On the surface, the race for certifications in software, hardware, networking, and other technical disciplines sounds like a wonderful idea for ensuring companies receive the level of expertise they need to receive optimal efficiency and talent for their operations. Many employers seeking the best talent have certainly bought in on this hype from the industrys rush to set up a certification test for almost anything. Despite the popularity of these practices, there is an ominous and insidious impact going on beneath the surface that both employers and technicians should consider.

When the certification craze first began to appear on the scene, it was instituted more as a means for vendors to extract a few extra dollars from their clients in exchange for a warm and fuzzy feeling that these tests would ensure a higher degree of competency from people who had received the vendor stamp of approval. The pitch here was simple, if vendors could come up with a skills test that demonstrated a level of experience that could only be attained from having worked in a particular discipline for a number of years in the field, companies who hired these individuals would then be assured that they were getting the best possible personnel in the field. In the beginning, vendors tapped into the brains of their own best talent to assemble the most obscure trivia they could devise regarding their products, to design a program of certification that could only be passed by someone who had intimate knowledge of the product. Even at this stage of the development, there was not necessarily as much focus on the practical application of this minutia as there was on the fact that most beginners in the field would be unable to pass the test.

With a sufficient amount of trivia collected, software and hardware vendors launched their certification testing plans at a price level that added enough credibility to the program to convince customers that they would really be getting something if they paid to have their employees engage in these testing procedures, at a level of difficulty which practically ensured that those who took these exams would have to repeat the testing process a number of times before they could pass. As technicians devised ways to prepare for passing these exams more easily, changes to the tests, revisions of the technologies, and requirements for new certifications on releasing new iterations of systems and software have kept the business of charging large sums of money for the process alive and well.

In practice, most capable technicians can pass just about any kind of certification they can afford if they persist in paying to take the exam, and research the information they are uncertain about between attempts. This does not mean they will be able to adequately perform the duties that will be required of them when applied to the workplace, but they have demonstrated an acuity for absorbing some of the trivial concepts associated with their field of endeavor.

Having participated on both sides of this practice, the one thing missing from this entire process is the ability to measure true talent. In recent developments associated with current business practices, there has been a sudden unhealthy shift in the trends previously experienced. Though companies have continued unabated in their insistence on hiring certified professionals, there are increasing numbers of organizations that are no longer willing to pay the costs associated with obtaining the certifications they demand from their employees and potential employees. To make matters worse, more and more companies are requiring potential candidates to have a huge number of technical certifications in a wide range of specialized areas in order to qualify for employment consideration.

With the costs of certification now being shifted to the individuals rather than to companies who require this questionable measure of skill, the net effect is a form of technical discrimination that effectively pushes out those talented individuals who cannot afford to keep up with the shifting sands of getting certified for every aspect of their working experience. In some cases, I have seen companies requiring levels of certifications and experience in their requirements that are literally impossible for anyone to meet. For example, one job requirement required both individual certification and more years of experience with a single product than the number of years that particular product had been in existence!

While working for a software vendor who had decided to initiate a certification program, I was chosen to become one a few engineers who were selected to provide support for certified customers. When told what we would be doing differently for these customers, the management said the approach would be to treat these companies like they knew a little more than a regular customer, and skip a few of the normal preliminary questions when initiating the process of opening a support issue. That was all we had for a guideline. In obtaining an enterprise certification for myself with another vendor, I took the exam several times before passing it. I used the information I had gained to create a pretest preparation study for other engineers who would also be taking the test, and they passed their exams on the first try.

The bottom line here is that the current form of technical certifications being used as a measure of ability are practically worthless in what they truly offer, and more insidious in their impact on professionals trying to maintain a viable career in the technical industry. As it stands now, the technical industry does not need any more barriers to progress in attracting experienced talent that has already proven itself in real time industry experience.