|
Familiarity Breeds Respect Purple Squirrel "We had had met individuals who had moved from fast food to upper-level computer programmers in a major corporation, just by taking out a loan for $3,000 and taking the courses at a local community college," explains Jeffrey Hogg, a researcher at the Alexis de Tocqueville Institution. From this beginning, the Institution, a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank located in Arlington, Va., created a study to determine if certification could provide a means for unlikely individuals to gain upward mobility and success. They found out that it was. Recruiters tend to hire MCSEs just as often, if not more so, than those with a four-year college degree. However, the study focused only on employees holding the Microsoft Certified Solution Engineer (MCSE) credential. And they found that familiarity breeds respect. Technical recruiters who work with MCSEs reported high marks in their ability to work, upward mobility, and success standards. Recruiters who have not worked with MGSEs, though, rated them lower. Hogg believes the results might encourage recruiters to focus more on graduates of certification programs. But recruiters also want a well-rounded person. "We don't want someone who knows only computers," they reported. Hogg clarifies, "A lot of times they want post-high-school education or even an undergraduate degree in another profession." This is good news for career changers. "I talked to one person who had an undergraduate theology degree and went on to get his certification. He now works at an Inc. 500 company," says Hogg. "With the incredible rise in cost and demand for a college degree," Hogg says, "I can see that these vocational training programs are the wave of the future." — K.S.K. |
