Re: Certification??

In a message dated 04/02/1998 8:02:05 AM Central Standard Time, rbarr@one.net
writes:

<< I'm new to the list and just wondered how IBM certification is viewed in 
 your company.   Is it valued?  Is it expected of all programmers?  Does 
 anyone even notice?  Does it impact salary?  Do you find it personally 
 helpful?
 
 I'd be very interested in hearing from you on this.  (I ask because I was a 
 bit surprised to learn that it doesn't really make much difference in the 
 company I work for.)
 
 Regards,
 Regan Barr
 General Revenue Corporation
 Rbarr@one.net >>


Regan - I find that certifications do not matter for the majority of my
clients.  Most managers respect ability, and really don't pay attention too
much to degrees and certifications.  There are, however, some exceptions.
These are primarily:

1.  Solution providers/consulting companies are often contractually obligated
to have employees on site with minimum skill levels and certs are one of the
easier ways to do this.  Example - I have a client who is required to have two
CNE's on call 24 hours a day.  Similarly, hospitals and other clients with
very high levels of security and required uptime are more likely to invest
heavily in training requirements for their employees.
2.  Depends on the corporate culture, plant size, etc.  A Japanese or German
owned company (in my experience) is far more likely to require certifications
and degrees for their employees.  A lumber processing plant with an S/36 is
less likely to require it...

>From what I see, it seems rare that general IBM certifications impact salaries
appreciably.  Employees are more often rewarded for networking certs such as
MSCE, MCNE, etc.  However, high level certifications will often make the
difference on candidate selection (but not salary level) when it comes time
for a company to make a hire.

One thing I have noticed recently is that more and more companies are dangling
training packages as a hiring incentive.  The IBM "passport" program is
getting to be popular and can be worth thousands to a candidate.  My problem
is getting candidates to understand this value to them further in their
career...I had a client recently offer a candidate a 10% raise (no relocation
required) and an offer to send her to "official JD Edwards" school.  She would
have been able to double her salary within two years but she turned the
position down because she did not understand the value of the certification -
she felt that a 10% raise was not worth her making a move.  Oh well....

David Brown
Snelling Search, Huntsville AL
800-239-1410 x2205
haveajob@aol.com
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