OK, time for me to rant. I saw this article before skel posted it, and it obviously drew my eyes. Running this site and Certified Security Professional, this clearly seemed like something I should read. But after seconds of looking at the article, I quickly realized that this type of reporting doesn't deserve for me to give it extra attention on this site. So I didn't post it. But, since someone else did, I now feel I have free reign to blast it. According to the article, 'Another Nail in the IT Certification Coffin,' it is reported that:
IT certifications are worth less than ever, and the value of non-certified technology skills has surged, according to the third-quarter edition of the "Hot Technical Skills and Certifications Pay Index" from Foote Partners, a New Canaan, Conn., IT workforce research firm, on Nov. 1.
These conclusions are totally off base. If you look at the graph, sure it shows a flattening of 'average premium pay as a % of base salary' (whatever that's supposed to mean), but it is not 'less than ever' and the graph clearly shows that having certs pays more than not having them. It just so happens that 'non-certified technology skills' were incredibly low, and they had nowhere else to go but up.
Something else to consider is that in the programming world, certifications are nowhere near as popular as other areas of IT. Look at when the non-certified skills were in demand... during the dot com boom. That's when programmers were making obscene salaries. But since then, certified skills are not only more steady, but earn more.
I guess during this election season, even the IT press is not beyond sensationalizing statistics to get some notice.
Don
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