The Degree versus Certification Decision

I’m a technical instructor teaching clients about technologies that I hope all of them will use in their personal and working lives. To prepare for this job I have been awarded or conferred both bachelors and masters degrees. I’ve also achieved and maintain a number of different technical certifications. On top of all of this I have years of experience working in various roles in the field. One of the common questions I’m asked is which is most important: the degree, the certification, or the experience.

I my mind the experience is the most important. The experience of working in the field taught me how various technologies are actually used. That said, experience doesn’t always travel well between different organizations. In fact if you became an expert at some technology or product in one organization and move to another organization your previous experience might actually be a disadvantage if they use that technology or product differently.

In my mind degree programs prepare people. My undergraduate degree prepared me by honing my reading, comprehension, writing, and social skills. Some of the topics I spent time learning about are things I have not used or considered since I was a student in that program. My experience in the Masters degree program was very different in that each topic was focused on a single technology. But again, reading, writing, comprehension, and social skills were an important part of what I graduated with.

Certificate programs are different in that they assume the person pursuing the certificate already has the reading, writing, and comprehension skills. All of the Information Technology (IT) related certificate programs I have participated in focus on some technology or product. Another stark difference between degrees and certificates is that degrees are awarded at some date and never expire. All of the IT certifications I’ve been involved in have some continuing education or renewal requirements.

When I meet a young person and they ask should I pursue a degree or a certification I try and ask questions to determine how well their reading, writing, and comprehension skills have developed. I assume that they have some social skills in that they asked me the question. For many people who ask me the answer is to pursue an Associate’s or 2 year degree. These programs are very often much lower cost and are ‘career’ (or technology or product) focused.

I also often suggest pursuing certifications; but only after I suggest that the person have a plan about which certification they are going to pursue; how they are going to use that certification to find employment and gain experience; and how they are going to maintain that certification.

Certifications can be maintained several ways depending on the program. Some certifications can be maintained by continual learning which is validated by acquiring Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credits. CPEs aren’t easy as they sound. While there are many venues to acquire CPEs; they have to be recorded often meaning that the person has to get a certificate or proof of attendance and then fill out some form and provide the certificate. CPEs are often audited; meaning that someone checks to make sure that the certificate was actually earned.

Other certifications can be maintained (or re-certified) by passing an exam or obtaining a higher level certification. Again, this requires planning. If the maintenance is via an exam it’s probably an updated version of an earlier exam and would require some studying in order to pass. Passing a higher level certification is great alternative given that there is a plan in place to re-certify for the higher level topic.

What about those that are already working in the field? Many employers offer tuition assistance for degree programs. I earned my Masters degree this way. My experience was great in that all costs were covered and my managers cooperated by granting me time to study and favorable work assignments. Of course, each job role and employer is different but I recommend if pursuing this route being very proactive and making sure that your leadership is supportive.

It’s been my experience working with clients that employers are looking favorably towards certification programs. Some employers have negotiated plans that allow them to send some number of employees to some select group of courses. The challenge then is being one of those selected by your employer to attend.

There is no universal answer as to whether degrees are better or worse than certifications. The answer often depends on the individual and their ability to learn.