Certifications: Are you doing them right?

If you have been active on LinkedIn or Twitter recently, you’ll agree that there is an ongoing trend where people seem to be on some kind of certification spree. During this very period, I’ve come across numerous posts where people are either completely bashing this kind of behavior or are completely worshipping it. I’m also seeing a lot of youngsters confused if or not they should dedicate their time and money over certifications. This being my very first blog, I decided to address something as important as this. So hang on tight, and prepare yourself because it’s about to go down.

I’ve divided this blog into two parts simply because I’ve too much content to fit into one single blog.

In Part I, I’ve covered the different pitfalls that people get into while enrolling in certification. Then in Part II, I’ll explain different strategies that you can use to enrol and complete certifications the right way.

Before letting you in on my take on this matter, let’s take a look at the current scenario in brief.

The Bashing Camp

This camp mainly consists of people who openly deny the importance of certifications. According to them, certifications don’t add much value to your career and hence you should not “waste” your time, money and efforts over them. People in this camp cannot stand the ongoing certification trend. In short, this camp doesn’t truly recognize the importance of being certified.

The Worshipping Camp

This camp mainly consists of people who hold certifications in high regards. According to these people, nothing helps your career better than acquiring certifications from giants like Google, Microsoft, Oracle, etc. These people will “dedicate” a ton of their time, money and efforts over certifications. People who complete certifications are considered celebrities by the members of this camp. In short, this camp considers certification to be above everything else.

Let me make an effort to put an end to this battle between the two camps. Looking at the above descriptions, you should now be able to identify which group you belong to.

Don’t find yourself up there? Well, that’s great news.

I like to take a lot more thoughtful and structured approach to a matter rather than thoughtlessly opposing or supporting it. So, rather than doing a pros vs cons comparison and then leaving you saying ‘Everything has a good and a bad side. You need to decide how you are gonna use it.’, I’m gonna give some insights about do’s and dont’s of certifications.

What makes me fit to advice you in this matter? Glad you asked. Well, you see I’ve been on both sides, a candidate as well as a recruiter, so I’ve seen both sides of the story. Now, it’s about time I revealed my take on this matter.

Below are some of the common behaviors demonstrated by people enroling for certifications, and you MUST do your best not to copy them. If you already possess any of these behaviors, please make relevant efforts to get rid of them.

1. Is it provided by Google? Just go for it then.

Well, ABSOLUTELY NO.

The problem I see with a lot of people today is that they are running behind these certifications without even thinking if or not they are interested in that particular domain. I’ve seen a ton of people, mostly students, enrolling in certifications in which they would have ZERO interest if it wasn’t for the certificate.

And why does this happen so often? Because its provided by Google or Microsoft or Coursera or whatever. Please avoid doing this as it does nothing to add value to your career apart from allowing you to have a piece of paper written “Google’’ over it .

When you are called to an interview for the post of Software Engineer, the recruiter doesn’t care if you are a certified psychologist. So, keep it relevant.

2. My friend just took it.

Again, SO WHAT?

In the days to come, you’ll see a ton of your friends doing a ton of different things. Are you planning to do all those things as well? Some of your friends will be planning to enter the finance field while some will be planning to be an astronaut. What are you planning to be? A FINANCIAL ASTRONAUT?

What I’m trying to say here is, the people around you will do hundreds of different certifications depending on their career choices. This should not encourage you to aimlessly run in every direction, trying to compete with them. Because in the end, you will be left with shallow knowledge in 25 different domains and expertise in NONE.

3. The recruiters look for certificates.

Well, YES THEY DO, but……you see, there is always a BUT.

This is probably the most important point I’m gonna make. I think the biggest reason why most people run behind certifications, is because they think they can woo the recruiter by slapping them with 50 certificates from Google, Microsoft and Oracle.

The reality is a lot different. Let’s say you’re being interviewed for the role of Software Engineer. So unless there is something in those certificates which helps you make the point that you’re the best candidate for the role, the recruiter is not gonna pay much attention to your shiny little CERTIFICATE COLLECTION. Reason? Because, it’s simply irrelevant to the recruiter.

Also, just possessing relevant certificates isn’t enough at all. In fact, your certificates should be considered a complementary device. Yes, you heard it right. Your certificates should never be the most important thing that you carry in to an interview. Then what would be that most important thing? YOUR SKILLS. More on this in the next blog.

4. This is a limited period offer.

In the last couple of months, I’ve seen some amazing offers from Coursera, Pluralsight, Udacity, etc. Now, I’m not gonna bash them for doing this. They are simply capitalizing on the current situations to gain more customers.

Probably the most important question that you must ask before redeeming these amazing offers is: ‘Are the courses provided in these offers relevant to me?’ If the answer is no, MOVE ON.

Its not easy to give up on “FREE” stuff and that’s what pushes us to make wrong decisions. Many students end up enrolling in irrelevant certifications simply because they were offered for free. Now, you may think “What did I lose? It was all for free.”

Well, you lost your TIME and ENERGY. Something that you could have easily dedicated to something more important, something which would have added value to your career.

5. I want Certificate of Attendance

Although this is not relevant to certification, I’m mentioning it here because I do see this as a major flaw. Again, this is something extremely common in the student community. They want a certificate for attending every session, seminar, webinar and workshop. This is also not a healthy practice. Please understand something; you having a Certificate of Attendance/Participation doesnt really mean or prove anything, other than maybe that you attended the event. But, what guarantee do you have that you actually learned anything?

So, there you have it. The above 5 points explain how and why it shouldn’t be about certifications. The Part II of this blog will cover how and why it should be.

I clearly understand that some of my points above may seem a bit harsh, but that’s what the reality is according to me. Now, its upto you to decide what you wanna do with that.

Please feel free to leave your comments, questions and suggestions. I’ll be happy to interact with you.