Certifcations vs. Degrees vs. Experience

[duster]

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

The last time i was looking for a job about 8 months ago i went on many interviews no one asked about any certification... I think that is showing a trend in the industry... certs are now what they use to be... so yeah ropy nuff people getting by with just experience.

[Cultus]

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.

See that's it right there, which is why I made the statement earlier. I will forever be in school getting certified and re-certified. Thats just robbery if you ask me. They have found a way to make millions of dollars with this certification crap hence the need for it. If my Degree and my experience plus a few "expired certifications" can't cut it anymore, then it's time for a career change. Worst yet the salary scale for IT aint all that, it caps out too easy if you ask me, even when in a top management post. So why go through all this continuous school expense for something that maxes so easily... don't get me wrong I don't have a problem with getting certified, what I have a problem with is the re-certification horse-load why can't I be certified in an area without having to renew my certificate..worst when there are so many different aspects to IT that requires certification.

I can concur with you too duster. I have never been asked to produce a certification, and I am in management as well...so maybe it's overrated afterall, or maybe only companies like MS and Cisco require you to have it LOL....(with sarcasm)...Zandex don't bite now...lol

[Malloc-X]

what would you recommend for someone with a degree and ccna certification that has little experience in the field?

[duster]

what would you recommend for someone with a degree and ccna certification that has little experience in the field?

Malloc with your education/cert/& little experience. you have to learn how to market yourself now. Build a very good resume/CV & Cover letter as this will be U on paper; employers will see this before they see your face so make it a representation of you as much as possible without going overboard. When you go on interviews prove to the interviewer how you can be an asset to their organization and what sets you apart from the one million people they will interview for the same position. Be honest, be truthful(, and most of all be yourself.

[Stem]

In my estimation a degree brings you through the concepts of several disciplines - hardware, networking, programming, maintainance etc. A certfification narrows you down to a praticular field and in most cases expose you to the practical hands on operations. Experience simply shows that you have practiced your knowledge repeatedly and are confident and capable of doing your task.

When you see a vacancy asking for someone with 5 years experience, what the company is seeking is someone who they don't have to train too much or spend too much to get them accquainted with the field.

You as the individual with little experince or no certification can prove that you are trainable and that you learn and adapt quickly. Majority of the times, landing a job is solely up to you and not what is on the paper. The paper is just 1st step in.

[BlackCryptoKnight]

there are no BRAIN dumps for college i'm sorry!

A joke you a joke. Exam papers get leaked in college. Professors give students A grades in exchange for "favours". People find creative ways to "cook" labs, and cheat in college. Mi nuh know a weh you deh pon.

The knowledge you gain in college can become obsolete.

The reason certifications expire is to ensure that current knowledge is what candidates are up to date on and not obsolete knowledge.

I don't know why this argument keeps coming up. It's not an either/or thing. All 3 qualities make a person a better candidate. So people should be aiming to get all 3. The only question is, which order to go. I say, look at your situation and take advantage of any opportunities available to you. If that's certs, then go for it. If it is a degree, then go for it. If it is a job, then go for it. Hiring managers in IT look at all 3. The priority placed on any of them will depend on the job and the organization.

[duster]

A joke you a joke. Exam papers get leaked in college. Professors give students A grades in exchange for "favours". People find creative ways to "cook" labs, and cheat in college. Mi nuh know a weh you deh pon.

The knowledge you gain in college can become obsolete.

when i said brain dump i was referring to the "college experience" not the academics, or test taking aspect. College teaches you about prioritizing, collaboration/teamwork,preparation, managing workload, etc.

[techie2000]

the same can be said for a college degree, there are a lot of institutions that will basically sell a verifiable degree. If you have a couple of grand, you and buy your self a PHD.

[kilaj1]

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.

FYI not all certs need to be retaken (i know u know that already) Cisco certs need to be retaken because of teh nature of Cisco systems, in one year they can come out with 10-15 different models of firewalls/switchs IOS ect.

You need all three - Certifcations + Degrees + Experience

You dont NEED all three, imo they all or a combination of them can be used to show your competence in the said field.

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

Certs are vendor specific (with the exception of most Comptia exams) they have there place for focusing on one or more aspect of IT). whether it be cert degree or experience, NONE grantees you a job. However a combination of any of the 3 can make you stand out above the rest.

College teaches you about prioritizing, collaboration/teamwork,preparation, managing workload, etc.

I would agree with you there.



Speaking form a cert taker point of view, if you want to use briandumps that's really up to you just know that it can easily come back to bite you when your hired and cannot perform the task you claim you know.

Anyone can submit a piece of paper to HR saying they know this and that, but imo its up to the hiring company to weed out the incompetents

[BlackCryptoKnight]

Qualifications and experience are just tools in the evaluation and selection of a suitable candidate. They are not guarantees of performance on the job. A person could be well qualified, but lack practical skills and experience and not perform as expected. A person can have tons of experience ... doing the wrong things over and over again, and lack fundamental or advanced knowledge required for good performance on the job.

Let's stop looking at this thing as a "versus" thing, and look at it more in a more wholistic manner. Use the tools you have to get where you need to get.