View from the grass roots

A Training is a premier training company, which promises to prepare Charles sheds some light. you fully for all manor of professional certifications as well as broaden your general knowledge of the field. NETWORK Solutions interviewed Barrie Charles, marketing manager of QA Training, to find out what a professional certification can do for you and whether training courses have any value.

NS: What are the benefits to being certified?

BC: In the main, I would say, having your skills recognised. You are able to show your colleagues and any future employers what you are capable of. This can gain you a lot of respect. There are also additional benefits offered by vendors, such as beta testing and access to privileged information.

Is there a significant difference in job opportunities and salaries between those who are certified and those who are not?

Not at the moment. There is a severe shortage of skills in the industry at present. Employers are lucky to get anyone with reasonable experience - they just can't be choosy. And because of the demand for experienced people, they can command high salaries whether they are certified or not.

This may change in the future if the skills gap shortens.

How common are certified professionals in networking? Have you noticed any trends recently?

That depends on what areas you look at. Novell's is a well-respected certificate. And there are a good proportion of people working with Novell products who are certified. Microsoft's certification is still fairly new, not as well established. The company's three main certifications are MCP, MCSE and MCSD, but MCP and MCSE are the most popular. I see all three of the Microsoft certificates becoming more popular and a significant growth in the number of people acquiring MCSD.

How well respected and acknowledged are certified professionals by their peers and employers?

At the moment, not everyone understands certification. It will offer you an extra degree of respect, but it is still your on-the-job skills are going to count.

If someone is looking to get started in a particular area of networking, should they get certified beforehand?

That really depends on what background you are coming from. If you are coming in from a completely different area, you are going to find it difficult.

All our courses have prerequisites, so you must have some experience in a relevant area before you start the course, or we can provide another course to obtain the prerequisites. Even if you take the training courses and pass the exams, all your skills will still be theoretical. That may not be enough to convince an employer you can do the job. At QA Training, we recommend a mixture of training courses and on-the-job experience.

How important are the actual training courses in the certification process?

Well, you don't actually have to take a training course to become certified. There are other methods, such as self-study. But you have to remember that you are still going to be taking exams. Exams tend to be specific, so preparation is essential. But alongside that, we also want to develop the individual's skills to improve their performance at work. So, yes, training courses can be important.

Is it beneficial for companies to put their employees through these training courses and get them certified?

There are different views on this. We run parallel courses, ones that enable certification, and others that are purely skills-based. With the certification courses, some feel it is best to train and certify employees to increase their skills and encourage a sense of loyalty. Others, however, feel that if they train employees and get them qualified, they will just leave for better paying jobs. I find that the business community is split down the middle 50/50 on this subject. Of course, this only applies to the certification courses and not those that are purely skills-based.

Is there one particular course that is going to be a major benefit to its holder, above most others? Are there certificates out there that should be avoided?

I think that a Microsoft qualification is the one to go for. Attain the MCP initially as a platform, then branch out to either MCSE or MCSD. In general, it is important to stick to qualifications from the big names, Microsoft, Novell, Lotus, etc. They have a reputation preceding them and they have their systems installed in most networks around the world. Don't go for obscure qualifications that are very limiting unless, of course, that is definitely the area you plan to work in.

If certification becomes the standard for networking professionals, do you think they will start to lose their significance?

BC: That's an interesting question. I don't think so. At the moment, we are a long way away from that situation, but as certificates become more common, new hurdles will develop. Take Novell - it is well established, many people hold a CNE, but now the company has developed the Master CNE to take things further. I feel that things will continue to go that way.

With the technology changing all the time and people having to re-certify, isn't this going to cost them a lot of money?

BC: It is true that with Microsoft and Novell, when the technology or exam changes, people have to re-certify within a certain timeframe. There is a cost involved, but people have to realise that they are making a certain commitment when they apply for certification, and it can cost more. Fortunately, if you re-certify within the timeframe, the cost of both the exam and any extra training are significantly reduced. So certified professionals should be able to keep their qualifications up-to-date fairly cheaply. NS