Certifications can be very helpful in your tech career. For a lot of roles, it’s a requirement, and for others, it definitely conveys commitment to the field at the very least. However, as with most things there are pros and cons. I’ll try to address some of those in this article as I’ve seen in my career.
Pros
For roles that recognize certifications, getting the right one can lead to a fast turn around in landing a job.
Even better, certain certifications can mean the difference between a below six figure and above six figure opportunity.
One key certification in my resume has helped set a high floor in salary negotiations. In other words, the certification ensures I don’t get offered below a certain amount.
The following roles benefit from certifications:
Non-technical
- Project/Program Manager
- Product Owner
- Scrum Master
- Business Analyst
- Auditor
- Security Specialist
Technical
- Database /System /Network Administrator
- Cloud Developer
- DevOps Engineer
- Quality Assurance
Cons
With all it’s benefits, certifications are all good and don’t apply to every situation.
I remember very early in my career, I was certified as an Oracle Certified Associate. My goal was to get the next rung of certification with was the Oracle Certified Professional. Oracle at the time was going to change the format of the certifications at the turn of the year. In a panic I started scrambling to get prep for the exam. I was able to do so and I got certified. With a few weeks left in the year, I felt it best to socialize the news about the changes and encourage others to get certified before the process got tougher. I was part of a linux distribution list at school and I sent out the information to the list. To my surprise, the information was met with a cold reception, and that’s putting it mildly. Some of the feedback was that the push for certification was cover for actual hands-on experience. It then occurred to me that I was sharing the information with the wrong audience and field.
Certifications isn’t applicable for every field. It’s actually counterproductive in certain roles. Some developers for example will not benefit at all from getting any certifications, but rather in showing a portfolio of their work. It’s important to know if your particular field of interest values and rewards certifications before embarking on getting it. Certifications are time and money consuming to acquire. Many of them often require periodic maintenance that come with associated fees. In essence, it can be a lifelong commitment.
