmonova said it may win you the bid for that big contract.

Cert applying for job vs. no cert applying for job (all other factors being relatively equal) = cert wins, just shows the willingness to go extra mile.

Bottom line: If trying to get a job it means something. If starting in the field, its a bullet point on your resume. If already established, not so much an issue, but you never know?

 

[ProTech Support]

I think it depends on who you talk to or who is looking over your resume.

Cert vs. nothing = cert wins

Cert vs. experience = you'd think experience hands down but once again depends on who is doing the evaluation.

Self employed with cert vs. self employed without cert = may not ever come up but like cmonova said it may win you the bid for that big contract.

Cert applying for job vs. no cert applying for job (all other factors being relatively equal) = cert wins, just shows the willingness to go extra mile.

Bottom line: If trying to get a job it means something. If starting in the field, its a bullet point on your resume. If already established, not so much an issue, but you never know?

I would agree with this. Most of my tech friends work in the corporate world & are certified one way or another. Most of the jobs they hold require the cert or require you to obtain a specific cert within 6 months of hiring. So in the "tech job world", I would say you need the certs.

On the owning a small business and having certs, it really depends on the direction of your company. I think they would be beneficial to have if you work with other business's. If you are doing strictly residential I would not even bother, half your customers don't know they exist, and the other half don't know what an MCSE is anyway.

 

[Sn@Ke]

Certifications are over-rated. Not once have I been asked yet.

I also feel that information retrieval is a more valuable skill then information retention.

Experience is also the key, if you can think of something you're yet to fix, go do it. Learn from hands on, break it then fix it. The day you stop learning is the day you start to slip as a tech.
I got offered a job with IBM fixing ATM machines and had no idea what they even looked like inside, all I did was ask for a manual to be emailed, read it and showed up.... get some hands on now I can say that I worked for IBM and it means more to people then if I tell them about certifications.

I've been in the field full-time for 6 years and still encounter new problems, Google is your friend!