IT certifications - getting started

What is a certification?

Within IT, certification is a relatively big thing. It is more or less an attestation that you know enough about something to pass an exam. You can get certified at various levels in many areas of the broad world of IT. The most obvious ones being network, security, infrastructure, cloud and various vendor and product specific certifications.

Why should you get certified?

Why should you bother, you might ask? There can be many angles to this. For businesses, there can be benefits from vendors if enough employees have a certain number of certifications from a specific vendor, Microsoft for example. It could also be a benefit based on a specific set of certifications.

The benefit itself could be anything from better prices to customer/sales leads or better exposure to the market, in order to grow your business.

Another angle could be because you simply want to get better and verify if you know enough to be at a "certain" level. Certifications could also be considered to verify your knowledge in the line of work you do, or to be eligible to work in a new area of technology. That has been my key motivators n the past years.

?Some places even give you a raise when you get certified - talk about motivation, right? :)

How to certify?

Most exams have complimentary ways to learn the materials. It could be courses (online or in person), a website with available documentation, books etc. YouTube is also a good resource for learning. Some learn better by reading, some by doing, some by watching and some be hearing. I believe you should find the mix that works best for you. Often, you will be required to retain a lot of information for the exams - so pick your way of studying that allows you to recall information.

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Most exams (that I've taken) are simple multiple choice, with somewhere between 40-70 questions, ranging from 1-3 hours. Some contains labs, ordering questions or small case studies. Some are even lab only where you need to write a report afterwards (these can last for days!). So, in short, if you know you stuff, it could be a breeze. Many (most?) exams have a passing grade of about 70%.

But of course some exams doesn't fit with the above description.

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Should you renew your certifications?

Vendors have different policies for renewals. Microsoft certifications can be renewed by completing a renewal assessment exam online, for free! But my feeling is that most vendors require you to either redo the exams after 2-3 years or advance to the next level within the same timeframe. Other vendors require you to actively work with the subject and expand your knowledge. They require you to submit proof in a web portal, with occasional audits.

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Where to certify?

Today, some providers offer you to take proctored exams online from comfort of your home (or somewhere else for that matter) - with the restrictions that follow. You must be alone, no writings on the wall, no talking, no headphones, no disturbances etc.

In the "old days", it was a requirement to go to a test center. I still prefer that. I only ever took 1 exam from the comfort of my couch with a proctor. The rest was in a test center, or unproctored. I have plenty of test centers to choose from in my area. But I'm aware that not all parts of the world offer the same luxury. But I have heard and read enough bad stories about online proctored exam to even consider it. I don't want to give up my exam due to a technicality or technical issues. Going to a test center gives me peace of mind to focus on the exam. But you should choose what you deem best for you.

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Who should certify?

So, should you dig into the rabbit hole of IT certifications? Do you enjoy learning? Is your employer nudging you to grow by getting certified? Do you need a challenge? Do you need to change "track" in your career? If so - take the shot - the worst thing that could happen, is that you get smarter :)

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Why do I do it?

Personally, I love to learn. I always liked going to school. And in my adult life, I like to take certifications to get better at what I do. Some will say I take to many - maybe they are right. Earning a certification does not necessarily make you an expert - depending on the level of the certification of course.

Getting certified in a new areas definitely helped me in my career, but whether or not it was necessary, no one knows.

My colleagues and I often look at it the same way as a driver’s license. Do you consider all young people with a fresh driver’s license to be the perfects drivers? Probably not. It merely certifies that they (should) know enough to be able to drive a car safely on the road. The same (kind of) goes for IT. Certifications certify that you know something about a product, technology, or area - at a certain level. It doesn't necessarily make you an expert. You need experience for that.

I renew my certifications, to stay current. Mostly. I renew everything that I believe is relevant for my current and/or future career. Hence, I let a couple of certifications lapse - I simply don't expect to need those certifications moving forward in my career. It obviously doesn't take away the knowledge I gained. I just don't have the certification anymore. The certifications that I keep current happens to be renewed by taking the online assessment exam or by submitting proof of education. Hence, no re-exams. If I where to redo all my exams every 2-3 years, I would be a very busy man at this point. So I welcomed Microsofts renewal policy change a few years ago, by starting to get certified.

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The above was written based on my experiences with taking exams in the last 10 years from Microsoft, Juniper, Cisco, ITIL, ISC2 and eLearnSecurity