How important is certification when looking at potential, new IT hires? A debate over this question has waged seemingly forever, and it doesn't look like a consensus is developing any time soon. On one hand, certification helps ensure a baseline of knowledge, and it promotes standardized skills throughout the industry. On the other, as many experts argue, it does not necessarily encourage the development of a diverse skill set, which is needed in this rapidly changing field.

George Tillmann, author of "The Business-Oriented CIO," argues that while certification makes sense in professions like accounting or engineering, it can have adverse consequences in the field of IT. Unlike engineering, which is divided into distinct areas such as electrical engineering and aeronautical engineering, IT benefits from professionals with diverse experiences in different areas, Tillmann writes in a post at ComputerWorld. Diversity helps a company remain open to new ideas and prepare for quick change.

Encouraging systems programmers or network administrators to over-specialize can prevent them from gaining experiences in emerging disciplines that may soon become vital. "What IT needs now are people with quick minds and nimble fingers to work in a volatile field," Tillmann writes. "They need to pick up new skills and use them long before they appear in any test booklet."

Others argue that although experience ultimately is more valuable than certification, the latter criterion is becoming a de facto job requirement, making it a pre-requisite for remaining competitive in the field. Requiring certification can be a handy way for companies to sort through resumes and save money on training new employees.

A  former network engineer, Emmanuel Conde skipped certification early in his career in favor of experience. Today, as a Cisco-authorized recruiter of CCIEs, he still believes experience is more important than certification (except for those working for Cisco resellers). After all, he points out, you can't learn trouble-shooting out of a book. However, the reality of the job market demands that IT pros present the credentials that are sought. "From a personal value perspective, whatever your professional goals are in life, you gotta walk the walk," Conde writes in a post at Tech Republic.

For more:
- see George Tillmann's post at ComputerWorld
- see Emmanuel Conde's post at TechRepublic

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