Are Certifications Worth the Time and Money?

Nerval's Lobster writes: Having one or more certifications sounds pretty sensible in today's world, doesn't it? Many jobs demand proof that you've mastered a particular technology. But is the argument for spending lots of time and money to earn a certification as ironclad as it seems? In a new column, developer David Bolton argues 'no.' Most certifications just prove you can pass tests, he argues, not mastery of a particular language or platform; and given the speed at which technology evolves, most are at risk of becoming quickly outdated. Plus they aren't the sole determiner of whether you can actually land a job: 'Recruiters sometimes have trouble determining a developer's degree of technical experience, and so insist upon certificates or tests to judge abilities. If you manage to get past them to the job interview, the interviewer (provided they're also a developer) can usually get a good feel for your actual programming ability and whether you'll fit well with the group.' Are certifications mostly a rip-off, or are some (especially the advanced ones) actually useful, as many people insist?

Comments

rip-off

[X10]

I would never ever hire a programmer because of their certifications. I hire because of expertise, period. Certifications are a rip-off.

Re:rip-off

[khasim]

The problem is how to judge expertise on a resume.

So certifications get you past the HR filter.

Only then do you get to talk to someone who (in theory) knows programming/whatever enough to evaluate your actual expertise.

So, what is it worth to get past that first hurdle?

Re:rip-off

[plover]

What about a college degree? At one level, a diploma is no more than a very expensive certification.

Re:rip-off

[ranton]

What about a college degree? At one level, a diploma is no more than a very expensive certification.

Nope. Getting a college degree, you actually learn something.

While I have taken certificate exams that were meaningless (they are useful in the consulting world), I have learned quite a lot getting some certifications. They often force me to dabble in areas of an application, language, etc. that I haven't had to work with on the job. Obviously I could have learned it without the certificate training (since I have always just prepared from books and self-practice), but getting the certificate is what actually motivated me to learn the material. I have had times where a problem came up and I knew a feature existed to solve it because of my exam prep (although its always possible I would have found the feature anyway).

If I compared the number of hours spent preparing for tests compared to the hours spent in college, I wouldn't be surprised if my various exam preps were a more efficient way to learn overall. The degrees are more financially valuable though by far; since they are essentially certificates that hold far more weight with employers.

It's a sales tool.

[ErikTheRed]

You are always selling yourself, your plans, and your ideas, no matter what business environment you are in - self-employed or corporate. Certifications can be a tool for that - and even a vital tool if you're dealing with HR drones that don't understand anything else.

That being said, I have no formal certs and have done extremely well for myself - but I also have very good sales skills. It's the one thing I encourage to everyone that asks me for career advice - learn to sell. It doesn't matter what you do in life, but you will always be selling something (assuming your work is of any sort of significance).

PMP certification definitely IS worth it

[Anonymous Coward]

If you want a job anywhere near project management, you need the PMP certification. Do a job search for "project management" and check the first ten results. Every one of them will say PMP required or preferred.

Easy answer

[sjbe]

2 resumes, both have equal work time in IT, one has several certs one doesn't.
Which would you hire?

The one that interviews better most likely.

Certifications are fine

[sjbe]

I actually give -2 for certification. That's right, certification will, in my book, nullify the positive impact of an engineering degree *and* one relevant job. Why? Because it is, more often than not, a means of hiding shortcomings behind the veneer of something that seems official.

That's a load of crap. I have a graduate degrees in both business and engineering plus I hold an accounting certification. You would discount my entire education because I hold an accounting certification? NOBODY would even interview me for an accounting job if I didn't have that certification.

Certificates are sometimes a helpful way to signal that the person has some talent. Taking the accounting certification didn't mean I knew more accounting than before the test but it did give me a way to provide evidence to potential clients/employers that I do actually know what I am doing.

I am mostly a startup guy, but I have also worked at Google. Google actually conducted a large survey of all their applicants' resumes and cross-referenced the words they contain with how "successful" those people were at the company (I do not know how they defined that). There were no sure-fire words indicating success. But there was one that predicted the opposite: that's right, "certification."

What works at Google is not necessarily applicable in the rest of the world. Perhaps people with certifications tend not to succeed at Google. That does not mean that they don't succeed elsewhere. It only means they didn't succeed at Google - nothing more. In fact there are many professions where you won't even get considered for an interview without a certification.