worth of getting certified

Question

In 6 months I will be a graduate and pursuing a masters in computers for the next 2 years in India. My options after that are to either do a post graduation (again) from a reputed college abroad, or to take up a job.

Recently I came to know about about global certification programs like ccna, ccnp, ccie, oca, ocp, j2se, mcse, mcp etc.

If I do these certifications, will it help me get a better job, or get into a top college ? How much does it matter?

Considering that I like most areas of computers, which certifications are most beneficial? (I even had a crazy idea to do them all in 2.5 years left. Or should I try and master a few instead).

Please advise.

Answer 1

They can help to get a job, but they are not considered in any way when pursuing a post-graduate degree.

Answer 2

To answer this question "If I do these certifications, will it help me get a better job"

No if you do not know your stuff. It doesn't matter how many certs you have if you can't answer basic tech questions that you should know you will not get the job

That said, some companies require to have a certain number of staff have certifications because they are a Gold Partner with Microsoft etc etc Applying for a job with those companies and having a cert might help

Answer 3

They can obviously help you get a job, but in my experience I have never come across anyone who has required them - only perhaps seen them as an added benefit. You probably need to look at what prospective employers are looking for in the areas that interest you.

Normally employers look for certain skills regardless of how you achieved them i.e. self taught, training programme etc. They want to know if you can do the job, and that normally comes with experience gained one way or another, and the best experience is from doing real jobs rather than certification programmes. If I were you I'd put the effort into gaining this type of experience instead.

Answer 4

There really are two answers and distinct questions.

1.) Does this help you get into a college/program? No, as far as I know certifications do not play ANY role in acceptance to college/degree programs.

2.) Does this help me get a job?

This is the one that is a bit hard to answer. First of all you have to know what you are going towards, however, if you can demonstrate knowledge, certifications can help you get the job, especially if you are new in the field. It really depends on the company and situation though. I personally have a bunch of certifications, but I know that they are not worth much in some implementations, but in others, they are highly valuable.

Answer 5

They may help in some areas but it is worth noting that some may conflict here as CCNA and MCSE may not both apply to some positions. I'll second that for colleges these may well be useless.

The most beneficial is likely to be variable and dependent somewhat on when you are looking, what you like to do, at what level are you trying to go, and what kind of work environment do you want: To be the lone techie, part of a group, or in a sea of developers that some companies have.

My suggestion is to give some thought as to what kind of computer work would you like to do: Design hardware, software, systems, troubleshoot issues, testing, management, etc. Just because you like something doesn't necessarily mean you will be good at it. Figure out if you are good at something and like it and see what jobs are there for that.

Answer 6

It may help if your employer is looking to become a microsoft partner. Having a number of certified employees helps meet the requirement. This is actually why i got my MCPD.

Answer 7

Having or not having a cert would have almost zero impact on me hiring you as a developer. Being able to communicate with customers. Understanding fundamental design and software engineering concepts. Having a background in computer science -- and demonstrating that you understand data structures, algorithms, etc. Being able to fit in with a team. Having some experience with the relevant technologies or similar ones. All of these are important. You can demonstrate all of this without a certificate and I have interviewed enough people with certificates that do not possess these skills/experience that I don't consider the cert itself to be a very meaningful indicator.

EDIT: My answer is with respect to programmers/developers since this is StackOverflow. I can't speak to the value of certs for other IT specialities. IMHO it's still the knowledge that's important and I'd test for that. In a large pile of otherwise indistinguishable resumes a cert may help in other fields. It wouldn't do much for me either way when searching for a programmer.

Answer 8

Certs will give you a bit more weight in an interview. If a perspective employer sees that you're already certified by MS, Cisco or some vendor, they generally agree with the vendor that the cert equivocates knowledge, which is one less item you have to compete in. Don't forget to refine other areas such as people skills, project skills, bow hunting skills, nunchuk skills... Employers want developers who have great skills.

If you're competing against others for a job (which you will be), a cert may be just the advantage you need. You won't need to work as hard convince the interviewer you know your stuff. However, I wouldn't break the bank or stop everything to get it.

Answer 9

Hi, You can definetly go for IT certification such as CCNA, MCSE that will help you to get a better job. You can either go to technical line or in teaching line after completing your certification. You can also visit bookmybootcamp they also provides these courses at affordable costs.

Answer 10

You have to be careful. Some certificates will get you a negative weight in an interview. The level should fit your education and experience.