Certification = Employment? 2

[Skittle]

Has anybody completed a Microsoft certification program and been able to get into a job without a great deal of IT experience?

I am woking on a MCAD even though my 'in the field' experience of VB .NET is very small. I have worked in IT for years (AS400) but wounder if at the end of the day I am just learning the information needed to pass exams and that employers more often than not, go for experience rather than certificates.


Dazed and confused

 

[Wishdiak]

Skittle,

I think you'll find that for the most part, experience counts for more than certification. Where certification will help you is when you're competing against someone with the same experience and the certification may be a deciding factor.

There seems to be a perception that just having certifications and no experience will land you a great job. This is very unlikely. What the certifications may help you get is a job that will allow you to earn the experience that will ultimately lead to that "great job".


Wishdiak

http://www.wishdiak.com

 

[mrdenny]

I agree with Wishdiak. Certs are not the key to a job. You have to start at the bottom rungs and get the experience to get the great job. The certs will come in handy more then when you have a person with a cert and a person with out a cert applying for the same job. At that point the cert might help out.

Denny

--Anything is possible. All it takes is a little research. (Me)

 

[laseruk81]

You need a combination if you are constantly looking for new work (ie contracts). For example,

One candidate 4 years experience no certs

One candidate 4 years experience, MCSE, CCNA, CNE

One candidate MCSE, CCNA, CNE, no work history

Supposing the 4 years experience for both people is similar, good references etc, and one with the certs is more likely to get the job.

 

[andrew2000]

I agree. I would always hire someone with 1 year of experience over someone with an MCSA, but I might pay a little attention to the certs if everything else was equal.

Of course I would ask them point-blank if they cheated.

Drew

 

[Wishdiak]

andrew2000,

What would you consider cheating? Especially if the candidate had both the experience and the certification?

Wishdiak
A+, Network+, MCSA 2003 certified

http://www.wishdiak.com