Comparing Industry Certifications

I am constantly asked to comment upon computer industry certifications. I have two certificates myself, the PMP and the CISSP, and somehow that makes me an expert! People ask me all sorts of things such as, “What should I do to study?”, “Is the certificate worth the cost?”, “Which one is better?”, and “Which one should I pursue?”. Well, of course, the answers are “it depends!”. Today, we will investigate and compare three vendor-neutral certification organizations.

The first thing to realize is that certifications are a money-making business. Taking the required exams costs money for each attempt. And, maintaining the certifications often requires attending ongoing training. Although the training can be done anywhere, each certification organization attempts to convince you of the superiority of their sponsored training courses–some online and some not. Finally, maintaining good membership standing often requires the payment of annual dues. So, realize that obtaining every certification available will be an expensive undertaking, both in initial expense and also in ongoing annual expenses. You will want to be a little selective.

We will discuss three organizations in this blog: CompTIA, (ISC)², and PMI.

CompTIA certifications include A+, Cloud+, Linux+, Mobility+, Network+, Project+, Security+, Storage+, and Server+. All their certifications used to “never expire”, but since 2010 that has changed, unless you happen to be grandfathered into the older rules. However, four certifications do continue to follow the old rules: Linux+, Project+, Storage+, and Server+. If you want to target the lowest maintenance costs, you should consider obtaining these four certifications.

In general, CompTIA certifications are “more technically inclined” than the other vendors. Additionally, they recommend but do not require experience in the field before being tested. This means they are great certifications for someone who just finished school, and who is willing to put time into self-study materials and online practice exams. Most people complete the exams beginning with A+, then Network+, then Security+, but you are free to change the order based upon your personal career goals.

(ISC)² is focused more on computer security than on generic computer skills. You might think that computer security would be very technical. But, based on my experience, the CISSP examination was focused more on standards, procedures, compliance, and management concepts rather than specific computer security techniques. So, I would argue that (ISC)² is less technically inclined than CompTIA. Notice that (ISC)² has the highest number of required maintenance training. For the CISSP, 120 continuing professional education units (CPEs) are required every three years, and if you read the fine print, a minimum of 20 CPEs must be earned annually. So, I would say that (ISC)² certification is something you obtain mid-career and not while you are financially struggling with student loan payments.

PMI focuses upon project management, program management, and portfolio management. So, if you are a team lead or just stepping into project management, these certifications could help you make the transition from your technical role to a management role. However, PMI also have certifications in Agile Processes and Business Analysis which I would think are appropriate for software developers, and thus fit into my broad category of computer industry certifications. The number of professional development units (PDUs) that PMI requires every three year cycle is significantly less than (ISC)². Compare the 60 PDUs for the PMP to the 120 CPEs for the CISSP! Additionally, since PMI includes the “softer skills” in its list of management skills, it is easier to obtain reasonably priced training that can apply to PMI certifications. For instance, the Project Management Institute, www.projectmanagement.com, offers a bunch of free and low-cost seminars and CBTs.

I hope this overview helped crystallize the certifications in your mind. Please refer to the table below to see the entire list, including information such as the number of questions in their exams. Note that I am not affiliated with these vendors, and their entry and maintenance requirements might change without my knowledge. So, before you start ordering training materials, do check http://www.comptia.org, https://www.isc2.org, and http://www.pmi.org for current information.

One final note: although my table shows some certifications requiring work experience in addition to a four-year degree, some of the rules allow you to substitute additional work experience for the degree requirements. So, if you don’t have a college degree, you should still head over to the above websites and get the specifics for your situation.