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June 7, 1999

Certification Pays For Networking Pros

Getting certified can lead to higher salaries and increased opportunities

By Jennifer Mateyaschuk

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etworking specialists are hard to find, say many hiring managers. So, does it really matter if you're certified or not? According to hiring companies and some networking specialists, getting certified has at least one advantage: higher pay.

Bill Langston, IS director at Advocacy Resource Corp., a nonprofit organization that works with the disabled, knows this firsthand. Since becoming a Microsoft certified systems engineer last month, Langston has received job offers at twice his current salary. But he chose to stay at Advocacy Resource because the company invested $5,000 for him to take the Microsoft course.

It's important for IT professionals to become certified to advance their careers, Langston says. "Becoming certified not only gives you advanced skills, but it shows you have initiative and a desire to learn, which is attractive to hiring companies." Advocacy Resource also benefited from Langston's certification--it had been paying a consultant $80 an hour to do work he's now qualified to do.

Other companies are also feeling the pinch when it comes to hiring networking talent. "It's extremely difficult to find networking specialists in our area unless you can afford to pay top dollar," says Steve Endsley, general manager and owner of Digital Connections, a networking integrator in Dover, N.H.

Endsley's solution was to get certified himself. He became a Microsoft certified systems engineer last fall. Certification has helped Endsley, but he says the only way to learn the ins and outs of networking is through hands-on experience. "If you're already a networking professional, going into the field shouldn't be a problem," he says. "It wasn't until I got comfortable handling real-world problems that I gained confidence and expertise."

To land a good job at a networking company, certification is a big plus. "We're interested in people who are network-certified because it gives some indication of their knowledge level, and it says something about their interest in enhancing their knowledge," says Jeff Kaplan, director of strategic marketing at International Network Services in Sunnyvale, Calif. Kaplan says the company looks to hire certified individuals and requires all its networking professionals to become certified.

Independent certification companies can also provide a career boost. MentorLabs LLC's Cisco certification course offers hands-on experience without the possibility of ruining a real-life system. The company recently kicked off its vLab Web training system that teaches networking skills by letting students use real networking equipment, instead of participating in simulations.

If you're new to networking, Digital Connections' Endsley recommends getting real-world experience as you acquire levels of certification. "I've had people come in with tons of certificates and they can't find the escape key," he says. "Make time to get experience, not just pieces of paper."