Maybe It’s Finally Time I Get Certified
Posted on August 6, 2008
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Ever since I first got my grimy little hands on a TRS-80 back in fourth grade I’ve been a computer geek. Personal computers and I kind of grew up together and I remember hacking away at the Commodore PET, VIC-20, and 64, the TI-99, the Atari 400 and 800, and even the original Apple I as a kid. When Windows came along and eclipsed all other operating systems I was right there learning how everything inside worked. Then, in the mid-1990s I just stopped caring how computers actually worked and started focusing exclusively on opportunities they could open for me via the internet. But that doesn’t mean I’m clueless about all things IT. I just don’t have any formal triaining.
Simply put - yes, I can probably fix your computer problems, however I have no paperwork proving that to be the case. Which makes gainful employment in the IT workd all but impossible, particularly here in Silicon Valley where you can’t sneeze without a certified technician saying “Gesundheit”. I don’t, however, plan on staying here forever and there are parts ofthe country where my skills are in great demand - assuming I have the paperwork to back up my claims.
Which is why I’m once again considering getting some type of Cisco certification. Their website offers a plethora of certification options: CCENT (Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician), CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate), CCNP (Network Professional), CCSP (Security Professional), CCVP (Voice Professional), CCDP (Design Professional), CCIP (Internet Professional), and CCIE (Cisco Certified Internet Expert). Their site is full of training programs to fill in the gaps in my experiental learning history, and most tech firms won’t even look at a resume without those magical certification letters appearing somewhere in your skills summary. So, if I’m serious about ever working as a professional in information technology then I’m going to have to bite this bullet sooner or later. Might as well do it now.
Tags: careers, CCENT, CCIE, certification, Cisco, computers, information technology, ITRelated Posts: » Filed Under: Education, Technology
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Thanks for the informative post.. and thanks for adding our comment to the blog. I am subscribing to your feed so I don\’t miss the next post!
Great information! Thanks for writing this. It is an honor to participate in the discussion.