BleepingComputer.com: Vista Certification - Is It Worth The Money

My question regards obtaining certification for Windows Vista.

I’m particularly interested in comments from people in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area since our economy seems to be more depressed related to I/T.

1. Do you think Vista certification will actually open any doors. My experience is that
most employers don’t understand what a certification is or what is involved in getting it.

2. Has anyone priced the cost of the classes and what is the “graduation” rate. I’ve been bit in the past and wanted some feedback from other people.

Bottom Line: I’ve know other people who have put in the time and money to obtain MS certifications, just to get laid off anyway. Will Vista certification really help in a Dallas/Ft. Worth economy?

Thanks…

IMO, any certification will open doors. So many people are hired on the basis of being certified that it's almost a requirement!

Certification is just a foot in the door. If I've got 2 applicants and only one is certified (all other things being equal) - who am I gonna hire?

But, come time for layoffs, who am I gonna keep? The certified guy who just comes to work and does his job - or the uncertified guy who busts his butt all day long?

I've seen many folks with certification who can't troubleshoot their way out of a paper bag. I'd rather see examples of their actual work!

usasma, on Jun 17 2006, 10:05 PM, said:

I know what you mean Usasma.. Im going to school this August to recieve my A+, Network+, etc. Along with an associates degree in computer networking.. I've seen some guys htere at the school that think once they're done, they're just going to get out of there, apply at a shop o ra company, and breeze through life on that one job.. Once I get my Certs and my diploma, im going to work as hard as a I can with those certs under my belt.

I don't have any certifications - and find that folks are reluctant to hire me (I'm retired so I don't need a job

But, when I tell 'em that I'm a Microsoft MVP - they fall all over themselves! So, I laugh in their face and move on!

The certification process at Microsoft is a very rigorous process. I can't find the link right now - but a search of the Microsoft site for MCP exams will show you just what they go through for each exam. I'm allowed to tell you (from the NDA) that "I provided technical information for the Microsoft Certification program" in my recent visit there, so I know a bit about this.

Certification is acknowledgement that you know a certain amount of information about that product. It's valuable for folks doing the hiring - but too often they become blinded by the piece of paper and don't consider the entire person. And it's the entire person that the manager promotes.

for those interested in learning more about window vista.




http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearc...mp;cds2Pid=9481

When one is looking through resumes for candidates for an IT position, one generally sorts them by highest qualitifications to lowest. Especially for entry level positions, one looks at the credentials of the candidate, even those that might not be strictly speaking applicable to the job requirements, because they show both an desire as well as an ability to apply oneself to learning new skills. The demonstrated ability to learn new applications, new languages, etc., is very important given the innovative state of computing today. Having a degree, and additional certifications, then, will get you to the head of the competitive list, and a foot in the door.
Regards,
John

I've heard human resource people say they look at certs so that they know what they have yet to teach a given candidate in order to do a certain job.

Most of the time, human resources (which is seldom human at all, and never much of a resource for the employee), simply reviews the resume for minimum requirements (for example, a BA degree), correct English, and verification of employment. Once these tests are met, the resumes are forwarded (this is especially so in the IT world, where HR is simply out of their league in making any kind of professional assessment of qualifications) to those who will conduct interviews at a later date, and these people will review the credentials carefully before choosing candidates for interviewing.
Cheers,
John