How Valuable are Certifications?

A question a lot of people in the technology industry have is, “how valuable are certifications?”

SANS – ISSA Presentation

On Monday, I attended a joint SANS – ISSA presentation on the value of certifications. The presenters were Terry Daus and My-Ngoc Nguyen. Interesting facts the presenters pointed out included:

• More than 75% of people who responded to a salary survey have a bachelors degree and 25% have a Masters or PhD
• People with education, experience, training and certifications have considerably higher (approximately 20%) salaries than those with no training or certifications
• A certification provides a certain level of creditability when applying for a job
• The certification that is considered important or very important is the CISSP, the CCIE was second
• If you are competing for jobs with people who have a degree and certifications, you should strongly consider having at least the same education and certifications

They also suggested rounding out our credentials to include certifications such as ITIL or PMP Project Management certifications. I’ve included a copy of the presentation if you’d like to see it for yourself.

This is a Competition

We all know people who have certifications who can quote you chapter and verse but who cannot troubleshoot. Conversely, we all know people who do not have any certifications but who have more knowledge and ability than people who do have them. That is why I feel that certifications are simply a data point to be used in evaluating people for hiring or promotions. Personally, (I cannot over-emphasize this is my personal opinion) I am more impressed by the dedication and desire to learn continuously than I am by the actual certification.

Does having a degree or certification mean that you know more than people who do not hold a certifcation? Of course not, and I’m sure we can all name a few people we know who can prove that point. Nevertheless, when applying for a job or promotion we are competing with people who do have degrees and certifications, and human resources and hiring managers do pay attention to both. You might not like it, but the reality is without one or both, you are at a disadvantage.

Tagged as: CCIE, Certifications, CISSP, credentials, creditability, human resources, issa, ITIL, project management, promotions, salary survey, technology industry