Make more money, get not certified…
I’m not a big fan of certification, for various reasons. And now I’ve added another reason:
Mark Gallagher posted Noncertified IT pros earn more than those with certified skills, report shows
The report Mark Gallagher mentions seems to focus on linux skills. I hope it indicates a wider trend – companies looking for creative, inventive people who know how to do research, over people who wave a certificate.
From Marks post:
“A new report from industry research firm Foote Partners LLC finds that the average pay for noncertified IT skills topped that for certified professionals while compensation for IT jobs increased again in the third quarter of 2007. [...]
In May, Foote Partners reported a 9.1% increase in average salary among 149 noncertified IT skills over the last year, according to their IT skills pay survey.
[...]Foote Partners has been reporting that pay for noncertified IT professionals has been steadily increasing, while compensation for certified IT skills has been steadily declining for more than a year.”
Further Reading: Nynke Fokma lists possible advantages in favour of ‘certified agile professionals’ in Certifiblation:
“Command recognition from customers, clients, executives, managers, coaches, consultants, and other developers.”
I recognize people who wave a certificate. Probably not in the way they would like 
It seems employers are doing the same….
In a follow-up post, Marc Gallagher quotes Bernard Golden:
Golden points out that certification is only good for demonstrating ability in established, commodified skills. The job market has shifted away from “standard issue stuff” in the industry, which demanded basic skills from large numbers of employees and Golden said those days are long gone. Drawn to certified credentials are organizations that still require professionals who can perform basic skills (cost centers, for example).
I value creativity and the ability to overcome obstacles over certification. What do you value?
Credits:Joaquim Bonet i Chambó 14-2-1817 (birth certificate) by art_es_anna
November 5th, 2007 at 3:31 pm
Umm… take two candidates A and B. They are both ~equally talented except A has 3 certificates, B has none. Which one will you hire?
November 9th, 2007 at 5:03 pm
[...] debates about certification of various sorts, Willem van den Ende has discovered that you’ll make more money if you are not certified. He quotes Mark Gallaher thus: “A new report from industry research [...]
November 12th, 2007 at 3:46 pm
Well, that there is a connection between lower pay and certificates doesn’t mean that the certificates cause the lower pay. It could, for example, also mean that those who get a lower pay feel a greater need to get certified.
I can’t imagine how getting certified could lower your pay. I can easily imagine how waving with certificates and/or relying to much on them could.
February 5th, 2008 at 7:05 pm
I disagree with the idea that certifications mean nothing. I would assume people who say this do not understand the benefit of training. To me a certification is the result, or validation of a skill.