1. Cushing Anderson knows as much about technical
authorization as any person. As program VP for Project-
Based Services research for market researcher firm
IDC, Anderson follows trends in certification, how they
help the vendors train their workforces, and how
authorized staff help their corporations. Suffice it to say
that if he testified in an authentication court action, he'd
be considered an expert witness.
2. Given that background, About.com spoke to Anderson
about the existing state of U.S. Ratification, and got some
interesting insights.
4. Anderson described the fitness of the verification industry
as "Mixed. The capability for the market is powerful, and
the desirability [of certification] is stronger than it has
been for 1 or 2 years."
5. Documentation vendors nevertheless , could be missing a
chance to market more to firms than individuals. "They
[often] pitch verification as a technique to maximise an
employee's earning power," Anderson says. "They
should be selling its worth to bosses to boost
organizational value."
6. To that end, Anderson believes sellers need to understand
the value isn't in validation as much as selling its own
wares. "Certification sponsors could be doing a better job
of promoting it to the company. Cert sponsors are not in
business because they are selling more certs," according
to Anderson. Rather, certified employees "drive the
adoption of their technology ... The more authorized
people they have on a staff, the greater the worth they
have in that technology."
7. The opposite side of that coin is the workers "or those
looking to be employed "who get the licenses. Anderson
feels that technical certification still has powerful value.
"Some IT pros get three, 4 or 5 certs; that's what
they are after. But the majority of people get one or
two," he asserts.
8. Those testimonial holders, Anderson asserts, "Are not
doing it to pass a test — they perceive [certification] has
value to their pocketbooks. They read income surveys in
earnest. They look at it from a hire-ability or promote-
ability" perspective.
10. That's more important than ever in a recession as
grim as the existing one. Anderson claims there are 3 base
sorts of certification-seekers right now:
11. Those who have been let go from non-IT work that wish to
get into IT
12. Those let go from IT jobs who want to stay in IT
13. Those still in IT, looking to maintain their employed status
or gunning for raises and promotions
14. The non-IT folks, Anderson announces, have an interest in
ratification "to demonstrate their zeal for IT, [their desire]
to get into it."
15. The unwaged IT workers "Are looking for something to do
while they are underemployed, so they are trying to figure
out what makes them more employable," Anderson
explains. "That population goes up in recession time."
That is confirmed by Prometric, a major authorization test
delivery company, which Anderson announces saw a
"steady increase" in tests taken for the previous year.
17. That, naturally, also happens to be great for the sellers
who depend on a licensed workforce to recommend their
products. Anderson points out some of the vendors who
he believes have awfully robust documentation programs
prepared. "Cisco, Microsoft, Oracle and IBM, just due to
the enormous size of their installed base and the quantity
of people in the program."
18. Microsoft, for its part, is "Much more focused on end-
users," Anderson says. "They have an exceedingly good
variety of talents they certify [on]. Oracle is narrower
still, but they do a good job with folks in that career trail
getting licensed. Red Hat has a good program, but it's
not real large. But they are narrower in focus."
19. Although Red Hat's authorization programme is littler
than some others, Anderson announces "I like the
undeniable fact that Red Hat uses assessments to help
enterprise clients figure out where they happen to be and
where they have to go. Cisco is doing interesting stuff with
simulations and emulating their devices. All the vendors
are using remote laboratories for the most part."
21. And. Once those credentials are earned, how will they
assist you in the job marketplace? "None of these things
actually get you jobs," Anderson says. "They get you in
the pile. They don't hire you by the resume. The
undeniable fact you've got an MCP or MCSE does not
get you the job. You are trying to stand out in the pile. If a
recruiter is having a look at 2 piles, 'Those I'm going
to interview and those I am not ', ratification will help
you" get in the right pile, Anderson claims.
22. It won't get you the job on its own, however. "You
do have to understand the material," Anderson
asserts, referring to the famous example of a certification-
holder with no practical IT experience. "'Paper MCSEs '
were folk who couldn't do the work. To the limit you
have a authentication and can't do the work, you do not
deserve to get hired. ".