Are the curtains coming down on certification? NO

 

NO. The title was coined deliberately to draw your attention.  But the layoff and downsizing news is all over the media, especially IT sector, and some in the industrial sector too. During the appraisal week, its no surprise to hear about the pink slips. No performers has a place in the team. Typical chopping off the deadwood. Some companies follow clearing of bottom 10-20 percent workforce, but the figures read in the media seem to bamboozle as the layoffs is by hundreds and thousands. Accept the fact the market has changed. It’s a buyers’ market, and talent alone is spotted. Rest is not even counted.

Companies strategize by shrinking the workforce to keep the focus on their talent pool. Companies are increasingly scrutinising their human capital to compete, especially, in niche technologies and that’s when the certifications from reputed governing bodies really make cut above the crew. There was a time, when hiring was made on a particular technology or expertise. So if you are good in conventional development particularly waterfall methodology, then the typical hunt is for the profile fitting the requirement. Nowadays, even the profiles needs the resume revived has to be mixed-bag. Will this resource help us for an agile based project since the experience weighs heavily on waterfall? And that’s why and where the certifications count. Mentioning experience in a particular stream of technology won’t suffice. You need to be accredited. And that gives you the recognition to be at least considered as a candidate. PMI has its own certifications, of which PMP is their flagship, but the PMI-ACP has gained traction these days to lend the stress on your agile expertise.

Now you might question why the ‘flavors’? These days, project managers are expected to code. The managing, leading, supervision is the very job description, but coding has also become the minimum expectation. If the project manager starts coding, who will manage the project? Its an interesting poser. The project manager will have to manage time as well to apportion some for coding. It is something added to the job profile. Unless you are proficient in coding, how will can you assess your team’ productivity, or even trouble shoot by rolling up the sleeves when needed.

Resources must be so flexible that they can be placed anywhere – doesn’t matter what is the technology. Be it java or dot net; be it water fall or agile; be it proprietary of open source. And the expectation set is very clear: the quality cannot be compromised, and the learning curve cannot be steep. Mostly, its on the job, or beforehand.

Its tough. Yes, it is. ‘when the going gets tough, the tough gets going’. So the shine of the verifications has not waned. In fact, it has become more of a necessity to possess, and the more you have, more are the chances for you to be identified and after that the interview process takes over. Even then, you will learn that all you spent in the time of certifications has made you more confident in facing the panel.

Good luck.

image courtesy: goo.gl/zU7