Finding Value in an Industry Certification

I’ve often discussed and pondered the true value of any number of certifications across a variety of fields, but coming up with the worth of any particular “cert” is frequently a daunting task. There seems to be an entire alphabet soup when it comes down to what a person can qualify for: CCNA, MCSA, CCNP, MCSE, CCIE, MCAD, CCNP, MCPD, CCSE… and that’s only a handful of options offered by just two vendors, Microsoft and Cisco. In my own desire to obtain the Network+ and CCNA certifications I've once again hit the sites in pursuit of answers.

So what makes one cert more valuable than another? Will a certification alone be enough to get you where you want to go? What’s the true cost and real value of obtaining a cert? In answering any of these questions, along with a dozen more that you may be asking yourself, there are a few important points that need to be considered.

• Research, research, and yes… research! Sounds obvious right? It may sound so, but too many people think they know everything they need to know about a cert before chasing after one. Be careful about where you get your information, there are dozens of websites that exaggerate information about certifications, often in an attempt to get you to buy self-study products either directly or through a partner. Along with answering the basic question of whether this is really what you want to do or not, you can easily find out a variety of important facts or opinions that we'll hit upon later.
  
• The price tag. I'm not just talking about the cost of signing up for and taking an exam, you need to be concerned about the study materials, the effort and time, the whole chunk of personal investment needs to be made obtain a cert. According to the 2006 CCIE Customer Feedback Survey conducted by Cisco, the average cost to prepare for the CCIE exam was $9,050, before including the actual exam and lab cost of $1,750! Not only was this 4 years ago, but certainly does not include the time and effort, which is probably significant, to prepare for such an exam. As always, research research research.
• Employer support, this pretty much ties in with the price tag. If an employer sees value in obtaining a certification then there is a good chance that they'll make the investment in their employee to do so. It doesn't hurt to ask, and simply posing the question can help shave thousands off of exam prep costs.
• Certification demand. Times change quickly, many of the top tech jobs today didn't exist 10 years ago. A certification that shows that a holder has the knowledge to perform rather specific tasks doesn't exactly matter if the technology is phased out in a few years. Cisco hardware is often considered the best, but can be costly, and competition is always trying to eat away at Cisco's dominate hold on the router and switch markets. Watch the markets carefully! Cisco, for example, has historically responded positively to new market challenges to meet the demands of most business sectors.
• Level of education. Certifications are great in that they're outside the academic sphere of influence, giving the opportunity to study at your own pace, in your own environment, in whatever matter you see fit. However, being able to obtain a dozen certifications can only get one so far with a high school diploma (not saying that this is always a case, but it can only help). Having a bachelors, masters, or even an associates in a related field (IT, Computer Engineering, etc) is always a plus. A bit of research should show the average starting cost and long-term salary of someone with varying levels of education with a respective certification.
• Experience, looking beyond the certification. Sure you have the CCNA, but can you configure a hundred nodes through a combination of switches and routers and have them communicate across multiple WAN sites while maintaining VLANs in conjunction with access groups? What a mouthful! Obtaining the CCNA means that you better be able to, but having a certification that can require a couple of weeks worth of reading while playing around with a few simulations can leave employers wanting more. Sure, some employers will require having the CCNA on your resume before even getting glanced at, and this might be the case for the help desk at your local [insert random tech support company here]. However, if you want to get down and dirty in the configuration of a site, you better expect that an employer is looking for someone who has proven they're capable.
• Multiple certifications. How could anyone lose with a dozen certifications on their resume? Here's a better question, how often have you met someone certified in this-that-and the other who couldn't answer what you'd think is a rather elementary question. Having a great memory certainly isn't a bad thing to have, but (as mentioned above) lacking experience can leave employers skeptical to whether you have a supreme skill set in all, if any, of the plethora of certifications you've listed. Though having a strategic set of certifications in areas that matter with a skill set to back it up can lead to major combo points and significant pay advantages. Knowing the top certifications by salary is great but remember to consider what other certifications top earners might hold, a fact often hidden by such statistics.
• Don't stop here, there are dozens of other points to consider! Remember, the web is your friend, and a Google search can be life changing.

As to whether you should shoot for a certification, it's almost always a good idea, but what certification to pursue is usually the better question. What are your thoughts or experiences in regards to industry certifications? Be sure to comment and share your knowledge about any and all certifications, even those outside of the tech world.