Putting a Value on IT Certifications - Part 2 "A Change of Mind"

A Change of Mind - "Certification Baby Steps"

You know, after being in the IT environment for over 12 years, I didn't have anything tangible to prove to anyone what experience I held.  I could tell them over and over again an extensive list of experience, but in the end, would anyone really want to believe me? I wouldn't!  We've hired employees that baffled us with BS, no, wait..., "Experience", and they couldn't back up their resume FULL of "experience". At least if they held a certification we could have held them accountable for what they could do.

The First Step - Set My Goals

I began to think even more about the value of certifications and what I needed to do to make myself understand there is a reason to be certified.

The following are my reasons to become MCITP Enterprise Administrator certified:

• Boost Confidence
• Validate my knowledge, skills, and abilities in a measurable, quantifiable manner
• Find out what I didn't know, learn it, and add it to my IT arsenal
• Improve our Server Infrastructure
• Prepare our IT Infrastructure for new software releases
• Pass my knowledge onto others
• Show that our University is and can be current with the latest technology
• Show our Faculty, Staff, and Students that we have a knowledgeable "Expert" staff
• Have more background and influence when it comes to project decision making
• Prove to my employer that I am a value to the University
• Prove to myself that I am a valuable asset to the University
• To expand my IT knowledge and to become the best System Expert I could be.

The Second Step - Training

At this point I knew I wanted to become a Microsoft Certified IT Professional: Enterprise Administrator, at any cost.

I began to study and read Microsoft Training Kits, online articles, and anything else server related I could get my hands on. I implemented Windows Server 2008 R2 across the board to our external DNS servers, Domain Controllers, DHCP, Certificate Authorities, etc, but now needed to take advantage of what they were there for.  Through much research, labbing, testing, and implementing, I covered nearly everything that was going to be covered on several of the tests.  Moving all of your domain, network, CAs, and app servers to 2008 R2 over the course of a year is definitely a learning experience.  I made the server infrastructure I inherited from my predecessor my own.

Although I had performed all these upgrades, read through these books and articles, I still did not have the confidence needed to attempt to take any of the Microsoft tests.  I knew I was still missing some things I needed to learn MORE before I took the next step. Conveniently, the University asked for requests for "One-Time Money Allocation".  I thought, hey, I could use some training, our office hasn't had training for quite some time.

Last year I began investigating Live Classroom training centers.  I didn't want to train while sitting at my desk at work, with headphones and a microphone.  I wanted to see my instructor and talk to them actively without having the "virtual barrier".  I also wanted something that would be beneficial, something I could learn and take home, and something that was worth the cost.

That is when I found Mountain View Systems, LLC in Fort Collins, Colorado.  Talk about a godsend! James Carrion, their lead instructor for MCITP/MCSA/MCSE certifications is a Microsoft Certified Master!  Mountain View Systems, immediately moved to the top of my prospective trainers list.  After working with the incredible Rebekah Behr, I was enrolled in the MCITP Enterprise Admin class and on my way to be certified.  The training was an intense 16 day boot camp, and I have never learned so much in my life about how to optimize and implement all server roles into a Windows environment.  I thought I had a good understanding about Microsoft, but James brought everything else into light for me.  He would take the most complex scenarios, and present them to us in easy to understand ways. Throughout the 16 days I took the five Microsoft Exams required for the MCITP: Enterprise Administrator on Windows Server 2008 and passed them all averaging 875 out of 1000 my lowest score being 815 on the 70-647 exam.

Anthony Carrion, Rebekah Behr and James Carrion at Mountain View Systems treat their customers like royalty and it was the most incredible training experience I have ever received. I am one SATISFIED customer!

Rebalancing and Hitting the Ground Running - Implementing My Newly Acquired Knowledge

Once the boot camp was completed and I was officially an MCITP: Enterprise Administrator and MCSA: Windows Server 2008, my confidence level was boosted extremely high and my entire perspective on certification has continued to change. I have met my goals and have began to make more.

At work, even though I was already the in-house "Expert" before becoming certified, I now have a greater feeling of accomplishment, productivity, expertise with my position. I have significantly improved our University server infrastructure and have began to pass the knowledge on to my coworkers.

I know that the job I have done and the tasks I plan for and perform are going to work as I now have the experience, confidence and training to back them up.

Next: Putting a Value on IT Certifications - Part 3

Putting a Value on IT Certifications - Part 1

Putting a Value on IT Certifications - Part 1 "Certification Denial"

Becoming certified in anything IT, well... those that have a big name and are widely popular and in demand, e.g., Cisco, Microsoft, ITIL, PMI, and (ISC)2, has been a need and definite positive influence for any job seekers in the IT market.  Each certificate can help classify you in a higher pay scale, open up options for a lead engineer/expert, security officer, or management position at many companies.  Your possibilities are endless, that is, if you can back up what you've proven on the test.

Certification Cheaters Ruined Me! - "Certification Denial"

Until recently, I had been extremely anti-cert, meaning, I didn't value the knowledge held by someone with an IT certification.  To me, you can know your stuff inside and out better than anyone that is certified.

To give you a little bit of background on why I have always been a bit hesitant and negative about IT certifications and their overall value, let me explain.

I started working for the University in 2002 as a student employee. We had a "certified professional" on staff, certified MCSE in Windows NT 4.0, who had been with the University a couple of years before I arrived.    There were times that I had to show him how to do basic things within Windows NT, even analyzing the event logs.  Talk about a disappointment of having an "MCSE" on staff and them not being able to perform basic server operations! He did not live up to what I expected of MCSE status, that is for sure.

Since I had to help him with his two servers, I had admin access to them as well. When it came time to have him stay or go, I was tasked to break something on it as long as it was easily fixable.  It was an easy fix in my eyes, simply check a box in the options of an application he was supposed to be the expert on and it's fixed.  It took him over a week to figure it out and he was certified in it! Long story short, he is no longer with us.

The second and probably most disappointing was an Instructional Designer we had from 2003 to 2005.  I just checked, and still listed on his resume are the following certifications: Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE), Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT), Certified Novell Engineer (CNE), Enterprise Certified Novell Engineer (ECNE), Novell Authorized Instructor (NAI).  Seriously, this guy knows absolutely NOTHING about computers! He also is a Doctor of Philosophy in Education (PhD).  What ticked me off the most when he came down to our office and asked that we format a floppy disk because he couldn't figure it out. Other strange things... he wanted to receive his spam messages (we had no right to block them in his eyes), he would wear sweatpants and t-shirts to meetings with faculty and staff, and play his ukulele on a rock outside of one of the buildings. Some students would even toss him change when walking by, based on the fact that he looked like a transient in the clothes he was wearing. My guess? He could teach and learn the certs from a book without needing real world experience, besides that he knew nothing besides what the book said or directed him to say.

Continuing on, I've had coworkers who studied only brain dumps, then pass the test without having all the experience that should be reflective of the cert.

So, pretty much, from the official start of my IT career, the way I perceived a Microsoft Certified Professional was ruined. They way I viewed it was, you can be a good test taker, book smart, and study dumps to pass any IT certification exam.

I now have a change of mind. :)

Next: Putting a Value on IT Certifications - Part 2

Putting a Value on IT Certifications - Part 3