General Certification Questions & Answers
See also our Linux Certification FAQ.
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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.
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?
15. What If I Don't Remember How To Study?
Going back to studying after a long hiatus is rather like programming in a language you haven’t used in awhile. At first you may feel hesitant and keep double checking your syntax, function calls and so on, but as you write line after line, your hesitation shrinks and your fingers begin to fly over the keyboard. It’s as though an unused section of your brain dusts itself off and clicks back online. Study habits come back the same way.
But what if you never had very good study habits in the first place? Don’t worry, it’s never too late to learn how to learn. In fact, you may be among the many people who find studying much easier this time around simply because there are specific reasons and personal goals driving your effort. But whether your study brain cells never developed much muscle, or if they’re simply a little "dusty," tips and techniques available in how to study books can help you brush up on efficient and effective study habits.
16. What Resources Are Available To Help Me With Certification ?
You’ll find information on the more popular (and better funded) certifications all over the Internet and on the shelves of your nearest mega bookstore. Materials covering lesser-known and newer programs will require more detective work, but frequently available resources include:
- Internet forums and discussion groups
- Study guides and text books
- Self-assessment tests and computer programs
- Expert instructors
- Materials provided by the certification sponsor
- World Wide Web sites
- And, of course, Get Certified and Get Ahead.
Thanks largely to the Internet, you’ll be able to access many powerful and useful learning aides right from your computer. If you’re not already set up with an Internet connection, this is a good reason to get yourself a modem and sign up for service. You’ll be giving yourself virtually twenty-four-hour access to others who’ve obtained your certification already, are in the process of doing so, or who write or teach about it or about related technologies.
There are plenty of offline resources, too. You may have to special order books and study guides, but your certification sponsor will be able to tell you which materials you need and how to obtain them.
17. What Resources Provide Current Certification News?
Industry magazines such as LAN Times, Information Week, and Contract Professional periodically run articles about certification. If you’re in the computer field, you should already be reading one or more of these on a regular basis just to keep up with the industry.
There are a number of excellent sites on the Web that cater to people in various stages of obtaining certification. GoCertify.com is, of course, our favorite. The Mining Company's certification section is worth a look too.
You’ll also find certification news on the sponsors’ individual sites.
