Do you feel that you’re stuck in a rut? That you should be progressing faster, making more money or getting better opportunities? It stands to reason that few want to step off the treadmill to go “back to school” and learn new skills but certification offers a great way of demonstrating your value without having to go back to school and start from scratch.
In Certification Magazine, writer Martin Bean quotes John Cramer, branch manager of the Adecco Technical office, Chicago: “Certification is still the tiebreaker in a tight decision for hiring managers.” Bean also notes that staffing firms are more likely to place professionals with IT certifications than those without them and quotes an IT executive who believes that certified IT workers are “more productive, better prepared, and have more credibility with employers.”
And a recent US study revealed those with certifications are significantly more likely to achieve salary increases above the industry average of up to three percent.
But that’s the other side of the pond. What about over here in the UK?
Aaron Saxton, Director of Training and Education at UKFast said: “The LPIC Certification has helped UKFast to enhance the methods our engineers use to perform their jobs, and in turn has improved the speed of their development, productivity and the quality of support they are providing to our customers.” So it stands to reason that this employer, at least, values a CV with certification on it above others.
Tom, another senior manager, working for an IT hosting company, said: “Many people who apply for positions do not have any tangible evidence of the desired level of knowledge and can often be found wanting.” He went on to explain that this is one of the reasons why a CV with certification on it gets to the top of the pile – it’s proof that they can do what they say they can!
Dennis Arslan, Linux Systems Operations Administrator with Rackspace, explained about his decision to add certification to his career plan and, ultimately, his CV: “As a Linux Systems Operations Administrator, I can show my LPI certifications to show that I have a lot of professional experience working with Linux Servers. Certifications are very valuable when changing jobs.”
But, perhaps, the strongest argument for going down the certification path, comes when you consider what Andrew Smith, Senior Lecturer in Networking with the Open University, has to say: “Employers want IT staff with high-level knowledge and skills, and a CV that shows a candidate has undertaken LPI training and certification is recognisable proof of those skills. LPI Certification is at-a-glance evidence that an employee or candidate has a set of core skills.
“Shrewd IT professionals understand that Linux skills are in high demand by employers. Candidates with high-quality LPI training and certification can be sure they are making a major investment in their employability. That means being able to command higher salaries and better progression and promotion opportunities.
Open University is so convinced of the value of adding LPI training and certification to academic programmes that it is advising other Higher Education Institutions on implementation of similar partnerships.”
So, what are you waiting for? For more information on our certification programme click here. To book your LPI exam, click here. Or to read more case studies from people that have already started down the LPI and Future Cert road, click here.