In a recent post, David Neal responds
to JavaKid's post titled "Microsoft
Certified? ... Not Impressed!" David outlines three reasons why he thinks
Microsoft certifications are a good thing:
1) They help you get your foot in the door.
2) Studying for a
certification forces you to learn more about a technology (or different aspects)
than you might otherwise learn on your own.
3) When I'm interviewing a
potential candidate, a certification speaks volumes to me -- not in terms of
technical skill, but in terms of aptitude, ability to set and obtain goals, and
self-discipline, especially if the certification was obtained through
self-study.
I agree with David. One of the arguments that many people make is that the MS
certification exams are contrived or they don't reflect real-world scenarios. In
some respects, I agree with that argument, and I think that Microsoft is
striving to correct this perception. However, the real value of certification is
in how employers perceive the certification, and Microsoft certification is
still one of the most recognizable certification programs in the world.
I have found that getting certified has greatly enhanced my career potential.
Although, like David, I'm a bit biased towards certifications, as I currently
work for Transcender, I got certified
before I began working at Transcender, and I believe that getting certified has
played a large part in my career up to this point. I will, however, say that
getting certified is not the golden ticket that some people believe that it
is; instead, you should look at certifications as one part of building your
resume. You should also look towards building your "real-world" toolkit in your
chosen technology. No certification can take the place of real-world experience.