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!

I’m interested in comments you might have.