I have been asked by many whether they should get certified in various aspects of IT or not.  For years I worked at the largest IT training company in the world and constantly interacted with instructors and students.  I then worked for a computer consulting company where I was able to see certified and non-certified staff work in the real world.

I have seen extremely certified people fail miserably in the real world (even instructors) and I have seen non-certified people soar with their logical thought process and communication.  I have also seen certified people do the same.  Whether you get certified or not does not seem to have any correlation as to whether or not you can actually do the job.

What it does provide is credibility and trust when it is needed.  If a customer is looking for someone to service their computer systems and network, they need to be able to trust that company/person.  If they open a phone book they will see hundreds of options, but who do they trust?  This is part of the reason why word of mouth is the strongest methods in marketing a computer service business.  Business owners talk to one another and you can be certain that if you do a great job for them that your name will come up when they are asked who services their computers.

But what about those who don’t ask their peers?  How do they figure out who to trust?  Certifications can go a long way.  If you are listed next to someone else in the phone book and you have a Microsoft certification while the competitor does not, how do you think that looks to the client?  Which one would they pick or at least call first?  If the client uses Microsoft products, and chances are that he/she does, they would of course feel more comfortable knowing that the person servicing their network is Microsoft certified.  It shows a certain level of expertise.  And to someone reading your ad, that might be the one thing they need to feel comfortable that you can do the job.  Think about it.

-Zachary M. Morvik