Certification Survey Results

How do you perceive the value and importance of IT certifications?

Do you want to know how other readers on this site view certification? The following questions were asked in our Certification Survey. After each question is the response we received. If you have not already done so, feel free to take the survey yourself.

1. Are you an IT professional or have considerable IT experience and/or training?
Yes - 80%
No - 20%

2. What certification or credential do you possess that you consider the most important?
Bachelor Degree - 8%
Brand - 39%
Industry - 25%
Other - 28%

3. What certification or credential do you NOT possess that you would like to?
Bachelor Degree - 0%
Brand - 61%
Industry - 29%
Other - 10%

4. What certification or credential – whether you possess it or not -- do you consider the most important or prestigious in the industry?
Bachelor Degree - 3%
Brand - 73%
Industry - 17%
Other - 6%

5. What do you feel employers and/or clients prefer most: certifications and credentials or actual experience? (You can only pick one.)

Certs - 41%
Experience - 59%

6. How do you view certification standards in the IT community as compared to other professions?
Very Standard 25%
Somewhat Standard 65%
Not Very Standard 9%
Totally Non-Standard 1%

7. In your opinion, do you feel single-brand certifications and/or credentials such as Cisco, Microsoft, Novell, etc. help or hurt the industry?
Help - 81%
Hurt - 19%

8. Which would you favor? An industry-wide standard for certification in particular areas – such as networking, programming, etc. – or brand certifications from individual companies such as Cisco and Microsoft?
Industry - 77%
Brand - 23%

9. How long do you feel the average certification (we know there are a lot of variables) should remain valid?
6 Months - 16%
1 Year - 8%
2-5 Years - 55%
5+ Years - 20%

10. Have you had to meet the requirements for two or more certifications which are similar, e.g. Novell, Cisco and Microsoft?
Yes - 38%
No - 63%

11. Have you not obtained a certification because it is too costly or time consuming?
Yes - 75%
No - 25%

12. Has not having a particular certification or credential ever hindered your career?
Yes - 47%
No - 53%

13. Do you think our industry would be helped by a national, non-biased and non-specific certification body like in other professions?
Yes - 81%
No - 19%

14. Do you think the general public understands what certifications and/or credentials in the IT industry mean?
Yes - 17%
No - 83%

15. Do you think human resource/personnel professionals understand what certifications and/or credentials in the IT industry mean?
Yes - 36%
No - 64%