Your Information Technology Career: Certification vs. Experience

Whether you're just starting your Information Technology career, or wanting to get further ahead in your current IT career, you have probably thought about earning one of the many popular computer certifications such as the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) certification, or the MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer) cert.

A major point of frustration for individuals pursuing one of these certifications is a possible lack of experience with these technologies.  Many future CCNAs or MCSEs simply stop trying to earn their certification, feeling that their lack of experience will hold them back. 

Adding to this are those in IT who will stop everything they're doing at the drop of a hat to stomp on the dreams of others.  I recently saw a post by an IT newcomer on a popular website where he declared his intention of earning his CCNA.  Within minutes, several naysayers popped up and told him that he shouldn't bother, it wouldn't do any good due to his lack of experience, etc.  (Did you ever notice that people who bash certifications generally don't have any themselves?)

I am in no way discounting the importance of experience.  What I am saying is that every single one of us was a beginner at one point, and a lot of IT professionals forget this.  None of us was born knowing everything we know today, and we shouldn't spend any time dismissing the goals of others in the IT field, or those just breaking in.


I am speaking from experience on this point.  I had a tough time breaking into the IT field, and made a lot of calls and knocked on a lot of doors before I got in.  I found out later that the reason I got that entry-level job is that I had a professional certification where the other candidates did not. 

The pursuit of certification is the pursuit of knowledge, and in our field, you can never have too much knowledge.  If your work is strictly on the Local Area Network side, don't let that stop you from pursuing a CCNA.  If you work exclusively on the WAN side, don't let that stop you from going after your MCSE.  If you're just breaking into Information Technology, don't let a lack of experience prevent you from studying for your A+, Network+, or even your MCSE or CCNA.

Because one day, opportunity is going to knock - and the more you know, the readier you'll be to answer that knock!   Use your long-range vision to envision the day when you will have both experience and certification - an unbeatable combination.

Career Planning

Whether you are about to graduate from college, or want to change jobs at a later point in life, career planning is a very important aspect of the process.  Before you actually start applying for positions, it is essential to be certain of the areas you would like to work in.  The worst thing that could happen is not to take any steps in the career planning process, and end up in a job that you are unhappy with, or do not have the proper skill set for.

Career quizzes are often helpful in the career planning process.  These are often a great first step when trying to determine what type of jobs you'd be best suited for.  Many are available online, and address some of the following areas:  identifying your skills and abilities; determining if you prefer working with people, data or things; or summarizing what workplace values are most important to you.  By compiling all of this information, you'll usually get a general idea of what fields you should be seriously checking out.  The quizzes often list suitable occupations based on your answers.

One avenue that would be best to explore is signing up for career counseling.  There are many free services, mainly ones offered by the government, or at post-secondary institutions, that will get you started on your career planning journey.  Career counselors are trained professionals that will be able to offer you advice and make realistic recommendations on what area you would be best suited to work in.  They will look over your academic training, and often administer aptitude tests to see what careers you should be exploring.

Researching companies that you could picture yourself working for is another great step in the career planning process.  Check out their websites for information, and to see what type of positions they may be hiring for.  When possible, try to set up a meeting with a member of the department you'd like to be a part of, so that you may ask them questions and find out about the day to day aspects of the company on a more intimate level.  Check the newspapers and magazines to see if the company is mentioned at all, and see if the articles are favorable or not.  Although this may seem very simple, it can be a valuable part of your career planning.

If you think you may need to go back to school in order to make a career change, obtaining a catalog from a local post-secondary institution is a good way to kick start career planning.  Look through what programs are offered, what skills are required to be accepted to programs of interest, and what type of a time commitment you'd be looking at in order to make this change.  See if prior employment or life experience will work in your favor, and give you advanced standing into your selected programs.  People often forget to check into educational requirements for certain careers, and may waste time and energy by skipping this step in the career planning process.

An often underrated aspect of career planning is talking with your friends and family.  Discuss with them in detail what it is they do, and ask them to honestly tell you what they could picture you doing for a living.  Who knows? They may see something that you've overlooked, and it could be the missing link to your career planning process.

Career planning is something that everyone is faced with at some point in their lives, and it should not be taken lightly, although you can have some fun with it.  Most important of all is to be honest and realistic with yourself, and make sure you ultimately choose a path that will make you happy and keep you financially secure.

How To Start Your Career In Information Technology

Many newcomers to Information Technology get an overly-optimistic picture of the field from tech school ads that continually make note that "an average MCSE salary is $80.000 a year!".  

And if someone's thinking of getting into IT and goes on the internet to do some research, they're met with the opposite end of the spectrum - complaint after complaint about how much IT is a terrible field, you can't break in, there's no room for newcomers, etc.

As usual, the truth lies in the middle.  As much as I love the IT field, I'll be the first to say that it's often hard to get that first job.  Many tech schools have a job placement department, and that can be one big plus in their favor. 

What if you don't have that resource working for you?  When you're breaking into any field, IT or not, you must not make the classic mistake of sending a ton of resumes and waiting for the phone to ring.   The odds are that it won't.

You must get out and talk to people.  The term "networking" doesn't just refer to allowing computers to talk to each other; it also refers to people talking to each other.  In your case, you've got to get out and meet people.  Check the business section of your local newspaper.  There will be dozens of networking meetings listed in there.  It doesn't matter that you aren't in the field yet; go to these meetings and meet people.  Initiative is never a bad thing.

And once you get that first job, make it count.  Show up on time and do what you say you'll do.  If you don't know something, dig into Google and find the answer or ask a more knowledgeable colleague.  (Just doing these few basic things will put you way ahead of the pack.)

Getting started in IT is as tough as breaking into any other field.  Having worked in a few different jobs in my life, though, I can tell you this:  No other field in the world rewards individual drive, initiative, and achievement like Information Technology.  The fact that you have to work so hard to get in will make your eventual and unstoppable success just that much sweeter.

Three Ways To Jumpstart Your IT Career

We all get stuck in ruts from time to time, and that happens on the job as well.  You've thought about doing something different with your information technology career, but just haven't quite gotten around to it yet.  Sound familiar?

You can make 2014 the best year yet for your IT career.  There are several simple steps you can take to accelerate your career - but you have to take the step, not just think about it!

Learn something new.  One of the biggest reasons you get tired of a job is that you're doing the same thing every day.  If you happen to love what you do, that's great, but if not it's time to break out of the box.  Besides, learning a new skill adds value to your career.  If you've been doing server work for a long time, take the time to learn some Cisco skills.  If you're an Exchange specialist, learn some Linux skills.

Get certified.   Not very many of us get to work for the same company for the rest of our IT careers.  The only job security is the security you give yourself, and one of the ways to get that security is to add professional certifications to your resume. Certifications such as the MCSE and CCNA get you noticed and help you stand out from the crowd.  Ask yourself what your resume would look like if you were laid off today, and then take steps to improve yourself and your professional standing.

Be prepared to take one step backwards in order to take multiple steps forward.  You may be in a situation I was in a while back when my employer saw me as strictly a server guy.  I wanted to get on the Cisco side of things, but there was this perception that I was "only a LAN guy".  I had to leave that company to get my shot.  There was some short-term financial pain, but in the long run it was the best career move I've ever made.

People get typecast in every field.  In his book "Often Wrong, Never In Doubt", Donny Deutsch writes about a job candidate who wanted to become a junior ad executive, but couldn't break in with his current employer - which was an ad agency!  He was typecast in a support role, so he applied to other ad firms and was quickly hired.

Sometimes you have to look outside your current situation in order to create a new situation for yourself.  Don't be afraid to take a step backwards in order to open up new possibilities for yourself.  There's an amazing career out there, waiting for you - if you have the courage to make it and take it.