Comments on: Does Certification Have Value in a Web 2.0 World?

By: jd-

jd- — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 17:48:20 +0000

Certifications do not hold much value anymore, especially if you are solo. The proof is in the pudding (portfolio) and nothing else really.

If you want to play the corporate rat race than sure, race to get all the new hot certs that will be obsolete in 2 years.

As a solo business however, paying for a cert is a poor ROI.

By: Mold Certification

Mold Certification — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 08:50:45 +0000

Don’t get me started on the MS certifications. I’ve yet to meet a single MSCE that impressed me. But, again, I know the tests have gone up and down in quality over the years. Mold Certification

By: WebWorkerDaily » Archive 5 Extra Documents You Should Provide for Your Clients «

Mon, 19 Jan 2009 15:00:43 +0000

[...] update. After all, a lot can happen in a year. You may have received an award, got another certificate, or were featured in a major magazine. You shouldn’t hide these things, especially not from [...]

By: WebWorkerDaily » Archive The Anatomy of a Web Working Ad «

WebWorkerDaily » Archive The Anatomy of a Web Working Ad « — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 14:00:58 +0000

[...] for education, I rarely see web working ads that require certification or a diploma. Usually, the businesses that do ask for such requirements are companies or [...]

By: IT Training

IT Training — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 07:16:07 +0000

IT certification is quite important in todays world since there is so much competition among professionals. An employer would judge you based on your qualifications and only later on your personal skills.

By: DanGTD

DanGTD — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 12:59:49 +0000

Even Zend offers a php certification. Do you know if it helps at anything?

By: Dog Training » Comment on Does Certification Have Value in a Web 2.0 World? by …

Sat, 23 Feb 2008 01:04:05 +0000

[...] default@goarticles.com (Eileen) wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptThe cycle is this: Somebody names something people are doing without naming it (personal training, life coaching, dog training, project management.) It catches on as a potential hot career. Somebody, often a practitioner who can’t make … [...]

By: Barbara Saunders

Barbara Saunders — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 22:31:06 +0000

Reply to Justin: RNs are licensed, not certified. Big difference!

By: Barbara Saunders

Barbara Saunders — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 22:24:26 +0000

There’s an innate problem with certification, at least in the non-technical arena. The cycle is this: Somebody names something people are doing without naming it (personal training, life coaching, dog training, project management.) It catches on as a potential hot career. Somebody, often a practitioner who can’t make it selling the service develops a certificate program.

Now, what do you think makes more money, a rigorous certificate program that many people fail despite paying, or a certificate that almost everyone passes? If the certificate grantor is really savvy, they will launch a media campaign warning consumers and employers never to trust anyone without the certificate!

This process confuses the public and adds a barrier to entry to new people, regardless of their capabilities.

By: PM Hut

PM Hut — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 01:16:33 +0000

Below is an article debating the issue on PMP: PMP - Worth The Trouble

By: J Lane

J Lane — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 17:12:40 +0000

@Justin In my (humble) opinion, the methodology taught by the PMI is ill-suited to managing web projects (I’ve done the training). It’s essentially the waterfall method, where everything gets planned out upfront, clients sign off on the plans and then development proceeds. At that point, any changes are tightly controlled, and occasionally quite costly.

I’ve seen this turn into an adversarial relationship quite quickly with clients feeling like they’ve been nickled and dimed, and contractors feeling like they’ve been taken advantage of. Based on my education and experience, the only thing useful about PMI training vis a vis managing web projects is seeing it as a model of “what not to do”.

By: Justin Stockton

Justin Stockton — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 03:01:53 +0000

From the other side of the argument, I am a contractor for a small consulting company and we’re finding that industry certifications help sell our services to clients. To be able to tell a client that your project is managed by a PMP certified PM, your network is overseen by a CISSP and your Java developers are Sun certified helps instill confidence that your employees know what they’re doing.

Maybe the question we should be asking is why are Web/IT workers are so skeptical of certifications? Who doesn’t check to see if their auto mechanic is ASE certified? That the woman taking care of your elderly mother is an RN? These are certifications same as a PMP, CISSP, or MCSE but we don’t question their worth or the people that hold them.

By: J Lane

J Lane — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 20:37:29 +0000

I’ve always had trouble with the PMP designation being used as a qualification for web professionals. The process taught by the PMI is s ill-suited to web projects.

My experience has been that “PMP-types” managing web projects usually lead to an extremely high level of dissatisfaction by everyone involved (stakeholders and project team), whereas projects handled using one of the various agile approaches leads to much better results, faster, and for less money.

Your mileage may vary.

By: Jeff Rohrer

Jeff Rohrer — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 18:13:38 +0000

Interesting that you mention both Web 2.0 and certification in this post. Right now I am creating a social network that revolves around certification: help others pass exams if you are already certified, get help in any certification that you are interested in (mainly IT and college entry exams right now, but we plan to add more later), etc…It’s in private beta right now, but anyone that wants to can sign up for an invite at http://www.certifyre.com. I’m really not trying to spam, it’s just that I have never seen anyone else mention web 2.0 and certification in a blog post except me: certifyre.blogspot.comCheers!Jeff

By: Paul Carney

Paul Carney — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 16:59:47 +0000

Certifications mean nothing except that you are able to study and pass an exam. It is like the “book-smart” kid you knew in high school. He got straight A’s and graduated at the top of his class.

Where is he today? Most likely lost in the business world, because out here it is about being resourcefull. You have to know where to find information, then apply it. Certification exams mostly make you memorize syntax and language constructs, not their application.

If I want to know what the third parameter is for a given function, I look it up. The key is that I know the function exists and explore what I can do with it. I have been certified in languages in the past, but no longer view them with any regard. Past results and how you solved some tough problems mean more to me.

By: Colin

Colin — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 16:58:45 +0000

Interesting topic, will check back on this one.