No Panacea

As software and IT specialists take on more certifications, prospective employees must ask themselves the following question. Are the resources spent in (time exam preparation, training materials, exam fees, upkeep fees) worth the benefits (in increased prospects and compensation). Part of this can be answered through analyzing the demand side of economics (are employers looking for these certifications?). Are the certifications listed in job descriptions? One interesting place to do some quick empirical research is Indeed.

Below is a graph that compares that absolute demand of certifications in the marketplace (e.g., in how many job descriptions did the term MCSE appear over a time span of 3 years). This is a rough gauge of now many companies are seeking those particular skills. We can see in the absolute scale that demand for MCSE’s have diminished and there is a slight uptick for more professionals holding the CCNA and CISSP credential.

The graph below is slightly more interesting, as it compares the relative demand for particular jobs (or more accurately search terms appearing in job descriptions). In the above graph we saw in absolute terms, demand for CISMs was relatively flat, but relative to other positions, there are more posting.

As more information becomes available, employees should start to take advantage of these online research avenues. If you haven’t already look into glassdoor. This site provides salary information based on a particular company (powerful information for negotiations).

More resources: Certifications talk from 2007

This entry was posted on Saturday, June 14th, 2008 at 11:01 pm and is filed under Technology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.