Editor's Note: This article was written in 2005 and was originally published on CSP Magazine. Due to numerous requests, it is being republished on EH-Net.


It is said that luck seems to find those prepared for it. And, as difficult as it is to admit, stuff happens. We may find that our current job doesn't satisfy our financial or intellectual goals, a natural disaster may strike or, the unthinkable, we may be deemed expendable! If you had to hit the pavement tomorrow, do you have the knowledge and experience to determine your own destiny? If not, what is lacking in your CV? What gaps in your knowledge or holes in the list of your credentials should you fill? What would make your resume stand out from the crowd? Could any of us be better prepared to take advantage of good luck or better yet overcome the bad variety?

As many in the IT field do from time to time, I too stopped recently to see where I stood in my career, where my chosen field is headed and what was my place in it? Think of it as a Personal Disaster Recovery Plan. Looking at my resume, I noticed a vast amount of experience, plenty of knowledge regarding the specific duties of each of the positions I held and a few certifications. What I seem to lack is a highly respected credential that would verify all of that experience, fill in some technical gaps of items I don't perform on a daily basis and be recognized by non-technical executives. That credential gap can clearly be filled by an IT certification, but which one is right for me and my career goals?