THE WHO, HOW, AND WHY OF IT CERTIFICATIONSMICHAEL JENKINSBLACKS IN TECHNOLOGY

ABOUT YOUR PRESENTER• BS, MS Computer Engineering, Iowa State

University• Twenty years into an Information Technology

career• Active certifications

• CompTIA Security+• Amazon Web Services Certified Solutions Architect –

Associate• Certifications in progress

• Amazon Web Services Certified Solutions Architect – Professional

• Linux Foundation Certified System Administrator and Engineer

AGENDA

•What is a certification?•Who Provides Certifications?•How does one become certified?•Why get certified?•Panel Discussion with Q & A

WHAT IS A CERTIFICATION?•Wikipedia• “…Certificates signify that a student has reached

a standard of knowledge of a certain vocational subject.”

•American Society of Quality• “A formal recognition…that an individual has

demonstrated a proficiency within, and comprehension of, a specific body of knowledge.”

TYPES OF CERTIFICATIONS: SKILL BASED•Project Management• Leading and directing projects and teams

•“Six Sigma”• Analyze and solve quality problems

•Technical Writing• Analyze data to create documents for specific

audiences

TYPES OF CERTIFICATIONS: TECHNOLOGY BASED•Programming Languages• Java, Ruby On Rails

•Software & Hardware•Databases, Web Services, Network Appliances

•Vendor Applications & Services•Cloud Platforms, Virtualization

WHO PROVIDES CERTIFICATIONS? (AND WHY?)

•Universities•Continuing education

•Professional Organizations• Furthering the profession

•Technology Vendors•Marketing and industry

adoption

HOW DOES ONE BECOME CERTIFIED?

•Usually two steps:•Step 1 – Training or independent study•Step 2 – Take an examination

•Experience helps and is sometimes required•But might not carry you all the way

HOW DOES ONE BECOME CERTIFIED?

• Training can be expensive and time consuming:• RHCSA Rapid Track course with RHCSA exam = $3705, 5 Days• Oracle DBA course + exam = $2575 + $245 = $2820, 5 Days• Cisco CCNA & CCNP course + exams = $9,995, 20 days

• Self study and virtual classes can lower the cost of training and allow for self-paced timing:• Coursera -- https://www.coursera.org• Udemy -- https://www.udemy.com• MOOC List -- https://www.mooc-list.com

HOW DOES ONE BECOME CERTIFIED?

• Exam costs can’t be avoided

• Look for reimbursement opportunities from employers, foundations, and professional organizations

A WORD FROM OUR SPONSORSBLACKS IN TECHNOLOGYLINUX FOUNDATION

FREE LINUX TRAINING FROM B.I.T.!

• “Our partnership with the Linux Foundation will include free and discounted passes to Linux Foundation events as well as educational opportunities for members … of Blacks in Technology. The Linux Foundation is also making a donation to the Blacks In Technology organization to support our efforts to increase diversity in technology and “Stomp the Divide”.

• Greg Greenlee, Founder, BlacksInTechnology.net

FREE LINUX TRAINING FROM B.I.T.!

•http://goo.gl/forms/KmNI7qk6o5•Linux System Administration•Advanced Linux System Administration and Networking•Developing Applications For Linux

BACK TO THE PRESENTATION

WHY GET CERTIFIED?

•Credibility for your skills and knowledge• Third party verification

• Increases visibility in the industry•New opportunities

•Shows personal initiative• “Demonstrates a commitment to your craft.”

WHY GET CERTIFIED?•Global Knowledge, “15 Top-Paying Certifications for

2016”• Top paying certification trends follow IT trends:• Six are in security• Three are in virtualization and cloud computing• Three are in business• Three are in networking

•Note the level or proficiency• Entry level, Associate, Professional

WHY GET CERTIFIED?RAN

KCERTIFICATION (POTENTIAL) SALARY

1 AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate

$125,871

4 Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)

$121,923

5 Project Management Professional (PMP®) $116,0948 Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA)

Data Center$107,045

11 Six Sigma Green Belt $102,59414 ITIL® v3 Foundation $99,869

GLOBAL KNOWLEDGE, “15 TOP-PAYING CERTIFICATIONS FOR 2016”

WHY GET CERTIFIED? A COUNTERPOINT

•Dice.com, “5 Reasons Certifications Aren’t Worth It”• http

://insights.dice.com/2015/07/09/5-reasons-certifications-arent-worth/

• “Software Technology Moves Too Fast”• “Employers Don’t Really Care”• Training and exams are a “Rip-Off”• “It Only Proves You Can Pass Tests”

PANEL DISCUSSION

PANEL MEMBERS

•Jhade Barnes, Recruiting Account Manager

•John C. Malonson III, PMP, ITIL, CSM

•Ferdinand Alvin, CCNA, CCNP

REFERENCES

REFERENCES

• American Society for Quality, “Quality Certification”• http://asq.org/cert

•Wikipedia, “Professional certification”• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professional_certification

•Microsoft, “Certification Overview”• https://

www.microsoft.com/en-us/learning/certification-overview.aspx

REFERENCES

• Dice, “Tech Salary Survey 2016”• http://marketing.dice.com/pdf/Dice_TechSalarySurvey_2016.pdf

• Project Management Institute, “Project Management Professional”• http://www.pmi.org/certification.aspx

• Society for Technical Communication, “Certification”• http://www.stc.org/certification

REFERENCES

•Oracle, “Oracle Certified Associate, Java SE 5/SE 6”• http://bit.ly/1qwiTMF

•Ruby Association, “Ruby Association Certified Ruby Programmer”• http://www.ruby.or.jp/en/certification/examination/

REFERENCES

• CompTIA, “A+ (Plus) Certification”• https://certification.comptia.org/certifications/a

• Cisco, “Training & Certifications”• http://

www.cisco.com/c/en/us/training-events/training-certifications/certifications.html

• Amazon Web Services, “AWS Certification”• https://aws.amazon.com/certification/

REFERENCES

• Microsoft, “Azure Certifications”• https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/learning/azure-certification.aspx

• Microsoft Virtual Academy, “Microsoft Azure Courses”• https://mva.microsoft.com/product-training/microsoft-azure

• Redhat, “RHCSA Rapid Track course with RHCSA exam”• https://www.redhat.com/en/services/training/rh200-rhcsa-rapid-

track-course-rhcsa-exam

REFERENCES

•CED Solutions, “Cisco CCNA & CCNP Certification Training Course”• http://

www.cedsolutions.com/780/certification/cisco-ccna-ccnp-certification

•MOOC List• https://www.mooc-list.com/

REFERENCES

• Blacks in Technology, “Blacks In Technology partners with The Linux Foundation to increase diversity in tech and Stomp the Divide!”• http://bit.ly/1TXMV5V

• Dice.com, “5 Reasons Certifications Aren’t Worth It”• http://insights.dice.com/2015/07/09/5-reasons-certifications-aren

t-worth/• Microsoft Learning, “The value of technical certification”• https://

www.microsoft.com/en-us/learning/certification-testimonials.aspx

REFERENCES

•CompTIA, “Why Certify”• https://certification.comptia.org/why-certify/professionals

•Global Knowledge, “15 Top-Paying Certifications for 2016”• https

://www.globalknowledge.com/us-en/content/articles/top-paying-certifications/

REFERENCES

• Jhade Barnes, Recruiting Account Manager• https://www.linkedin.com/in/jhadebarnes

• John C. Malonson III, PMP, ITIL, CSM• https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnmalonson

• Ferdinand Alvin, CCNA, CCNP• https://www.linkedin.com/in/ferdinand-alvin-81a2b413