Deciding what areas to skill up in, what courses to opt for and when to carry out the training is something all IT professionals face. There are the issues about whether to opt for vendor neutral or vendor-specific certification, or if it's preferable to work through a more general university degree.
But industry pundits are still arguing that, despite the current economic climate, training is an important part of the IT pros arsenal, whether on the job hunt or climbing the corporate ladder.
Mark McLaughlin, marketing manager at vendor Rational Software, believes that the big challenge continues to be making sure skills are current. McLaughlin doesn't see the certification vs university issue as being an either/or scenario. From an employer perspective, industry experience, motivation, attitude and personality type are other factors he also sees coming into the equation.
"We need to hire at the top end of the market--people who have got the scars from being out in the industry, because we're expected to provide expertise," McLaughlin said.
Likewise, Edward Liu, who manages the IT recruitment business for Robert Walters in Sydney, has seen a split in what employers are looking for. "A lot of companies see a degree [as an] individual's commitment to structured learning," he said. "However, technical certificates [are seen as] commitment to continued development."
According to Liu, a lot of his clients were still requiring candidates to have come through university, ideally in an IT&T related field. However, he said there were still exceptions to this, such as companies which supported external clients and required staff to hold particular certifications. "Part of their service level agreement will be that they'll have a certain number of certified staff for a particular technology they're dealing with," he said.
Liu also thinks the focus on qualifications will only heighten. "Five or six years ago there wasn't necessity for [entry-level staff] to have a degree...I think that's going to be the norm going forward."
But recruitment consultancy E.L. Consult's managing director, Grant Montgomery, warns that solely having a certification or skill in a particular area won't get you management positions in five or 10 year's time. "It can lock you into that area," he warns.
Technical certifications come and go.. but a university degree teaches you things universally applicable..
I'd go for the degree first, b/c having outdated tech. certification is useless.. but a degree is never obsolete.