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03.22.07
Technical Certificates Declining In Value
 By
Dan Morrill
Monster.com is reporting that some IT Certifications are actually declining in value.
Allan Hoffman, Monster Tech Jobs Expert is reporting tonight that some certificates might not be as valuable as the person getting the certificate might think. Of course that kind of head line is enough to send people diving for the report that they are citing from Foote Partners.
Foote's research indicates:
For 2006, the survey found pay premiums increasing for certifications in Web development (up 3.6 percent), but declining for certifications in databases (down 4.6 percent), project management (down 2.7 percent), system administration and engineering/network operating systems (down 1.9 percent), and applications and programming languages (down 3.6 percent).
Yet some certifications that continued to have traction earned Foote Partners' "top performers" label. These included the Certified Information Systems Security Professional, Novell Certified Linux Engineer, Microsoft Certified Solution Developer, Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert and Red Hat Certified Engineer. Source Monster.com
What is the most important section in the article is that employers are looking for:
"Pay for certifications has been on the decline for some time," says David Foote, CEO and chief research officer for Foote Partners. "It's not that employers aren't willing to pay a premium for them, but instead, the prices they are willing to pay versus noncertified skills is nowhere near the levels of one to two years ago, or even six months ago for that matter."
Foote attributes the decline to employers' focus on employees who work well in teams, meet deadlines, understand business strategy and have industry know-how. "It's not that certifications are not important -- it's just that other things have become more important," Foote says. "There's more balance in what IT people do now. The technical aspect of what people do is important, but it's just one aspect [of their work]." Source: Monster.com
The focus on teams, teamwork, getting along with others, and being able to adequately explain the things that you are talking about is also on the employers mind. I know that if I find the right person, I will pay a premium for them, but I will also expect more from them. The right person in the right job with the right client means additional work, if the person has the right personality, and more work comes from the client, I will give my employee 2% of the net off the additional work as a reward for driving more business.
My small business relies on both personality and skill set, my employees have to have both, and when I find them, I have to make sure they are not poached. (Which happens a lot to contractors in the Seattle area, its almost a "try before you hire" mentality in some of the companies around here).
Check out which certificate is within your passion, and if the market is going up or down in regards to pay. Something to think about before investing 3,500 to 5,000 dollars into a certificate.
Comments
About
the Author:
Dan Morrill has been in the information security field for 18 years, both
civilian and military, and is currently working on his Doctor of Management.
Dan shares his insights on the important security issues of today through
his blog, Managing
Intellectual Property & IT Security, and is an active participant in the
ITtoolbox blogging community.
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