Contemplating a topic for this month’s column, I began to reflect on the day I literally stepped off the bulldozer and into the world of IT support. This was a fateful day for me, as it was the moment which led to my current career as a trainer and consultant.
During those moments of pondering, I also reflected on all of the training I have taken and delivered since that day.
This led me to a search through my stored boxes of materials until I found one box labeled “certificates.” Contained therein were many picture frames, plaques and file folders full of certificates that, at one time or another, I displayed on the walls of my 10’ by 6’ space in the morasses of cubicle farms that I had once occupied.
It Depends
All-in-all, I was amazed at the amount of certificates and plaques that I had accumulated over the years, which led me to pose a question to myself: Were the results of all those training courses justified by the accumulation of all the paraphernalia now gathering dust in my closet? The answer to this question is: It depends.
In the business of training and education, there are a plethora of certifications that one can peruse regardless of career path or field of endeavor. The burning questions that many will have are: Where do I begin, and is the value of a certificate of completion worth the paper it is printed on? Again, the answer to the question is: It depends.
The Intent
Over the years, I have told many a client and student that the result of a training course is directly proportional to the intent. By this I mean the outputs of the course – whether in the form of a vital skill learned or a piece of paper – is entirely up to the intent of why you are in the training. So, in essence, the results of a certificate will be either proof positive of baseline knowledge in a given discipline, or just another wall adornment for someone’s office cubicle space.
As a result, there are advantages and disadvantages to certification training. In regards to the latter of the previous two results, there are probably few to no advantages one will receive from a certificate. However, there will be one stark disadvantage: It was probably a waste of time and resources, not only for the student and their employer, but also for the training organization.
Proof of Baseline Knowledge
In regards to the other result – proof positive of baseline knowledge in a given discipline – any possible disadvantages of the time and resources needed to obtain a certificate will be overshadowed by its many advantages. Here are just a few to consider:
- In most instances, certification brings with it industry recognition, improved job opportunities and improved pay.
- Certification does not always result in time and expense away from work. There are many opportunities for individuals who want to self-study for a certification to do so on their own time.
With the proliferation of virtual and web-based training courses that can lead to a certification in multitudes of career paths or fields of endeavor, it is cheaper and of a shorter duration than comparable traditional classroom programs.
- Certification in lieu of, let’s say, a degree program allows an individual to focus on a topic of interest without having to toil through non-essential courses.
- In most instances, trainers will have vast amounts of experience in a particular field of endeavor and will display a passion in transferring their knowledge and experiences with others.
- Most instructors are not people who have made a career of teaching from the accumulation of tenure. These are people who have been in the same trenches where their students are today and want to share with others how to do the same job if not even better.
- In most instances, the instructors of a certification program also must be certified themselves, not only in the program they are teaching, but also in baseline skills, such as course delivery methods and teaching methodologies.
- The certification process in most instances is job-dependent and skills-oriented. These programs are designed to teach students how to do a task, to troubleshoot a problem and reason through a design or process.
- Certification training is not esoteric or abstract concepts about possibilities, but real-world solutions to real-world problems.
- The certification industry is about offering opportunities for job or skills enhancement, regardless of age or background. The opportunity is there if you are willing to learn and apply what you have learned.
So, is an 8” by 10” certificate as glitzy or glamorous as a 17” by 24” degree? Does it really matter? As I mentioned earlier, I have boxes of certificates and plaques collecting dust that could occupy a significant amount of wall space in my private office.
What Matters Most?
What I failed to mention, is that in the same closet collecting dust, there are also several large boxes filled with diplomas and degrees that could occupy just as much wall space as my certificates. Why? Because to me, what matters most is not what I can display on a wall as proof positive of what I have learned over the years, but rather how well I can apply it in what I do.
In lieu of what we can hang on the wall and admire, the essence of learning is about you and how you develop skills, grit and determination to take ownership of your career.
Paul Ulasien is president and senior partner of Business Training Consultants (www.biztrainingconsult.com). The company provides innovative and effective training strategies based on Social Learning Theory that strives to stimulate individual learning retention and then share what has been learned to individuals throughout the social fabric of the organization. Ulasien has more than 30 years of experience in training consulting and education. He serves on the Advisory Panel of Faulkner Information Services, a provider of IT and communications information services; has been an Adjunct Professor of Graduate Business Studies; and holds dual Masters Degrees in Business Administration and Industrial-Organizational Psychology.
