Web sites selling actual certification exam questions, brain dumps, paper qualifications attained through certification boot camps, and 100% pass rate guarantees continue to debase the value of many IT certifications. Although many professionals are aware that the certification credentials they hold may have little or no credibility, they often feel forced to pursue them anyway or else be put at an disadvantage in a competitive market. This article not only describes the conditions affecting the integrity of IT certifications, but it’s also a call for action by IT certification vendors to restore credibility to their programs.
For the full article, IT Certification Credibility Shot, Vendor Action Needed! ….
Bogus Credentials, Fast Food, And The Rise Of The Pseudo-Professionals
by Chris Berry
In virtually every profession, charlatans and frauds occasionally attempt to pass themselves off as legitimate practitioners. Strict licensing requirements make it more difficult in some fields than others, but that doesn’t prevent the truly dedicated scam artist from attempting to cash in on a potentially lucrative business. It doesn’t happen very often, but the sheer audacity required to pass oneself off as doctor or lawyer is almost mind boggling.
In the interest of protecting the public, states have put in place strict licensing requirements for certain occupations. This is particularly true of the medical, legal and accounting professions. When you see MD, JD, or CPA behind a name, you can usually rest assured that this person has years of specialized professional training, and has passed a rigorous licensing examination.
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Assessing the Integrity of Professional Certifications
By Gaston M. Brant
Use any search engine and type in “fake certification” or a similar term and you will likely find offers for certification credentials in your profession of choice without any skills assessment, training, or experience required – except for a valid credit card. Obviously, entering “fake certification” will result mostly in offers for “novelty” credentials; however, many so-called “legitimate” certification credentials can be just as worthless as the fakes. How can this be so? Well, the certification industry is largely unregulated. Basically, there are no regulating agencies to enforce standards, so each certifying body can create their own. In fact, just about anyone can become a certification granting entity using a home computer and a printer. This is not to say that all certifications are phony; there are certification granting bodies that indeed have high standards, but unfortunately, most do not. For every credible and recognized certification, there are likely to be several competing ones that are unrecognized, questionable, or outright fakes. Being unregulated, the certification industry is truly a “wild west show”, making it difficult for the uninformed to identify the good from the bad. However, with a little footwork, it’s not that difficult to filter out value from the “junk”.
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Among certification candidates, employers, and the public, there is a growing awareness that all certification credentials are not created equal. Although still common, especially among the uninformed, general acceptance of certification credentials on face value alone is becoming less so. As more professionals become aware of the issues causing damage the credibility of certification programs, many practitioners are becoming more discriminating about the programs they choose.
Today, a credential proclaiming someone as a “certified professional” does not necessarily guarantee acceptance. Although a skeptical attitude towards certification is becoming more common, it’s primarily limited to professional circles. Meanwhile, the media continues to cheer-lead and champion credentialing programs of all types. If anyone researches the issue however, one quickly learns there is a difference between the viewpoints of those who market certification credentials in the media and those who work in a profession. Below are three links that illustrate the factors causing this change in attitude towards certification programs:
Social Media Certification:
Social Media Certification: For the low, low price of ….
Java Programming Certification:
The Truth about being Sun Certified
IT Certification:
Why certifications are now worthless
January 10, 2010 by mitch in
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Certification Demand and Quality is a well thought out analysis on the value of IT certifications. The author’s experiences as an independent developer, employer and make his viewpoint particularly interesting. Although generally critical of most IT certification programs, the author praises a few high-quality programs and explains why they reflect real value in comparison to the majority of programs that do not. Most importantly, the author provides possible solutions for improving the quality of IT certification exams so that they could more accurately test knowledge and talent.
This is a must read article for anyone considering IT certification, but particularly for those considering certifications in SW programming.
For the full article…..
Can you really say that? Well, Jesus Diaz did and backs it up with examples. It appears that most of his readers agree with him too.
Experienced professionals sound off on the value of IT storage certification programs in this article from ComputerWorld. Read what working pros have to say about the role of certification in hiring, its value as a career enhancement tool, and whether current certification programs are adequately addressing the needs of the IT storage industry.
For the full Computer World article….
This article says out loud what many already know but usually don’t express for fear of ridicule or attack (at least in public anyway). A link to reader comments from the original article is posted at the end.
Note: The following does not represent the opinion of Mark McKinnon. He merely had the good grace to allow me a forum in which to post it after it was respectfully declined (for obvious reasons) by the SANS Institute’s Forensic Blog. I wrote it chiefly because I hadn’t seen anything recently, or as I recall, ever, that so much as acknowledged any downside to certification. I respect the pro-certification viewpoint, but I do disagree with it. And so, without further ado…
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