Choosing the Right IT Certification

As an IT instructor I find myself training a few hundred students each year in different products and technologies. On the first day of my classes I have my students introduce themselves and say what they are trying to get out of the course, among the reasons I hear for taking a course is "To get certified". The problem I usually see among the majority of those giving this answer is the fact that they really don't have a clear understanding of the cert beyond the typical "It makes a lot of money". In order to assist those who are pursuing an IT certification I have written this document to offer some guidance during this important career decision.

When pursuing certification I feel there are several points that one must keep in mind to keep themselves on the right track. In the interest of keeping things simple let me document the points I think one should keep in mind or follow when pursuing a certification.

Career Goals

I believe that anyone looking to get certified should seriously research their intended career goals before they start looking at a particular certification. The typical mistake I see being made by students is the typical "I want to be a MCSE" or "I want to be a CCNA" or "I want to be a CEH" or any one of a number of certifications without actually considering what a given certification is best suited for. I believe that if one wants to be successful they should look around at various job boards like dice.com, monster.com or any number of job boards out there to see what positions suit one's taste. Think you want to be an MCSE? Do a search on a job board for that cert and see if the typical job description fits what you want to do, try to picture yourself doing this position for the next 5 years and think if you will be happy with it.

Surveying the Field

Another big problem I see on the road to certification is the one where students don't clearly define what they want to specialize in. Consider this, security has been a hot topic for several years now, I frequently hear new prospects state that they want to go into this field without understanding where they are headed. My response to students who want to go into security? What do you want to specialize in? Security is a big area and one needs to acquire the fundamentals, but at some point they will need to choose a limited number of areas to become an expert in. Think of things this way, Doctors don't just become a Dr they learn the basics then become a Pediatrician or Allergist or any one of a number of specialties. The lesson here, once you research your career goals figure out what you want to focus on specifically.

How Much Time Can You Invest?

When preparing to travel down the road to certification ask yourself "How much time do I have to dedicate to acquiring and maintaining a certification?". The certification process is one that requires one to invest time upfront as well as time later on to hold onto a credential. Nowadays certifications generally require one to invest weeks or months to study and get the necessary experience and knowledge to obtain, but more time can be required to keep one from losing the cert later. Investigating various certs will give one an idea of what is involved, for example the Certified Information Systems Security Professional or CISSP requires one to spend time working on projects or assignments related to security, if one does perform such work they become decertified and have to retest every 3 years. Yet another example comes from the Cisco certs which much be retaken every 2 years in order to stay current.

Does Certification Help Me?

Another big problem I see is individuals pursuing a certification which can do them absolutely no good for there given situation. Typically the persons I see making this mistake fall into two categories those who are getting advice from a trainer center's counselor or those to move into a higher position in their existing company. In the former category I see people who want to advance their career, but aren't sure on what certification to get so they go into a school and ask, the problem is that the counselor might have different goals, namely to make a commission. While I won't throw all counselors into this category one can't be sure what a counselor might be motivated by, helping you or getting a commission, do your homework as I have outlined above before you talk to a counselor. In the latter category, the ones who want to advance inside their current company, I recommend that one talk to Human Resources, their boss and check to see if obtaining a cert will boost your chances of landing that new position.

Diversification

While I believe that having a specialty is necessary, getting too specialized with a particular manufacturer can be bad for one's career. In my time in the IT field I have seen many individuals become certified in Microsoft products and technologies which isn't a bad career move, the problem is that's all they get certified in. If you like one manufacturer's technologies and products, great, but consider picking up a related cert from another manufacturer, for example if one obtains a MCSE or MCSA consider getting a CCNA from Cisco to get a grounding in another aspect of networking. By diversifying one can show that they are not a "One trick pony" and actually have a wider set of skills.

Keeping these simple points in mind will keep those looking to get certified on the right track and away from the pitfalls that so many others fall into. Obtaining a certification can be a very rewarding exercise in personal and professional growth if planned and executed correctly, as with most things in life, plan ahead.