How to get value from technology certifications

Computerworld - Technology professionals and organizations interested in certifications have a large and ever-increasing number of choices available in the marketplace. A multitude of product companies and professional organizations offer certifications. What value do they offer? Opinions are divided. Many employers view them as a tool that helps to increase skill level within the technology organization or a hiring gate. Many technology professionals leverage them to advance their careers. On the other end of the spectrum, some people view certifications as yet another revenue stream for product vendors without significant merit attached.

I decided to do a field study and go through the certification process myself. The focus of the study has been on certifications relevant to the software application development community—programmers, software engineers, team leads and architects. Since a significant percentage of all development done today uses either Enterprise Java (J2EE) or Microsoft .Net technologies, I restricted the research to certifications offered by Microsoft and Sun. This is obviously not an exhaustive list, but I believe it is fairly representative. In total, I obtained three Microsoft and two Sun certificates. These were Developing and Implementing Web Applications With Microsoft Visual C# and Microsoft Visual Studio .Net, Developing XML Web Services and Server Components With Microsoft Visual C# .Net and the Microsoft .Net Framework, Analyzing Requirements and Defining Microsoft .Net Solutions Architecture, Sun Enterprise Architect for Java 2 Platform, and Sun Programmer for Java 2 Platform.

Microsoft certifications

Microsoft offers the developer community 12 different exams in four categories. These cover Web development, Windows development, Web services and security implementation using either C# or Visual Basic .Net. SQL Server, BizTalk Server and Commerce Server have their own exams. In addition, Microsoft development methodology is covered by the Solution Architecture exam. Passing any single exam earns the title of Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP). Passing three exams—one Web or Windows development, one Web services and one elective—earns the title of Microsoft Certified Application Developer (MCAD). Passing five exams—Solution Architecture, one Web development, one Windows development, one Web services and one of the electives—earns the title of Microsoft Certified Solution Developer (MCSD). MCAD is suitable for those who build, test, deploy and maintain applications. MCSD extends this to those who in addition analyze and design solutions. Exams use multiple-choice question format centered around case studies. Descriptions of a case study, which provide a realistic work context, are followed by a number of questions directly related to the case study. Exams are administered electronically by Pearson VUE and Prometric, and the costs are typically $125. Results are available immediately.