Information Technology Certifications

MBA 605

Nelms

September 28, 2006

Katie Bullock, Tiffany Bradshaw, Daniel Brooks,

Melanie Beebe

1

Preface The connotations of certifications have

evolved in recent years. They were once something

thought to be an essential tool for success, but

are now being surpassed by experience and

expertise. With information technology

certifications becoming more common and attainable

everyday, they are no longer sought after as they

once were. Certification along with experience is

the ticket to success these days, as time, cost,

and value present problems concerning

certifications. People can no longer rely solely

upon certification to ensure success; experience is

the bigger attribute.

2

Background of Information Technology Certifications Information technology certifications are

similar to degrees or diplomas in the computer

world. With these certifications people are

supposed to be able to get better jobs and have the

ability to advance in their organization. These

credentials also allow for businesses to bring in

potential customers and impress them with the

skills that they have received. While these

credentials are not exactly necessary, they do show

some that they have put forth effort and have proof

of what they are capable of learning or in some

cases, memorizing. Certifications are important to

a lot of employers, but experience and talent has

become even more important. A person may have the

paper that says they are capable of computer

expertise, but there are many people out there

without the credentials that are more capable of

handling a job based on experience. Acquiring a

certification consists of loads of studying, time,

and tests that put an individual in potential,

life-like scenarios. This is a good way of

teaching, but until a person has to actually face

the pressure of handling a system or server they

3

cannot fully understand. All Certifications

require that an individual pass a certain amount of

tests in order to obtain. These tests can be very

expensive, but can eventually benefit the

individual, and their future employer, that

receives them. Certifications are becoming more

and more common and this does not help an

individual stand out in the technological world.

While many employers require certification for

employment, many more are starting to ask for a

higher-level of certification. These require even

more tests and more money. With this type of

certification it allows a person to look more

credible among other candidates and coworkers.1

Certifications are supposed to help an

individual get a job or a promotion. This is a

claim that many people have believed and have

fallen for. While this may have once been true, it

no longer seems to be. Having experience is

extremely important, but can no longer impress a

manager to hire. The combination of both

certification and experience is now what most

employers are looking for.2 They want to know that

1 Keston, G. (June 2004) IT Certification Options. Retrieved September 6, 2006 from FAITS database. 2Hoffman, Thomas. (2005, February). Demand for IT Certifications on the Rise.

4

a person has taken the time to acquire their

certification and has also worked in that type of

environment. Having a certification also gives

that individual and their company recognition and

respect. It allows for them both to admit their

capabilities and have it nicely framed on paper.

Certifications, over time, have changed.

They once were something that was not required, but

very impressive if a candidate obtained one. Then

they began to change into something that was

required and important for a position. Now they

are a dime a dozen in the technological world. Not

only are certifications extremely common, people

are now beginning to receive higher level

certifications in order to stand out in their

field.

Computerworld. Vol. 39, No. 8. Retrieved September 14, 2006

5

Certification Concerns

In the post-dot-com-bust era certifications

were seen as a method to maximize employment

opportunities and salaries.3 Today certifications

are not viewed as highly as they were in the past.

Rober Miano, president and CEO of Harvey Nash USA,

says that the value of certification has gone down

because they are more easily obtainable now than in

the past. “Companies realize certification isn’t

as meaningful as it used to be.” As a result,

companies are putting more emphasis on experience.

William Butler agrees with Miano. Butler has 20

years of experience in IT. In the past

certification was a way to gauge an individual’s

proficiency. Now most certifications are awarded

by vendors. Conveniently, it is a great method for

promoting the vendors own products.4 Having

certifications is no longer a guarantee for IT

professionals. There are actually cons to having a

certification or certifications. Three of the

drawbacks to IT Certifications for individuals are

3 Rothberg, D. (2006, April). Study shows downside of IT certification. eWeek.com. Retrieved September 15, 2006, from LexisNexis database. 4 Pratt, M. (2005, September). Certifiable. Computerworld. Retrieved September 14, 4006, from Computer Source database.

6

time, cost, and value (lack of help in the job

field).

Robert McMullin, the IT Coordinator at

Micrologic Business systems spends about 4 hours a

week preparing for certifications. He usually

studies in the evenings and on the weekends. This

time factor can definitely be an inconvenience for

individuals. Individuals already spend the

majority of their time at work. When preparing to

take certifications they have something else to

devote a large portion of their time to, which

interferes with their time to spend with family and

have a personal life. McMullin says that studying

for certifications is so time consuming that it is

something you need to schedule and treat like a

part-time job.5

Taking certification tests can be very

expensive. In her article for the Information

Executive, Deborah Lovell lists the average prices

for certifications offered by three, large, well

known vendors. The prices are as follows:

5 Moad, J. (2003, March). Solving the cert puzzle. eWeek.com. Retrieved September 15, 2006, from LexisNexis database.

7

• Microsoft Certifications $4,500 each

• Cisco Certifications $2,500 each

• Oracle Certifications $1,500 each

In addition to the initial fee for taking the test

for a certification you also have to pay to stay

current. A certification that has been allowed to

lapse can be viewed worse than no certification.

Mark Phelps has been looking for a position as a

lead network administrator since being laid off

from his job. In 1999, he earned his MCSE in

Window NT. Now employers will not hire him until

he is certified in the latest Windows operating

system. Mr. Phelps says that certification can be

a detriment if you do not keep it up. The Texas

Workforce Commission is paying for Mr. Phelps to

get the newer MCSE 2003 certification. The four

week certification course costs about $8,500.6

With such time and costs involved it is

reasonable for IT professionals to think that

advancement or job opportunities will increase.

However, that is not always the case. A dilemma to

certifications is that after investing the time and

money there is no guarantee that pay will increase,

6 Pratt, M. (2005, September). Certifiable. Computerworld. Retrieved September 14, 4006, from Computer Source database.

8

advancement will occur, or that you will be hired

by an organization. Bob Fors, the associate

director of Matrix Resources, a recruiting firm in

Dallas, says that of the job orders their company

currently has, only about 10% require

certifications. Eric Lenington, CEO of Intelmedia

Communications Inc., has become cynical about

certifications. “All a certification says is that

the person was able to pass a written test.” He

has interviewed candidates with lots of letters

after their names that lacked the most basic

skills. Intelmedia now uses its own test to filter

through candidates. John Estees, vice president of

Robert Half Technology says that top candidates for

premium jobs will often have many certifications

but without experience they will most likely not be

viewed as hirable. Also, having a certification

will not necessarily do much to increase pay. In

April, Foote Partners, an IT compensation and

workforce management firm, released a

Certifications Pay Index. In a six month period

spanning 2005-2006 pay premiums for non-certified

IT skills grew three times faster than for

certified ones. According to David Foote, the

president and chief research officer for the

9

workforce research and consulting firm, this is the

first time skills have been more of a prevalent

factor than certifications since the firm began

surveying tech skills pay in 2000.7

The Dallas Chapter initiated a survey to

determine whether or not someone without

certifications has a chance in the IT profession.

One question the survey asked of about 80

participants was how to do your present or past

employers feel about Certifications? Of the

participants 10.98% responded that their employers

felt certificates were a must have while 30.49%

considered them unimportant. A second question

asked on the survey was whether employers view

certifications or experience as being more

important. About 50% of the participants felt that

employers still rank experience higher than

certification. Close to 22.22% believe that

employers view certification more highly than

experience. A third question on the survey was,

should not having a Certification disqualify you

from an interview? Nearly 80% of the participants

responded no to this question and 0% responded yes.

7 Rothberg, D. (2006, April). Study shows downside of IT certification. eWeek.com. Retrieved September 15, 2006, from LexisNexis database.

10

A fourth question inquired which is more valuable

between experience and certifications. Over 30%

voted that experience is more valuable while 1.23%

thought certifications are more valuable to IT

professionals. 8

Survey Questions Responses

How does current or past employer feel about

certifications?

NOT IMPORTANT

30.49%

MUST HAVE

10.98%

Employers are giving more importance to certifications

opposed to experience?

DISAGREE

50.62%

AGREE

22.22%

Should not having a certification disqualify you

from an interview?

NO

78.82%

YES

0%

Which is more valuable experience or certification?

EXPERIENCE

33.33%

CERTIFICATIONS

1.23%

Certifications definitely have drawbacks.

They require time and money and produce minimal

reward. Employees have little extra time to devote

to obtaining certifications and the monetary costs

are significant. For organizations, certifications

8 Lovell, Deborah. (2006). The votes are in: results from IT certifications survey! Information Executive, 9(2). Retrieved September 14, 2006, from Computer Source database.

11

do not ensure a skilled employee. It is relatively

easy to earn a certification by studying exam preps

and taking practice tests without gaining the

skills needed to operate in real-life situations.9

9 Keston, G. (June, 2004). IT certification options. Retrieved September 06, 2006, from FAITS database.

12

Lasting Effects of Certifications

What once was a part of education for the

future of employment, has now become an endless rat

race for some people leaving them with a bitter

taste in their mouth. Certifications have become a

never ending battle for some engineers. As certain

exams for certifications are retired, people are

finding it harder to keep up with what is required

for them in the technological field. A company may

require a certain certification for a particular

system or software to be employed with them. If

the exam for that certification is retired, then it

forces that business to move to another system or

software costing them a large sum of money. Not

only do they have to transfer everything to this

new system, but they also have to send their

current engineers to be updated in their

certification, which costs them even more

financially. Many companies, such as Microsoft,

that has forced other businesses to do this, have

profited greatly. They are continuously making

money by forcing people to keep up with their

technological advances. This makes engineers and

13

companies very angry, but they seem to have no

choice but to advance with them.

Smaller, more “mom and pops” businesses, which

cannot afford to keep up, have simply been sitting

with the technology that they have and refusing to

change until absolutely necessary. This has

kept them outdated, but able to stay afloat

financially. Other companies have been satisfied

with the current technology that they have and

simply choose to wait.

All in all, the constant update of

certifications has not left a good vibe in the

technological world. Certification processes cost

quite a bit of money. Buying the new software

costs money. The training of a business on a new

system costs money. All of this takes time away

from their business as well costing them even more

money. It is not that companies are against the

update of certifications and the advances in

technology that are continuously happening. They

are more along upset that the old certifications

are expiring and are no longer available for their

needs.

14

Recommendation

The high cost of information technology

certifications, along with the time required to

obtain them, and the lack of value that they

possess, are all problems surrounding the question

of the necessity of certifications. One with

proven, quality experience cannot be overlooked for

someone who is certified. With ever-changing

certification programs, it is a challenge for

people to keep up, and for those who are certified,

they are simply a number among many, as certified

personnel become more common. Perhaps the best

choice is experience working congruently with

certifications, leading to a successful employee

and company.

15

Bibliography Hoffman, Thomas. (2005, February). Demand for IT Certifications on the Rise. Computerworld. Vol. 39, No. 8. Retrieved September 14, 2006. Jacobs, M. (2006, February).How important is certification? The Dallas Morning News.

Retrieved September 14, 2006, from Computer Source database. Keston, G. (June, 2004). IT certification options. Retrieved September 06, 2006, from

FAITS database. Lovell, Deborah. (2006). The votes are in: results from IT certifications survey!

Information Executive, 9(2). Retrieved September 14, 2006, from Computer Source database.

Moad, J. (2003, March). Solving the cert puzzle. eWeek.com. Retrieved September 15, 2006, from LexisNexis database. Pratt, M. (2005, September). Certifiable. Computerworld. Retrieved September 14, 4006,

from Computer Source database. Rothberg, D. (2006, April). Study shows downside of IT certification. eWeek.com.

Retrieved September 15, 2006, from LexisNexis database.

1

Abstract Certifications are earned through a series of

tests that allow engineers to become specialized in

a certain area of expertise. The tests can be very

difficult and also expensive. The tests may only

ask for the minimum requirements not preparing an

individual for what could possibly happen once they

are out in the work field. Certifications are

becoming more of a common trend in the

technological world making them seem not as

valuable. This may be true to some, but to others

it is not. Certifications are still a viable asset

in engineering, but today it is more important to

have a higher-level certification to even be

noticed and valuable experience. Training and

experience is the hands-on type of learning that

businesses are looking for. A person may have

their certification, but if they do not know how to

handle situations, then they are not as valuable as

they seem. Once a person has their certification,

the exams for their certification could expire

making them lose value. In order for a person to

acquire a certification, they need to be

2

continuously updating these in order to keep up

with all the modern day advances to technology.

1

Style of Paper

The style of our paper is considered

“functional yet fun.” We did not want to prepare a

document that was a run of the mill, boring paper.

However, we realized the importance of making it

look professional and knowledgeable. For the actual

text of the paper, we decided to use the Lucida

Sans Typewriter font. We thought it would be

interesting, unique, and a bit ironic to use a

typewriter- like font while discussing highly

technical information systems. The Board of

Directors will hopefully produce a chuckle over the

ideas and allow for a bit more of a laid back mood.

The dark blue font color, slightly larger than

normal 14 font, and 1.5 line spacing were used to

give the “old-fashioned” text a bit of a modern

look, as a link transitioning between the past and

present. We used page breaks for each heading, as

to allow easier reading of the document by diving

sections in a simple manner. The headings

themselves are a bit more elaborate. We created a

style based on a Message Header and used Script MT

Bold 18 font. This presents a more sophisticated

look to contrast with the rather simply styled body

2

text. The table used in the document was made using

Times New Roman and Times New Roman Bold 14 in

order to stand out from the rest of the document

and really make an impact. The bibliography was

produced using Times New Roman 12, as we wanted the

paper itself to be the main focus and stand out

from the references; the footers were also

approached in this way. The top, bottom, and both

side margins are 1.25 in order to give the document

some uniformity and nice empty space as a border.

We feel as though the several contrast elements of

the style of this document symbolizes the

contrasting yet interesting points of view

pertaining to information technology certifications

3