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Certified to get a job
Since every IT company wants to have the maximum number of users and trained manpower to run these products, they all offer online certifications relating to their domains.
Hands-on knowledge is what matters in the business world but not if you are applying abroad. There, they would also ask for some benchmarking of your skills, which is where certifications can come in handy. An IT certification is nothing but an online testimonial from the company that has patented a particular product or application, acknowledging that you are proficient in the use of a particular software or hardware. Since every IT company - wants to have the maximum possible number of users and also have trained manpower to run, operate and maintain these products and technologies, they all offer online certifications relating to their domains.
Let's put it this way: If you have a software developer (MCSD) or database administrator (MCDBA) certification from Microsoft, along with, say, a CCNA certification from the networking giant CISCO, you would certainly be better placed in the job market than someone who is skilled in just one area. In fact, your chances of finding a "lucrative" job would be 20-30 per cent higher compared to a colleague who is skilled in a single area. But, if you have neither of these two certifications and yet, have worked on a live project for HT.com, which is an e-site, you would be selected for the job, if the employer were Indian.
So which is the best?
Of these, Microsoft certifications are the most popular, because 70 per cent of the system applications in the world are supported by Microsoft technologies. Of course, that's no reason to go for it. For instance, if the company you are applying to uses Oracle software, there is no point in your choosing a certification from the Microsoft stable.
The choice of a skill-set (or a certification to prove that you have it) is extremely important, as there are several vendors offering these certifications, which, in reality, have a short shelf life - about three to four years, at best. Small wonder then, it's a million-dollar industry abroad. Technologies go obsolete at a mad pace. But the upside is that if you have a certification, it's much easier to graduate to the next for quick re-skilling. "It's all a gamble, but worth taking," says a software engineer with TCS.
So be a little pro-active, study the job market to understand which technologies are in and which are on their way out. Three years ago, Oracle and Java specialists were in great demand but now security experts are in demand, and not just because of the growing number of malicious viruses. Other skills in demand are enterprise application integration, database administration, IT project management, network administration and business system analysis.
Many companies went overboard, hiring web-developers and programmers. They did their assigned job but offered little in terms of co-ordinating countrywide IT systems. Today, companies don't need any more web-developers but web-implementers, who can get websites to talk to their warehouse systems for e-commerce to take off fully. So choose your domain carefully, probably, a MCAD, MCSD or DBA certification from Microsoft or an OCP from Oracle, or a more hi-end package from IBM.
On the database side, companies are more in need of analysts, administrators and data-centre managers to secure and improve access to their databases and implement better Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools. System analysts, who know how IT systems can be leveraged to achieve a business goal, are also in hot demand. Probably, Microsoft's MCDBA, a Java certification from Sun Microsystems or familiarity with Microsoft's.Net studio could see you through this one. For a pure networking architect, a CISCO certification is the best.
Choosing a certification is not the end of the road. There are plenty of steps involved. If you are a software programmer and wish to be a Microsoft Certified Software Developer (MCSD), you need to clear four online exams. If you are a Networking Professional and wish to be a Microsoft Certified Software Engineer (MCSE) you need to clear seven exams.
However, everybody need not necessarily go to computer training institutes if you have covered a portion of the technology during your graduate studies. You could probably do with one or two modules, after you have studied the entire curriculum. Such exemptions are easily given. It all depends upon your job profile, the company you are applying to or the systems they are using.
How good are the DOEACC certifications?
Incidentally, the Department of Electronics Accreditation of Computer Courses (DOEACC) an autonomous body established by the Ministry of Communication has also set up a system of accrediting IT courses offered by the various private institutes. Their 'O' level certification is for students who have never worked on computers before, 'A' for the advanced course, 'B' after obtaining a UG degree and a 'C' after a PG degree in computers. The only problem could be that the DOOEACC certification would probably not have any validity in the US, Singapore or Malaysia.
