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October 26, 1998

Certification Pays Off

Value of certified professionals rises as companies seek reliable workers

By Jennifer Mateyaschuk

iven the shortage of skilled IT workers, many professionals can easily find good jobs--meaning that they have little incentive to spend time and money getting certified in new technologies. But recent surveys suggest that demand for certified IT professionals will increase over the next few years--so those who are certified will likely command higher salaries.

The demand for IT professionals is expected to continue to grow as companies look to their IT departments to help expand their businesses and increase market share. Gartner Group Inc. estimates that more than 20% of permanent IT positions will remain unfilled through 2003.

It would appear that IT managers struggling to recruit and retain staff are in no position to require job candidates to be certified. But a Dataquest study forecasts the demand for certified professionals will grow about 15% annually through 2003, despite the skills shortage. That's because, as IT becomes more central to a company's success, IT managers must be sure the people they hire can deliver.

Companies are also realizing that certified professionals offer added value to their IT departments. A recent independent survey of companies with Microsoft-certified professionals, for example, found that having at least one Microsoft-certified professional can help decrease IT costs by more than $2,530 per server per year.

The study also found that Microsoft-certified professionals could handle 10 support requests per day per IS staff member, compared to seven per day per IS staff member for organizations with no Microsoft-certified professionals on staff. In all, 84% of employers surveyed said Microsoft-certified professionals were more productive in at least their area of certification.

There are other benefits to certification, according to Diane Tunick-Morello, research director for Gartner Group. Well-trained employees tend to be more effective and more motivated, and they demonstrate a willingness to stay with an organization longer, she says.

Bottom-Line Benefits
Training can even improve the bottom line. A study by the American Society for Training and Development compared companies that spent the most on training with companies that spent 60% less, and found that the companies that spent more achieved 36% higher gross profits per employee.

Professionals looking to get certified can typically turn to three sources: vendors offering to train people in the use of their products; industry associations that offer vendor-neutral training in a technology area, such as Web-site architecture; and professional training companies that may offer certification for a particular product or in a technology area.

Vendor training is evidence of knowledge of a system, rather than proficiency in it, says Judy Weller, an analyst at Dataquest, while vendor-neutral certification from a training company or industry association provides general skills in a technology area. Recruiters say an IT professional's best bet is to have both vendor-neutral and vendor-specific certifications.

An associate in J.P. Morgan's IT department, who requested anonymity, has found that having certification in Java and C++ from New York University is an advantage. "Certification proves to an employer that you have a certain level of competency," he says. "Anyone can say they know computers, and that's one of the problems today. An employer looks at experience and your college degree. Having certification on your resumé can give you an advantage--and possibly a higher salary--than someone without certification."

Analysts say the best types of technical training offer simulations that let students solve problems or initiate tasks that they've been learning about. These types of solutions help them retain what they learn more efficiently. "In order to retain information for the long term, you need to tie what you are learning to a real-world scenario," says Daniel Rasmus, a director for Giga Information Group.

But in addition to technical certification, IT professionals should keep in mind the growing importance of business skills. According to Gartner Group, IT-related skills within a company will shift from being 65% technology-related today to 65% business- and IT management-related in 2002.