Certifcations vs. Degrees vs. Experience

[techie2000]

I am probably shooting myself in the foot here, but what do you all think is the best route? Personally I am a fan of experience. I am tired of seeing people with 50 certifications on their resume and no experience. I shouldnt say no experience, but people with 50 certs who are unable answer a basic question or troubleshoot a hypothetical situation.

If you look at any job posting, you notice that they will list every certification under the sun as a requirement.

My point is that you spend all this time/money going through college and your are still unable to get a job without spending more money and time on certifications.

/rant/

Chris

[Morpheus]

All three are important, go to college and get your degree. While your doing your degree get a couple certifications and gain some experience by interning or even (yes i am gonna say it) do some work for free.

[Anubis]

Of course experience is key but if you do not have your papers (Degrees & Certifications) you will A. find it hard to get a job, B. after you acquire your job they give you any little thing they want I'm not sure but I think there is a clause in empoyment about paying your empoyees and/for the educational level, on a lot of occasions they are individuals who through trial error have gathered a lot of experience and were fortunate to get a job but because they have no qualifications when certain job posts become available even though they are more than qualified in regards to experience they have no papers and are over looked for the position similarly they are individuals who are capable of producing a lot but they either do not have a degree or high enough one and someone who is their employee who production level and knowledge is below if not much below his but due to their qualifications they still receive superior pay.

[Cultus]

What a thing. Once upon a time a College degree and experience was all that's needed. Now this certification thing is another big revenue earner and another prerequisite. Which is why I am leaving mainstream I.T. as a career path. It's getting too complex now. If I follow it I will permanently be in school perpetually getting certified. Sucks if you ask me. All another way of sucking out your hard earned dollar.

[zandex]

You need to understand that having a degree is more about generalization. Therefore, you having the IT degree does not mean you can configure and manipulate the Cisco, Linux, Unix and Windows environment. It serves as an indicator to the hiring managers that you are trainable and disciplined.

The idea behind certifications mainly reference specialization in a specific field or technology. It helps an organization quickly eliminate individuals from the hiring process for a given position. The basic understanding is that they can use it as a gauge in determining the potential candidate's capability in working with the product/service.

Finally, the experience. This is where the prospective employer looks for the answer to cement (bridge) the two worlds - degree and certification. Clearly, looking at your experience becomes a tell-tale sign for them. Now if you have x degree and y number of certifications, then one is going to look for some level of validation with activity. The activity here is in regards to you putting your knowledge to work. The experience shows that you have applied the concepts gained from both training methods (degree and certificates) and have also honed other technique\skills.

Now you are going to have several debates about all the various exceptions (combination of conclusions) to the rule and that is expected. Here we go:

1. I have only a degree, where do I get the experience?
2. I have only the certification and cannot get the degree at this time.
3. Experience and no degree or certifications

The list above can grow rapidly, therefore, I have decided to cut it at #3 to convey a basic point. Regardless of which side of the fence you place yourself, the final decision lies with the hiring manager.

I believe that in the end all three of these helps with the hiring process and allow them to reduce the "search time" during the employment process. Note that the concept of search time can be extremely expensive for the company and you the seeker.

Here is a little formula I came up with:

1. Getting into the company: Having the necessary credentials and know-how. This basically translate to one having the right educational qualifications (degree only, degree + certifications, certifications only) and experience. Remember that some companies will also over look the lack of qualifications if the level of experiences shown are detailed and convincing.

2. Keeping the job for three months: This is more about adaptibility in the work environment. Remember they can use this time to know if you were just giving them the BS during the interviewing cycle.

3. Sustaining the job beyond the probation period: This is where you leverage the resources available to you within the organization. Attending the internal training for development (soft and hard skills). Requesting funds to upgrading your skills as the technology/services or whatever you are in changes. Remember many companies will fund going back to school or just taking courses to upgrade yourself at no financial cost to you (with the exception of the opportunity cost making some money on the side for the time attending these mentioned activities). Nevertheless, this is where you shift the cost of certifications/degree back to the third party (the current employer), while still being in a positioned to be marketable in the future.

If you didn't get anything from what I have been saying, just remember this, the dynamics of the business world and capitalism shifts expeditiously. Never rely on your current job (employment) to sustain you in the foreseeable future. If something should go wrong with the company, you are in a better position to get the next job quicker than the other guy. We are living in a very competitive world, which is due to limited resources.

Okay, I think enough have been said now.

[duster]

College/Experience all the way i say! Do you think if a person has 15 active years working on Cisco high-end equipment a hiring employer is going to make a big deal if they are not ccna certified? College degree is way more important; there are no BRAIN dumps for college i'm sorry! moreover certs expires every 3 years or so anyway so you will have to fork out more money to retake your exams. I don't hear my university calling me saying i need to re-enroll.

[zandex]

College/Experience all the way i say! Do you think if a person has 15 active years working on Cisco high-end equipment a hiring employer is going to make a big deal if they are not ccna certified? College degree is way more important; there are no BRAIN dumps for college i'm sorry! moreover certs expires every 3 years or so anyway so you will have to fork out more money to retake your exams. I don't hear my university calling me saying i need to re-enroll.

Yes, some companies (depending on vertical) will make a big deal of additional credentials in the IT industry. Let shifts the discussion a little, I believe that the forces of the IT industry wants to create some level of standization similar to that of accounting. In the area of accounts, you migh have a degree/experiences but you are still prohibited from getting a job in another country (US, Canada or UK) because of standards. Hence why you have CPA and ACCA.

The creation of international certifications, allow companies to use the same measuring stick regardless of where you are living or worked. Remember that not all certifications are created equal. For example, CISSP is done within a controled enviornment and requires that holder of the certificate have continued educational credits. To qualify, you have have degree + x experience in the security field. There are other vendors who are changing their certification models to bring a higher level of trust and confidence.

It is very hard to jump to the conclusion that degree and experience alone is it. Surely it is not the case for all field of professions. Furthermore, I know individuals who have degrees in a specific major (economics, accounting) that were done 8yrs ago and they are being hold here in Canada that the degrees are no longer applicable to today's society. In other words, an upgrade will be required. This can take on the supplementary form of a certificate or additional degree that is geared towards the needs of business.

The pointer is provided to use whatever financial resources are available to you within your current job. The is known as "shifting the cost", the classic case of band wagoning of your employer. This is not an abuse, but part of the incentive to keep highly skilled employees. Therefore, you should have no worry in using them.

[Utech22]

You need all three - Certifcations + Degrees + Experience

[Ropy]

I've seen a lot of cases where peeps get by with only Experience or Experience + Certification.

[MOB-Tools]

Degree, shows that you have the abiliity to be trained, and can go though the rigours of a structured program.

Experience shows that you can apply what have been taught.

Certification is not that meaningfull anymore, because you have boot camp/ Brain Dumps which produce "paper certs" without the holder knowing the concepts.

So right now I would look more for Degree and Experience