The common joke in all professions about certifications is "looks good on a resume". Yes, I even heard people make that joke during classroom training for a recent certification. While I'm sure it does look good, that's not really the underlying value of a professional certification - and should not be the reason on seeks certification.
Simply put - professional
certification = continuing education.
Let's face it, no matter
what industry a person works in, the world is changing - and it's changing
faster now than ever before. Many people who discuss these things feel we
are moving at a faster pace than the introduction of the industrial revolution
(which was considered the most sudden change, during its time). And that
is why continuing education is important. What a person knew 1 year ago
may not be what is needed this year. The training a person took 2 years
may have been excellent, and the student may have excelled beyond belief and
learned it all and got a 100% on the final exam. But that was 2 years
ago. The information is certainly still important and correct, but it may
not be enough anymore. This is especially true for IT, but it's industry
wide - it doesn't matter if a person is a computer programmer or the technician
installing the latest cell tower equipment on the tower itself - things
change. Continuing education is necessary, plain and simple. The
dinosaurs didn't adapt very well, and look what happened to them.
And that's what
Certifications are and do. They not only bring the attendee up to date,
but they bring the attendee up to date with the most recent, most recognized,
and most accepted standards of that current time. Standards accepted not
just by one company or one trainer, but by the industry as a whole. The
training designed for certifications employs the Best Practices for that
specific topic. In addition, there usually is classroom time, and most of
the time this is live classroom time. Interaction with other people from
different companies and industries gives the student new perspectives on the
topic, they may discover new ways to approach something, or may even teach
others. Agile, for example, emphasizes the importance of human
interaction, and that is something that most certifications provide as a
by-product of classroom training. Without giving away trade-secrets of
their respective firms, students are able to share what works and what does not
work and offer different perspectives. One should always be open to
different approaches, even if one chooses not to adopt them. Learning is
listening.
In addition, most
certifications also require passing a test, and sometimes that test is not
easy. And this means bringing back a skill that many haven't used since
college - studying. There is inherent value in "cracking the
books", it's a different type of learning than classroom, and it
complements classroom learning perfectly. Again, it's continuing
education, in a changing world, people must also be changing and growing.
Certifications offer
these valuable benefits, not just 3 or 4 letters added to a person's last
name. Sure, it looks good on LinkedIn and on internal resumes/skills
assessments - but that's not what it's all about - that's not the benefit. The
benefit is, upon completion, the student has grown, has gained knowledge, and
can improve upon whatever their field is. The attendee benefits, and the
company benefits, and the co-workers benefit. It's a win-win-win.
In addition, depending on
the industry, this may also enhance the company in the eyes of
customers/potential customers. Certifications not only provide all the benefits
listed above, they also provide credibility within the
marketplace. Somebody who is certified is automatically seen as more
valuable than someone who is not, it's just a fact of life, regardless of
industry. A company with certificated employees, tends to be seen as more
valuable to customers.
Certifications - more than just
letters after your last name on LinkedIn.
Matt Wenzel, CSM, ACP,
ICP
(okay, so it does look
cool after the last name)
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