I had a conversation last week with a prospective new student when he posed this very poignant question, “What is better to have — specific certifications, a college degree, or relevant work experience?” I have heard this question quite often and have actually had the opportunity to bounce it off our Program Advisory Committee. The answer I always receive, and give out, “…it depends.”
Every employer wants to hire a person that has intimate knowledge, skills, and ability in the exact area of the discipline for which they need an employee for. The more specialized the discipline, the more coveted the person with the specialized experience becomes and wages escalate – regardless of any certifications or degrees the person may have. Explicit experience therefore trumps anything else. But what happens when the employer cannot find anyone with the exact experience required?
All things being equal when it comes to certifications and other area experience, the next determining factor will be the educational level of the candidate for employment. Anecdotally, I have heard of 22 year old software developers — fresh out of college — that are receiving excellent salaries based on their recent education. While earning a degree is still the gold standard, employers are also looking for relevant applied experience more than a piece of paper. So why not simply study a specific discipline and receive the associative certificate?
Certifications are developed to assure the competency of persons in the discipline, or skill set, for which they are awarded. When an employer is looking to hire for a specific set of duties related to a discipline for which there is a certification, then of course they are looking for an individual with the specific certification…or relevant experience. Everyone would like to have the “alphabet soup” of certifications after their name (e.g. MSTS, CCNA, MSCE, ACP, CBIP, CCP, CDMP, ISA, etc.) but what I hear from employers is that they are looking for these certifications in addition to education and experience.
So, what did I recommend to the prospective new student? I told him that employers are looking for candidates that have the knowledge, skills, and ability required for the position. And…every employer mentioned wanting “well rounded and communicable” employees. I recommended that the student come to college and get a broad based education, along with specific certifications, and get some demonstrable experience through our praxis programs such as a service learning project.
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Since I’m in the midst of the murky waters otherwise known as the “Job Search.” I’ve found that, for most online applications, what matters is figuring out what the screening engine uses to pass applications to the HR department for further review. If applying online, it is important to make sure the key words of the application requirements are reflected in your resume. Don’t assume that anyone will ever actually read your application and see what a great, qualified person you are. If the application actually asks you to e-mail the HR department directly, then your application will be looked at (by a human). The absolute best way to get your resume seen is through old-fashioned networking! It IS who you know! It also helps to personally visit places you’d like to work and talk to whoever you can talk to. At a minimum you could give your resume and cover letter to the receptionist. At many small companies, the visit with the receptionist may lead to a visit with the head of IT. If you just sit home checking your e-mail, it will be a long search.
I agree that experience trumps education, because of the fact that I myself have met some rather disappointing characters in life that just came out schooling with the fresh knowledge only to be shown up by a veteran of the topic. A degree is only the key to the door, but the real walk comes from hands on experience. No amount of schooling can offer real world experiences. The only way to get experience is to actually go out do real world work. Once I graduate with my Bach of Science in Information Tech, I don’t expect to immediately find a suitable job. I know it will take some time before I am considered for a position based off of my degrees that I will have obtained by then.
Good points Nelly, but I’d point out the importance of keeping a portfolio of your accomplishments — particularly the Applied and Service Learning projects.
I do agree with on your assessment. It really does depend on things and the direction the person wants to go in their career. I have been one of these people. I earned an Associates Degree back in ’98 and that got me in the door for the IT work I do. I did full time IT work and software development from ’95-99 and then made the jump into consulting and temp work. I also started my own company in 2000. This helped me to expand my skills and keep them fresh. I also had to be more diligent in staying up to date on new trends and technologies as well. As a result I hit a 6 figure income 2006 as a result of my experience and skills. I started working on government contracts in 2005. One of the things I needed to start looking at though was finishing a BS degree. The more involved in the government contracts I got the more need there is to be more presentable to the government and one of the things they are big on is having a degree. As far as certifications go I have only tested for one – Security+, since it was required for the type of work I do on the government contracts. Right now I am actually looking at entering into a CTO position with the company I do my government contracts through as an effort to help them grow more in government and commercial spaces. Over my career one thing I have noticed as well is that when the economy goes downhill and the unemployment rate goes up, companies tend to be pickier and tend to pick look closer at hiring those with a degree than those with just experience. So having a degree does help in that regard as well.
– Dorian Kunzler