This weeks' assignment has gotten me thinking about certifications and wondering if they are really necessary to have, especially given the costs. I'm thinking about this because this fall, I can take one additional natural resources class and have completed the Natural Resources Certification through CSU's continuing education program. A year or so ago I thought this might be worthwhile, however, now that I sit and think about this, what exactly will the certification do for me? I have already had 12 years of experience in the field of natural resources and have been in the highest position as Education Director for an org that does environmental education. I wonder if this certification will actually give me more pay or credibility, or show that I am more committed to the field and work that I do than others who didn't get the certification??? How much value is placed on a certification? How does a certification compare to a degree?
Just some thinking out loud...I'd love to have some feedback and know about your expereinces with certifications and if they were beneficial or not to you.
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Reading through our discussions this week, I think maybe my questions have been answered! So far I gather that they are beneficial in helping us learn new things, perhaps stay current in our field, but that no one is making any more money as a result of having certifications.
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ReplyDeleteAmanda,
ReplyDeleteI had actually composed a long post a few days ago but lost it with a bolt of lightening that whacked our DSL for a few hours! I, too, have learned from others' posts this week. For my money, the degree is more important. If an employer or your field requires certication in a discipline, that's another issue entirely.
If you can get a specialized field certification by taking a couple of extra classes along with your core and electives in a graduate program, it may be worth it, maybe not. I've been toying with the tech certification thing from the SOE but the extra near $3,000 holds me back. Would I ever see a return on investment? Does anyone really care if I have that certification when I already know how to work in a course management system and can figure out how to design a webpage in HP's FREE Learning Center courses, etc. By the way, the HP Learning Center has hundreds (huge variety) of tech courses, all expert facilitated, self paced, asynchronous communication with the instructors and other learners who have taken the course, assessments to monitor your progress, and all FREE FREE FREE!!! It's an amazing resource.
If we have the knowledge when we're looking at employment, our resume/CV can outline skills just fine for prospective employers. So many certifications are creately solely to make someone, somewhere a bundle of dough.
Classic example: For 13 years, I have been a Feng Shui design consultant. I trained at the Feng Shui Institute of America (FSIA) in Vero Beach, Florida, the Western School of Feng Shui in San Diego, and with a Chinese grand master in Monterey.
The founder of FSIA, a well known Feng Shui author and teacher, Nancilee Wydra, decided to create a certification program with no precedent for it in the field. Feng Shui is a 5,000 year old practice, handed down by master to student, and the student is always a student until the master dies or passes the wand. This is tradition and mirrors many aesthetic land care practices in other cultures, Nordic, Native American, African, etc.
But, Nancilee has been promoting this for years and has a segment of the unknowledgeable public thinking certification in Feng Shui means something. It's a bunch of hooey that gets students to sign up thinking that they will really have something when they complete her program. Buyer beware.
The Western School of Feng Shui, much more professional and based in traditional aesthetic practices, respects the origins and history of this beautiful art and has no such certification. Graduate...take the exam...show proficiency.
July 31, 2009 9:22 AM
I know my posts are short, but it seems to me that certifications provide the person a certain level of credibility depending upon the field they are in. sometimes expedrience is more important. I will give you an example:
ReplyDeleteLast September, we went to a seminar on managing negative behaviors positively with our kids. The person had a certification in teaching, but what had a greater impact on me was the fact that she had fostered 43 children in 20 years - that level of experience based on the subject had more credibility with me than he cert.