Set a Course for Success with a 'Cert-nado'

It was the summer of 1975, and the movie Jaws was making a splash. Like most 12-year-old boys, I thought the idea of a monster from the deep was pretty cool, and I’ve been mesmerized by sharks ever since. 

That’s why, in anticipation of Sharknado IV: The 4^th Awakens airing this past Sunday evening, I watched a couple of Syfy Channel produced shark movies — the kind filled with low-grade special effects and even lower grade acting, where everyone gets eaten, except maybe the hero and a moderately attractive, bikini-clad woman.  

One show I enjoyed was 3-Headed Shark Attack, the sequel to 2-Headed Shark Attack, (Hmmm… wonder what they will call the sequel to the sequel?).  

The morbid attraction of these shows is watching oblivious beach bums and babes, who just can’t seem to stay out of the water, being devoured by these multi-headed killing machines in ridiculous fashion, until the hero implausibly saves the day. The gist of these “cinematic masterpieces” is that the more heads on a shark, the better — for the shark, not the actors.

The venerable adage that “two (or even three) heads are better than one” means that several people working together have a better likelihood of solving a problem. It usually applies to decision making, as an additional set of skills and experiences at the right moment can be very handy.  

The same applies to IT certifications — the more you have, the better. Certifications are a surefire way to develop the right IT skills for your job. They represent a grasp of practical and essential knowledge. Certifications validate your training, help you remain competitive and employable, enable you to reach job proficiency more quickly, and show dedication to your IT career.   

Certifications make sure that you stand out in a sea of résumés, and almost always make the difference when it comes to landing a job. In fact, recent studies by CompTIA show that 96 percent of HR managers use certifications as a criteria for screening or hiring, 97 percent use them to distinguish between equally qualified candidates, and 90 percent say that IT certified workers are more likely to be promoted than their non-certified peers.

Just as a multi-headed shark is better able to chew up the competition, so too will multiple certs help you advance in your career. Each certification imparts certain skills and knowledge applicable to specific IT positions.   

Sponsoring organizations typically have a clearly marked path designed to take an IT pro from an entry-level credential up to more advanced designations. For example, if you’re interested in a career in networking, Cisco offers five levels of certification: Entry, Associate, Professional, Expert, and the highest level, Architect. A beginner can get started with a CCT or CCENT, work through a CCNA, CCNP, and CCIE, and ultimately reach the top tier with a CCAr.

TestOut Continuing Education packages work the same way — an individual with no computer skills can begin with and master Desktop Pro, then move on to PC Pro, Network Pro and Security Pro, all the way up the line to reach their career goals.  

While Sheriff Brody may say that it’s possible to have too many sharks, he would agree that it’s never possible to have too many certifications. They open doors, help you make a splash and lead to greater career opportunities with higher salaries — so you can afford a bigger boat. 

About the Author — Calvin Harper is an associate editor for GoCertify and a veteran of the publishing industry. He is currently polishing the final draft of his screenplay for Sharknado V: Stayin' Alive.