General Certification Questions & Answers

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This FAQ excerpted and adapted with permission from chapter 1 of Get Certified and Get Ahead (various editions) by Anne Martinez (McGraw-Hill, 1998, 1999, 2000). All rights reserved.

9. How Much Will It Cost?
10. Is Financial Assistance Available For Certification Training?
11. How Long Does Earning Certification Take?
12. Where Will I Have To Go For Certification Training?
13. Do I Need A College Degree?
14. How Do I Decide Between An MBA Or Certification?
15. What If I Don't Remember How To Study?
16. What Resources Are Available To Help Me With Certification?
17. What Resources Provide Current Certification News?
18. How Can I Promote Myself And My Certification?
19. What’s The Future Of Computer Certification?
20. Can I Really Advance My Career Through Certification?

5. How Will Certification Affect My Marketability?

As long as you choose a certification with your career goals in mind, it should serve admirably as a marketability booster. First, certification training listed on your resume demonstrates your ability and your desire to stay current; this is no small task in an industry where skills can become obsolete as quickly as they became cutting edge. Second, it shows that you take initiative, a trait many employers look for.

The computer field continues to be a worker’s market. Almost anyone who’s any good at all is able to get work. But when it comes to landing just the position you’re after, you’ll always benefit by differentiating yourself from your competitors, especially when it comes to the more desirable positions. Usually those with higher salaries and cutting edge work will have plenty of applicants lining up for consideration. Picture a hiring manager sorting through a pile of resumes, searching for clues that elevate one candidate above another. She may have six resumes that indicate the desired experience level and qualifications. Yours includes a certification in just the technology used in the position she’s hiring for. It’s a no-brainer to slide your resume into the "schedule an interview" pile. That’s a successful competitive edge.

Although technical recruiters report few requests specifying a desire for individuals with a specific certification, such positions are beginning to show up with increasing regularity. So far, employers only ask for the more widely known certifications, such as Novell’s Certified Novell Engineer (CNE) title. But as more individuals obtain certification and employers become aware of the availability of professionals with specific certifications, demand is likely to grow. By starting a certification program now, you won’t have to play catch-up later.

6. Can Certification Compensate For Inexperience?

Not entirely. Hands-on experience is still a key criteria in determining your qualifications for a particular position. And in some ways, tests have gotten a bad rap; some think good test scores only prove that you’re a good test taker, so the fact that you passed a particular exam may be taken with a grain of salt. That’s the bad news.

The good news is that certification absolutely does supplement experience. If you have some experience and a related certification, you’ll come out ahead of the person with only the experience, and you may be considered at least equally as qualified as a person with slightly more work experience.

On top of that, certification is something you can earn now, starting today. Work experience requires time to accrue and there is little you can do to speed the process. Going back to school for another degree (or your first) usually takes years.

Many certification sponsors are addressing concerns about the meaning of exam scores by adding experience requirements and/or hands-on training as part of their certification process. Completing one of these certification programs will give you the professional designation and that invaluable practical experience.