I have written a couple of times in the past promoting the idea of obtaining certification to exhibit your knowledge and experience in a chosen subject area. Yet, I read another CIO.com article warning of the dangers of buying practice tests online. They name a couple of websites that sell ill-gotten material; you will definitely want to stay away from these named websites.
This article warns would-be IT Certification candidates that should you purchase illegal “study material” to take an IT Certification exam that the governing body of the IT Certification may “come after you” and punish you for your “cheating”.
Last week I sat for and passed the Certified Business Analysis ProfessionalTM (CBAP®) examination offered by the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBATM). So as a person that now holds four IT Certifications I find it appalling that a company such as Microsoft or Cisco would go after the candidates for their certifications and attempt to “ruin” their career. I do understand that there are “real” cheaters out there that knowingly cheat to get a certification just to beef up their resume, but I also realize how easy it would be to unknowingly purchase some ill-gotten practice material. I can absolutely attest to how essential study material and practice tests are in preparing to obtain an IT certification. It is impossible to pass an exam, of any kind, without preparing for it; and study material and practice tests are important tools in preparing for a certification exam.
I do realize the difficulty of shutting down these “brain dump” websites that sell this illegal material as most of them are setup in third world countries that do not respect the U.S. copyright laws. However, going after the candidates for your certification is not the solution to the problem. This will just inevitably lead to reducing the number of candidates for your certification and eventually lead to a reduced perceived value of the certification. Not to mention the perceived “bully” impression that the company will inherit.
When it comes to IT Infrastructure, IT Business Solutions and Enterprise Application Development, professional certifications such as ITIL, CBAP®, PMP® or PgMP® demonstrate expertise in a particular subject area. When it comes to application software development certification in your chosen programming language(s) and/or platform(s) demonstrate subject matter expertise.
These certifications do hold value in the eyes of IT hiring managers, H/R professionals and IT Staffing professionals. A certification could be the difference of you getting a job or not getting the job. So get certified, but research the certification to verify its worth in the IT world and be careful of the study material you use.
This article warns would-be IT Certification candidates that should you purchase illegal “study material” to take an IT Certification exam that the governing body of the IT Certification may “come after you” and punish you for your “cheating”.
Last week I sat for and passed the Certified Business Analysis ProfessionalTM (CBAP®) examination offered by the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBATM). So as a person that now holds four IT Certifications I find it appalling that a company such as Microsoft or Cisco would go after the candidates for their certifications and attempt to “ruin” their career. I do understand that there are “real” cheaters out there that knowingly cheat to get a certification just to beef up their resume, but I also realize how easy it would be to unknowingly purchase some ill-gotten practice material. I can absolutely attest to how essential study material and practice tests are in preparing to obtain an IT certification. It is impossible to pass an exam, of any kind, without preparing for it; and study material and practice tests are important tools in preparing for a certification exam.
I do realize the difficulty of shutting down these “brain dump” websites that sell this illegal material as most of them are setup in third world countries that do not respect the U.S. copyright laws. However, going after the candidates for your certification is not the solution to the problem. This will just inevitably lead to reducing the number of candidates for your certification and eventually lead to a reduced perceived value of the certification. Not to mention the perceived “bully” impression that the company will inherit.
When it comes to IT Infrastructure, IT Business Solutions and Enterprise Application Development, professional certifications such as ITIL, CBAP®, PMP® or PgMP® demonstrate expertise in a particular subject area. When it comes to application software development certification in your chosen programming language(s) and/or platform(s) demonstrate subject matter expertise.
These certifications do hold value in the eyes of IT hiring managers, H/R professionals and IT Staffing professionals. A certification could be the difference of you getting a job or not getting the job. So get certified, but research the certification to verify its worth in the IT world and be careful of the study material you use.
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