Certification: The Year 2001 In Review

Even as some certification programs grew at an astounding rate, others quietly slipped away. Evidence of the value of certification is strong, and the new watchword for exam cheaters who would dilute that value is beware.

By Anne Martinez

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What's happened over the past year in the world of certification? You already know the bits that affect you directly, but there have been plenty of moves and shifts that affect the state of certification as a whole and its value to IT professionals and their employers. Whether you've already earned a certification (or three) or are still assessing the opportunities offered by certification, understanding the position of certification in the IT community will help you define your future certification efforts.

In this article:
Growth! Changes and Departures Rising Exam Costs Cross Pollination Increasingly Common Certification Popularity and Salaries Uncle Sam Takes Notice Signs of a Serious Crackdown on Cheaters The Davids Wear Down Goliath What Didn't Happen (But Will...)

From 1998-2000, certification exploded into our consciousness and onto hundreds of thousands of resumes. Its initial appeal lay in its ability to add an extra sparkle to a resume that would quickly catch the eye of potential employers -- a way to demonstrate self-motivation, professional competency, and knowledge of the latest technologies. And it did so without requiring an additional two to four years of formal schooling. Often the necessary learning could be accomplished through self-study. Pretty good return for an investment of a few hundred or even a few thousand dollars.

In 2001, the beacon of certification continued to shine brightly, although perhaps with a steadier, less consuming flame. Over the past year, certification has begun to settle in as a well known, accepted way to credential expertise. It's not just the hot new thing anymore. IT professionals and their employers have a better understanding than ever before of what certification can and can't bring. Certification vendors have learned that creating and managing a certification program is not something to be done on a whim, or to create a quick new profit center; it takes time, commitment, and organization.

The following notable developments occurred in the certification marketplace during 2001.

Growth!

The number of certified individuals continued to grow at an astounding rate. More than 230,000 new Microsoft Certifications were handed out. The CompTIA's (the Computing Industry Technology Association) A+, another biggie, now boasts more than 500,000 certified individuals, up from 269,990 at the close of 2000. The relatively new (launched in 1998) Certified Internet Webmaster (CIW) went from 20,000 to over 35,000 certified.

In 2001, many new certification programs were launched and others expanded. Cisco Systems, CompTIA, IBM, Lotus, Microsoft, Novell, Oracle and Sun all added additional designations to their existing certification programs. Newcomers to the certification marketplace include Active Education, Apple, Brocade Communications Systems, EMC Corp., Hyperion, Planet3Wireless, SAGE (the Systems Administrators Guild), SeeBeyond, Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA), Security Certified, Service & Support Professionals Association (SSPA) and Vignette.

New certifications clustered heavily around new technologies and areas of high interest, with the most newcomers covering security or information storage. New security certifications include the Cisco Security Specialist from Cisco, Systems Security Certified Practitioner from the International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium (ISC2), CIW Security Analyst from ProsoftTraining, and entirely new, multi-level security certification programs from Symantec, Security Certified, and ICSA Labs. On the information storage front, new designations were created by Brocade Communications Systems, EMC Corp., SNIA, and Sun.

Implications:
The certification marketplace is solid and robust, with strong demand by IT professionals and plentiful opportunities for companies and organizations considering new certification possibilities. Certification continues to serve as both a blueprint for learning new technologies and a doorway into working with those technologies. Organizations are quick to latch on to certification as a way to develop a loyal following of IT professionals.

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