Certifications, are they worth anything?

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by Laser100, Dec 9, 2003.

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  1. Laser100

    Laser100 New Member

    When you go to get a job does your certification mean anything to the employer or is a degree the only thing worth getting?

    I have pursued certifications that are recognized or acknowledge by NSSB, DANTES, ACE, and the American Learning Exchange (ALX) or Federal Learning Exchange (FLX).

    I also have a federal FCC license and that seems to be given the same respect.

    From my perspective, it seems the certifications and licenses don’t hold the respect of the effort I put into them.
     
  2. Jack Tracey

    Jack Tracey New Member

    In my field certifications can potentially mean a lot. However, a certification in Gerontology isn't going to mean much if you're applying for a job in Pediatrics.
    Jack
     
  3. maranto

    maranto New Member

    In my field, certifications tend to hold more weight, when taken in addition to a requisite academic degree. For instance someone with a doctorate in environmental chemistry might be well served with an additional certificate or professional credential in a related field that is not directly in the same academic discipline (i.e. environmental compliance auditing or pollution prevention engineering). As a stand-alone credential, I think that they have far less weight.

    Cheers,
    Tony Maranto
     
  4. Laser100

    Laser100 New Member

    NSSB

    The National Skills and Standards Board (NSSB) made significant progress in establishing a certifications recognition program.

    The NSSB was a U.S. Department of Education subsidiary that was backed by Legislative Charter of congress. The sunset clause pulls the Charter and now it has lost its luster as the mark of U.S. government authority.

    I believe this is a significant loss to the certification recognition process and undermines the acknowledgement of certifications in industry.
     
  5. Felipe C. Abala

    Felipe C. Abala New Member

    Yes, in the country where I'm working, certification is an added, if not the sole, factor in the hiring process. Specially, if that certification is on a subject related to the job. Your degree might become a secondary factor.

    My case, I have to earn certifications to document my IT skills since my first degree is non-IT, and I work in IT field.
     
  6. Dr Dave

    Dr Dave New Member

    First, there are three levels of certification:

    1) License issued by a state board
    2) Professional designation conferred by an institute or professional society
    3) A vendor certification (common in the IT world)

    Their relative prestige falls in that very same order as well.

    Note that a university "certificate" or "advanced certificate" (I have one of these too) have nothing whatever to do with certification; rather, they are purely academic credentials gained thorough academic pursuits.

    After I got my MBA, I decided to get a few professional certifications in management to competitively differentiate myself from other MBAs as part of managing my career. So I earned the C.A.M., CM, and CRM all through examination. Later I earned the Advanced Certificate in Management (which, again, is not a certification) and finally a DBA degree.

    One moment of truth is the job interview. While I have had interviewers in the past compliment me on my academic achievements, never once has there been any discussion at all around my professional designations. What I conclude, not at all surprisingly, is that certifications or professional designations are not deemed to be of the same status as degrees which require far more effort to attain--nor should they be for that matter. Secondly, I conclude that these credentials, while well understood within their disciplines, are not well understood more widely in industry and business, which lessens their value somewhat.

    I have also seen cases where people with BA or BS degrees pursue a certification in lieu of a master's degree, erroneously believing certification to be a substitute or equivalent for an MBA. Clearly, it is not even close.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 11, 2003

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