Certifications

All is vanity and a striving after wind.

Solomon

When I first started in IT I had the same question as others. Should I go for a degree or certifications? I talked to many people and there seems to be a split concerning certifications. Some feel it is a waste of time and others feel that it is a worthwhile endeavor. In my opinion it is not the earning of the certification that is the point. It is the knowledge gained while studying for the cert. So, given the choice between a degree or a certification, I choose both.

The merits of certifications can be argued over and over. Can they create paper tigers? Yes. Can someone who has a certification know absolutely nothing about the technology? Yes. With that said I have worked hard over the past 14 plus years to earn these certifications. Are they all worth renewing and keeping up with? Some are, some are not. I have always thought of them as resume fodder. No one asks me at work what my Cisco certification level is. However, when I hire people I do look for some sort of certification work and I feel more comfortable working with vendors who have certified technicians on staff.

I feel that certifications show a commitment to the industry. A commitment to continuing education, and the intelligence and technical knowledge to pass a test. The real art is taking that knowledge and applying it to the job.

Earned Certifications

Sorted by first earned to last

CompTIA A+

CompTIA A+

My first certification ever. I am grandfathered into this cert, but I am still building PCs to this day.

Visit CompTIA.org A+
CompTIA Net+

CompTIA Network+

This was my first networking cert. It was a good test that covered vendor agnostic networking technologies. Studying for this cert was a great introduction to networking technologies.

Visit CompTIA.org Net+
MCP

Microsoft Certified Professional

This was the old 70-290 Windows Server cert managing and maintaining a Windows Server 2003 environment. Windows Server 2003 is no longer supported, but I am still an MCP because of the next cert. I am currently working with Windows Server 2016 in my lab. I have Hyper-V and VDI configured and running on it.

Visit Microsoft.com MCP
MCP

System Center Configuration Manager 2007

I configured SCCM from scratch and thought it would be a good idea to get certified for the product. We are still using this server for imaging, reporting, patching, software deployment, and remote access. Although, now its time to upgrade.

Visit Microsoft.com MCTS
CCENT

Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician

My first Cisco certification. This was a tough test for me at the time. I took the cert as part of my Masters degree program. I am still using what I learned during this course to this day. However, the biggest benefit to taking this course was for my employer. During the course I had the idea to redesign TWB's shop floor network and with management's support this was done to great effect.

CEH

Certified Ethical Hacker

Great learning experience. I enjoyed the labs and I learned alot and have continued to learn after the course using my own lab. I may try to earn the next level cert from ECCouncil, but I feel I may let this cert drop in favor of other security related certs.

Visit ECCouncil.org CEH
CHFI

Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator

Interesting subject matter. Data forensics is fascinating, but I do not think I would want it as a career. However, I was introduced to some cool tools and hardware and how to find hidden data among a lot of other things.

Visit ECCouncil.org CHFI
G2700

GIAC Certified ISO-27000 Specialist

SANS retired this cert almost at the same time I earned it. However, I did learn alot about the ISO-27000 standards and was able to print them all out and put them in a binder. This was an open book test which was suprising to me. I would like to pursue more SANs training in the future.

Visit GIAC.org GIAC
CCNA

CCNA Routing and Switching

I studied hard for this one. Well, I studied hard for them all really, but this is one that I had wanted to earn since I first started taking classes in IT. I feel the knowledge gained will help with my job and my career.

Visit Cisco.comCCNA
CCNA Cyber

CCNA Cyber Ops

I was fortunate to be a part of Cisco's Cyber Security Scholarship program. They provided classes and material to learn more about cyber security. They also paid the costs to take the certification tests which I took and passed.