Top Certification Mistakes to Avoid

Avoiding certification mistakes is about being wise in your decision-making. Let us attempt to look at the most common certification mistakes with a view to getting certification candidates to avoid them.

1.Choosing a certification because it's easy to get

The extent of the requirements should be a consideration when choosing a certification, the most important aspect is how the certification will serve your career goals.

2. Choosing a certification because it's "HOT"

Most certification candidates have no idea of what the certification involves but they love it because it is hot. Many people want to pursue a certification based on its perceived popularityat the moment.This is a bad strategy. Whether you're new to IT or already in IT, Your first step towards a successful career should be researching and learning the different options available. Going for certification for the wrong reasons is both wasteful and unreasonable.

3. Assuming certification will fast-track your career

Certifications are one indication of your worthiness as an employee, but there are many others. They include experience, communication skills, ability to be a team player, etc. Having a Certification is no guarantee of success.

4. Not getting enough experience first

There is no substitute for experience. Start at a low level if you're just getting into IT, such as working at a smaller positions.Then your certification will have more weight, and your chances of getting that next job go up substantially.

5. Underestimating the real cost of certification

I know quite a few people who register for courses but who keep on dropping out due to one commitment or the other. You've paid for the training and you've bought the books, but how committed are you? Candidates who are successful in certification All possess the drive and motivation to succeed and advance their careers. Success with certification costs more than just training, certification tools and materials; without effort you're going nowhere.

6. Not thoroughly researching training companies

There are hundreds of places to get certification training. Do your homework before doing your homework, and you're much more likely to find the kind of training that fits your learning style and goals. Search out certification forums and ask students what they liked. Talk to an instructor or two ahead of time. Ask for a list of graduates and talk to them.Picking a training company is an important decision; don't take it lightly, and your chances of having a great training experience, leading to successful certification, increase greatly.

7. Failing to prepare

Poor preparation is a major killer of certification aspirations. It is not enough to choose a training center. you have to be truthful to yourself; do you have the work experience needed for that certification? Too often candidates don't prepare well due to overconfidence, ignorance of preparation options and poor personal organization.

8. Using one study method only

Books can be helpful certification prep tools. So can simulation labs. So can classroom-based training, and online training.Don't confine your preparation methods to just one of these types. The book learning you get can help a lot once you get in a lab. Instructor-led training combined with video tutorials reinforces the concepts you're learning.Variety is not only the spice of life, but it can kick your certification prep to the next level.

9. Failing to set deadlines for yourself

Each requirement should have a deadline date. If the requirement is that you pass a test, go ahead and schedule the test. As each deadline approaches Deadlines also help you escape the

big P: procrastination. If you're a person who doesn't get things done until the last minute, deadlines will generate time pressure to keep you on track.

10. Going for Testing before you're ready

Take your time. You want to be thoroughly prepared for your exams before testing. If you feel you need an extra week or month -- or more -- be patient and delay your exam. If you don't

have the concepts and hands-on knowledge down cold, it will hurt you on the test and in a live setting when the bullets are flying. Patience is a certification virtue.

11. Going to sleep after getting certified

Many certification candidates believe that once they are certified they no longer have to work to increase their skills . To stay ahead, you have to keep on learning. If you don't continuously develop your self the value of your certification falls.

Mistakes are not the end of the world.Plan, Perform, And Follow Through. I’m interested in comments you might have.

Which is better: a degree or a certification?

The question should be: which is better for me? It all depends on your opportunities and your background - your situation. A degree is expected to develop someone intellectually and mentally and to impart the required knowledge. It also demonstrates your ability to learn diverse information.

A Certification is only good for what that specific certificate is for and has to be renewed every few years. Newcomers and career changers who want to get a headstart in the IT industry often use certification. It may be enough to get you in the door, as it obviously allows you to acquire specific, valuable skills and knowledge faster than a university degree.

The knowledge you get from your degree MAY help you to get your Certificate. Certificate mean little except for specific jobs, a degree is an opening into almost every job.

“You Can Do Both!!!!” If you are diligent and really committed, you can fit your certification studies in around your degree studies. This approach might be a bit optimistic for most people. One advantage is that you balance the academic nature of your degree with the vocational nature of the certification.

Conventional wisdom is to spend time doing the degree and then pick up the certs later. College develops you in other ways than job preparation.You might not get a job because of the skills you learned during the course of your degree study, but as you progress in your career it is more likely that you won’t get higher level jobs if you lack a degree.Most people find going back to do a degree later in life more difficult than they find going back to do a certification.

For some people embarking on a process of continual certification will suit their career a lot better than spending several years working on a degree. It is a continuing process. You can’t just get one cert and coast for the rest of your career. You’ll need to continue to take exams on a regular basis for the rest of your career because the technology is evolving. This is true of most professions. I know several bright, successful people with certificates and no degree, but they all learned many of life's other lessons elsewhere.

Depending on your goals and objectives, you can probably get certified more quickly than you could get a degree. But certifications must typically be maintained or renewed, and a degree lasts a lifetime. Ultimately, you should be able to figure out which path works best given the amount of time, energy and money you have to spend on its pursuit.

And most importantly, whether you choose certification or degree, this doesn’t eliminate the need for lifelong learning. Because of the fast pace of change in IT you can’t go to sleep simply because you have a degree or you’ve gotten certified. You should know there are no hard and fast rules. There is no straightjacket formula. You are in the best position to determine what works for you - it’s your career! Good luck!

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Staying on the right path while preparing for your certification

First, here is an overview of a suggested method of study:

Review the certification requirements

For each exam, review the exam objectives

Perform a gap analysis of your knowledge/experience/skills versus the exam objectives (for each exam).

Create a study plan the that will help you close the gaps that you identified.

Utilize study methods that work for you. We suggest that these might include:

Practice – use the real product in a non-production environment

Training – take an Oracle University course or attend an OU seminar

Read – Oracle Press and many other publishers have exam and/or topic-related books available

Flash Cards – If you create flash cards with key points on them, you will learn both while you create them and while you review them

Practice Exams – look for legitimately available practice exams or sample questions

Things you should not use to study as they violate your certification candidate agreement:

Asking a friend who has taken the test to tell you what is on it

Accessing practice exam sites that claim to have real test questions

Take the test just “find out what’s on it’

Accessing user group "brain dumps" sites like www.career.homegoo.com

Discussing real exam questions in forums

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Most common question "Which certification should I take next?"

"MCSE or CCNA?". In this article, I am going to show you why these questions are inherently flawed and how a person can best decide for themselves which certifications are right for them.

Certifications are tied to experience levels. Some certifications are for beginners, some are for experts. Understanding where you fit into that spectrum will help you determine which

certifications are appropriate for you. Certifications are tied to specific job roles. When people ask if they should obtain their MCSE or CCNA, they do not realize that what they are really asking is, "Should I be a systems administrator or a network engineer?". Obviously, the person posing the question is the only one that can answer that, making the question inherently flawed and unanswerable.

Now that we have established those basic points, let's look at some of the certification paths and who they might apply to. We'll start with "Certifications for Everyone".

I believe that most people should take, particularly CompTIA's A+ and Network+ certifications. These exams address the fundamental building blocks thatare used to some degree or another in most IT jobs. They are also industry recognized and the perfect starting point for those with no experience. Even those with a lot of experience, canpad their resume with these. If you need to leave one of these out, make it the i-Net+/Security+ box.

After completing these certifications is where most people get hung up? CCNA or MCSE? Should I get the CIW? How about Linux? It is much the same as picking a major in college whichcan be quite difficult if you don't have set career plans. This is part of the reason most colleges and universities require general studies; They help you get exposure to a wide range of topics in order to narrow down your interests.

So how do you do this after completing your entry-level certification? Get a job! There are a lot of people that will swear that it is impossible to get a job unless you have an MCSE or other high level certification. This is patently false. You do not need high level certification in order to obtain an entry-level job. What you do need in addition to the certs that you picked up are a professional resume, good cover letter, interview skills, a desire to learn, and a personality that makes companies want to hire you. Your first job will likely be at a helpdesk, working in atechsupport call center, contract work through a temp agency, etc.

After 6 months at your new job, it is a good time to begin thinking about moving forward with your certifications. Hopefully, you have been exposed to a few things and have a better idea as to what you do or don't want to do. This is important because you are at a fork in the road and it is time to make some choices.

It is also important to note that the world isn't black and white and there are special circumstances. Many people work for smaller companies where they are the entire IT department. These people are often skilled in multiple job roles and it probably makes sense for their certifications to reflect that. Others may start down one path, realize they have made a mistake, and switch directions. The point of this article was to show exactly how certifications are tied to job roles and experience levels. Now, if I ask you, "Should I get a MCSE or CCNA?", you will realize that this question is unanswerable. Even if you know how much experience I have, how can you tell me what I WANT to do for a living? It is like asking someone if you should become a doctor or a lawyer.

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IT certification. What's the hottest certification?

A certification is one of the most valuable weapons in your job-hunting arsenal. A college degree and some experience -- and maybe a brother-in-law who's the hiring manager -- doesn't hurt either. But companies eager to hire specialists turn to certified candidates, in hopes that those candidates will be able to hit the ground running, and will require no training period. Although a bachelor's degree in computer science is always a plus, it doesn't necessarily prove that you know how to run a Microsoft network. An MCSE does.

"Two areas of focus I see as very attractive is any sort of networking-based technologies, and the other is software engineering disciplines," Beyond the most common certifications (Microsoft, Cisco, Novell), though, there are plenty of other designations that may be just as valuable. If you want a career in Linux, get the RHCE (Red Hat Certified Engineer) certification. If you want to cash in on the increasing concern over network security, the SANS GIAC (System Administration, Networking, and Security Global Incident Analysis Center) certificate will show potential employers that you can protect the corporate goodies. To gain even more leverage, combine this vendor-neutral security certification with a vendor-specific one. Almost every firewall-equipment vendor has its own certification program, and a generic security certification combined with a CCSE (Check Point Certified Security Engineer) or a Cisco Security Specialist certificate would make for a quick path to employment.

This question assumes some certifications are better than others. Certainly some are quite popular. Popular certifications are the Oracle Certified Professional, Microsoft Certified System Engineer (MCSE), CompTIA’s A+, Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) and Sun’s Java certification. But saying a certification is the best is stretching it too far. Can you say the CCNA is better than the MCSE? Or vice versa? That would be like comparing oranges and apples. It makes no sense. Assessing the quality of a certification is best done in relation to your needs. A certification that is good for your career may be useless for mine. Aiming for a certification without a career plan or focus is nothing more than gambling.

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