Certification Success Requires Planning

The Roman general and statesman Marcus Licinius Crassus is famous for being among the wealthiest humans in the history of counting and large numbers. Crassus is famous for his position within the First Triumvirate, which speeded ancient Rome's transition from republic to empire, and for essentially bankrolling the rise to power of charismatic colleague Julius Caesar. Crassus is even famous for defeating the army of legendary gladiator-turned-rebel Spartacus.

One thing that Crassus is not famous for is fulfilling the long-held Roman dream of ousting the Parthian Empire from its seat of power in far east of the Mediterranean world. Crassus had the motive, means, and opportunity to deal a heavy blow to Parthian supremacy, but lack of strategy led him to blunder away some notable advantages prior to meeting an untimely demise after overseeing a humiliating defeat at the hands of a numerically inferior enemy.

Crassus' first mistake was refusing to add the impressive strength of a mercenary Armenian army to his undertaking. Then he decided to move his own forces based on information provided by native guides of dubious fealty to Rome and her ambitions. Then he let sloppy logistics and poor tactics set up his legions for defeat at the hands of Parthian skirmishers who, by some accounts, he outnumbered more than four to one. All in all, that's some pretty poor planning.

Success in certification requires patience and hard work. It also requires careful planning. In much the same way that Marcus Crassus met with spectacular failure on account of inadequate planning, a certification candidate who attempts to just wing it when taking his or her exam is doomed to meet an infamous demise. Failing the exam probably won't result in an ignominious death, as it did for Crassus, but you are likely to end up starting over from scratch.

If you have a certification in your sights, then it's absolutely worth mapping out a path to success before you begin. What study and training materials will you use? What timetable are you hoping to follow? What other resources will help to ensure that you are well prepared on exam day? Hannibal — the A-Team guy, not the famous Carthaginian general (no slouch at planning himself) — used to love it when "a plan comes together." Start your certification effort by drawing up a blueprint for success, and you'll know the feeling.