Software Testing certifications Part II

Dr Cem Kaner posted a note to Software testing yahoo group on the topic “software testing certifications”. I thought, it would really make lots of sense and value to a discussion about software testing certifications to share those views here.

Dr Kaner quotes following in his note.
http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Careers/VARs-IT-Certs-More-About-Marketing-Less-About-Skills/

Continuing my thoughts on certifications, here is something that I would like to add … on the basis of Dr Kaner’s notes.

1. Certifications have value as “marketing” aid and most confuse them to be as means of getting knowledge or experience or learning.
2. IT organizations and service providers use their “certified staff” as “proof” of their well trained staff to their clients.
3. Certifications do have place in hiring. Whether you like it or not, organizations still use certifications as main filtering mechanisms in hiring just like a college engineering degree.
4. Certifications matter for those who are in the initial stages of their career especially those who are looking to get their foot in testing field. Most of the time, certifications get them a call to the interview.
5. Certifications can get you an interview call, might even get you a job but there after it is your skill and work that “keeps” you on job. Do not mistake certification for life time warranty for the job.
6. One very common argument in favor of certification is that “certification help in knowing the testing vocabulary” – This is true to some extent. But while going for certification with this objective, keep in mind that - there are no universally accepted authorities that define and mandate testing terminologies and terms and practices vary across the board.
7. Certification enthusiasts claim that certifications are means of learning and gaining knowledge in the subject. WRONG … there are better ways of studying and learning than going for certification
8. With the help of internet, thanks for Google and other search engines, today the information is everywhere, just look around you can learn lot and gain knowledge by effectively searching the web, reading blogs, writing blog and engaging in conversation with other in the community.

Now about let me talk about those certifications that hold value in today’s world

• CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional] To earn a CISSP, candidates must have five years of experience and endorsement from any professional certified by (ISC)2, the organization that awards CISSP certifications.
• CCNA (Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert]) – this one especially my favorite as it requires the candidate to demonstrate the knowledge as part of the exam in a lab environment – e.g fixing a faulty router.

To summarize, certifications tend to be of value for some (hiring managers and new entrants) and there are some examples of good certifications that test the skill of the candidate. Do not confuse certifications to “learning” and “knowledge” – most of the current software testing certifications are to be used as “marketing” tools.