Certification Magazine - March 2008 - (Page 21)

ter’s gives you enough of the principles that the principles do not change,” Haddad said. “What changes is somebody making [technology] faster or smaller. You understand what you can and cannot do with specific technologies and that’s really what a master’s gives you. [It] gives you the fundamentals, the principles that don’t change.” Thinking about getting your master’s degree? Just type “master’s degree” into CertScope to read more than 60 CertMag articles on the subject, as well as link to more than 120 Web sites. Master’s Versus Certiﬁcations While certifications can sometimes serve as a stand-in for a bachelor’s degree in IT or a related field, stocking up on certifications is not the same as getting a master’s degree. Leone asked, “Would a college graduate who had some certifications be the equivalent of a master’s degree? The answer is no because certifications are a snapshot in time of something technical.” He added that a snapshot starts to go out-of-date the moment it’s taken. “If somebody does a bachelor’s degree and then a master’s degree and specializes in information assurance and security, they will have a broad-based background in this area and can help their company make strategic decisions about the future of security infrastructure,” Leone said. “If they take certification training on some sort of software that does security analysis, they’ll know how to use the software. But that will eventually go stale, and they’re going to have to keep learning how to use the software. They won’t be able to help their company make strategic decisions.” Haddad agreed that certifications don’t equate to a master’s degree because, if an employee wants to advance vertically in a corporation, having certifications isn’t going to cut it. “The problem with certifications is you are being certified in a specific area of technology and knowing the nitty-gritty about that area, but the master’s degree we feel is needed so that you will be broader,” Haddad said. “Certification is limited because it’s really specific technology and specific elements of technology. Anybody who just took a programming course can go on and do some programming. If you want to rise beyond that to see the bigger picture, you really need something more than just certification.” What Employers Say Here’s an excerpt from a recent job posting from Cisco Systems Inc.: “Candidate must have a B.S. or M.S. degree in computer networking, electrical engineering or a comparable degree program. Cisco certifications are a plus. It is preferred that candidates have a GPA of 3.0 or higher.” http://www.CertMag.com http://www.securitycertified.net

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Certification Magazine - March 2008

Certification Magazine - March 2008 Editor's Letter Contents Data Stream Tech Careers Academic Connection Dear Techie Virtual Village Mastering IT: Choosing Between an Immediate Job and Higher Education Inside Certification Virtual World Administrators: Service Requests in Cyberspace Interface Boomers in IT: Will the Talent Shortage Affect Techies? Ad Index Endtag

Certification Magazine - March 2008

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