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Certification Skullduggery |
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On the surface, the race for certifications in software,
hardware, networking, and other technical disciplines sounds
like a wonderful idea for ensuring companies receive the level
of expertise they need to receive optimal efficiency and talent
for their operations. Many employers seeking the best talent
have certainly bought in on this hype from the industry’s
rush to set up a certification test for almost anything. Despite
the popularity of these practices, there is an ominous and
insidious impact going on beneath the surface that both employers
and technicians should consider.
When the certification craze first began to appear on the
scene, it was instituted more as a means for vendors to extract
a few extra dollars from their clients in exchange for a warm
and fuzzy feeling that these tests would ensure a higher degree
of competency from people who had received the vendor stamp
of approval. The pitch here was simple, if vendors could come
up with a skills test that demonstrated a level of experience
that could only be attained from having worked in a particular
discipline for a number of years in the field, companies who
hired these individuals would then be assured that they were
getting the best possible personnel in the field. In the beginning,
vendors tapped into the brains of their own best talent to
assemble the most obscure trivia they could devise regarding
their products, to design a program of certification that
could only be passed by someone who had intimate knowledge
of the product. Even at this stage of the development, there
was not necessarily as much focus on the practical application
of this minutia as there was on the fact that most beginners
in the field would be unable to pass the test.
With a sufficient amount of trivia collected, software and
hardware vendors launched their certification testing plans
at a price level that added enough credibility to the program
to convince customers that they would really be getting something
if they paid to have their employees engage in these testing
procedures, at a level of difficulty which practically ensured
that those who took these exams would have to repeat the testing
process a number of times before they could pass. As technicians
devised ways to prepare for passing these exams more easily,
changes to the tests, revisions of the technologies, and requirements
for new certifications on releasing new iterations of systems
and software have kept the business of charging large sums
of money for the process alive and well.
In practice, most capable technicians can pass just about
any kind of certification they can afford if they persist
in paying to take the exam, and research the information they
are uncertain about between attempts. This does not mean they
will be able to adequately perform the duties that will be
required of them when applied to the workplace, but they have
demonstrated an acuity for absorbing some of the trivial concepts
associated with their field of endeavor.
Having participated on both sides of this practice, the one
thing missing from this entire process is the ability to measure
true talent. In recent developments associated with current
business practices, there has been a sudden unhealthy shift
in the trends previously experienced. Though companies have
continued unabated in their insistence on hiring certified
professionals, there are increasing numbers of organizations
that are no longer willing to pay the costs associated with
obtaining the certifications they demand from their employees
and potential employees. To make matters worse, more and more
companies are requiring potential candidates to have a huge
number of technical certifications in a wide range of specialized
areas in order to qualify for employment consideration.
With the costs of certification now being shifted to the
individuals rather than to companies who require this questionable
measure of skill, the net effect is a form of technical discrimination
that effectively pushes out those talented individuals who
cannot afford to keep up with the shifting sands of getting
certified for every aspect of their working experience. In
some cases, I have seen companies requiring levels of certifications
and experience in their requirements that are literally impossible
for anyone to meet. For example, one job requirement required
both individual certification and more years of experience
with a single product than the number of years that particular
product had been in existence!
While working for a software vendor who had decided to initiate
a certification program, I was chosen to become one a few
engineers who were selected to provide support for certified
customers. When told what we would be doing differently for
these customers, the management said the approach would be
to treat these companies like they knew a little more than
a regular customer, and skip a few of the normal preliminary
questions when initiating the process of opening a support
issue. That was all we had for a guideline. In obtaining an
enterprise certification for myself with another vendor, I
took the exam several times before passing it. I used the
information I had gained to create a pretest preparation study
for other engineers who would also be taking the test, and
they passed their exams on the first try.
The bottom line here is that the current form of technical
certifications being used as a measure of ability are practically
worthless in what they truly offer, and more insidious in
their impact on professionals trying to maintain a viable
career in the technical industry. As it stands now, the technical
industry does not need any more barriers to progress in attracting
experienced talent that has already proven itself in real
time industry experience.
About the Author:
Article by John Dir - Director of Software Concepts
BHO Technologists - LittleTek Center HTTP://home.earthlink.net/~jdir
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