Myth #3 - A Certificate or Professional
Certification is a Substitute for a Bachelor's Degree
 There
are many degree-granting universities (public and private) and
other institutions of learning (mostly privately licensed) that
are vigorously competing for your training dollars. One of the
first questions prospective students should always ask is, "What
is the end product of my training?" Is it a two-year or four-year
degree from an accredited college or university? Is it a training
certificate that indicates completion of a training program?
On the other hand, perhaps the training is geared towards preparing
you to sit for the exam to obtain a specific professional certification.
Does it matter to a prospective employer? You bet it does!
The US Department of Labor research suggests that "most employers
place a premium on some formal college education" -- meaning
an associate's degree (two year) or bachelor's degree (four
year) from an accredited institution.viii Furthermore,
their statistics show that as of 1998, 68.9% of computer programmers
had completed an associate's degree or higher.ix
Most hiring managers that I have spoken with, do not consider
a certificate or a professional certification a substitute for
a college degree. This is because while a certificate or certification
may indicate a degree of technical qualification, these types
of training programs don't focus on the "soft" skills that students
pick up in a degree program. Soft skills such as writing, verbal
communication and business knowledge are highly valued by employers.
Therefore, a college degree commands a great deal of respect
and will give you an advantage in interview situations over
those who do not have a degree.
In my opinion, you should try to follow this training strategy:
- If you do not have any type of college degree, you should
pursue your training at a degree granting institution. This
is especially true if you have experience in IT. You are probably
already discovering that the lack of a degree will hold you
back from promotion to a supervisory position. If you are
working on a two-year associate's degree at a community college
(or other two-year institution) make sure you are following
a program that will be transferable to a four-year program.
Although a two-year degree might suffice for obtaining employment
(depending upon your field of interest), it pays to be prepared
if you want to pursue a four-year degree later in your career.
Most two-year and four-year degree programs, while taking
longer to complete than "fast-track" training programs, are
specifically geared towards novices.
- If you already possess a degree (two-year or four-year)
in a field other than information technology, you probably
do not need to get another two- or four-year degree. Technical
skills gained through enrollment in individual courses or
a certificate program should be sufficient when combined with
your existing degree. Or, consider pursuing a Master's degree
in Information Technology.
- If you are experienced in IT, but need professional certification
to prove your expertise (i.e., to obtain a promotion), then
programs geared towards certification may be sufficient. These
programs are often fast-paced and geared towards working professionals
with experience. Often these are referred to as "boot camp"
programs. If you have little or no experience, be very wary
of this type of program. You may quickly become lost and frustrated
and would be better served by a program that is geared toward
novices.
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