IT Certifications. Are they worth it?

Thinking of getting an IT certification? There are hundreds of them to choose from. There is the Oracle certified professional, Cisco certified network professional, Java programmer certification, the Microsoft certified systems engineer. That is just a minuscule sample of the different ones available. There are obvious drawbacks to getting a certification. The most common ones are finding time to study, the pain of having to memorize pages upon pages of information and the money you need to spend on books and training. So the question is, is getting certified actually worth it? Even with all its disadvantages, I believe the advantages of certification more than make up for its drawbacks.
One of the biggest advantages is of course money. This is probably the main reason why professionals become certified. After all, what is the point of all the effort if there is no monetary compensation involved? The amount you get depends on a many factors. Will you look for a new job once you become certified? Does your current employer automatically raise your salary because of certification? How difficult was it to obtain your certification? Even though the amount of compensation your receive depends on many factors, all studies show that on average, certified individuals earn more money compared with those with no certification. You always learn something new. No matter how much you think of yourself as an expert. When studying for a certification, you always learn something new. It s impossible to know everything no matter what your expertise is. But when studying for these exams, you need to study every single detail. Therefore you re bound to come across something you didn t know about before. And the more you know the more of an expert you become. Another big benefit is that employers will choose you over someone with similar qualifications. Obviously, if you have 5 years experience and someone else has 15 years experience, then you ll have a hard time convincing anyone that you know more than the other guy. But when competing with someone with similar qualification to yours, it makes sense that employers will choose the person who can prove via a certification that they have the knowledge required for the position. Continue staying relevant in a fast changing business. In IT, what you know now will probably be obsolete in a couple of years. Whatever you learned in school, probably doesn t apply anymore today. A certification is a tool that can be used to help you stay up to date in this ever changing industry. Increase your self esteem knowing that you ve mastered a subject that only a few other professionals have mastered. You may also find that you ll earn a little extra respect from your co-workers and even family and friends. It s always inspiring to watch a person who continues to learn no matter what point in their career they are in.
All in all, it makes sense to become certified in your particular field. Not only for monetary compensation but mainly because it always helps to continue learning. Leo Chavez is a developer with almost 10 years experience in the software industry. You can read more articles from him at Java In Ten Minutes - Learn Java Quickly.The goal of the site is to explain the complex details of the Java world in a brief and simple to understand manner.



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