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Are You Certifiable?
The latest word on certification is that the gap is closing between IT pros who have certain acronyms and initials after their names and those who don't. In fact, over the last year, pay for non-certified IT skills grew nearly 70% more than pay for certifications, according to a recent survey, which tracked the market value of 212 IT skills and certifications. |
The trend now is that some employers are more generously rewarding IT-ers who have solid technical, industry, and business experience but who may lack formal certification for their skill sets, according to Foote Partners, the research firm that compiled the report.
In an interview with Katherine Spencer Lee, executive director at recruiter Robert Half Technology, she says that CIOs from the retail industry were most optimistic about their upcoming hiring plans, according the company's most recent survey. Retailers are hiring IT professionals who can recommend, implement and manage more sophisticated inventory management, forecasting and replenishment systems. As far as the positions CIOs cited as most in demand, they reported the greatest need for help desk, networking, and database and data management professionals.
Historically, of course, certification has been the way to go. It was made a huge business in the 1980s by one of the earliest BCDs (big certification deals), the Certified Novell Engineer. When Novell was in its heyday, CNE certificates were all the rage, and then came hundreds of others with various levels of technical requirements, class pre-requisites, continuing education even after certification was achieved, and the like.
But now that certification doesn't seem to be as huge a requirement as it once was to get bonuses and new job opportunities, what happens? Does certification go the way of New Coke, or is there a place for it still?
Some would say that certification is a way of raising the level of the playing field, whether that field is IT security or Microsoft server administration, to keep standards high for all concerned. Others say bah, life is short, who has time to study for all that while working at a full-time job, and who needs it anyway now that the IT field is opening up some again?
What do you say? Do you see any value in certification, and if so, what? Weigh in below.
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