DZone
Thanks for visiting DZone today,
Edit Profile
  • Manage Email Subscriptions
  • How to Post to DZone
  • Article Submission Guidelines
Sign Out View Profile
  • Post an Article
  • Manage My Drafts
Over 2 million developers have joined DZone.
Log In / Join
Refcards Trend Reports Events Over 2 million developers have joined DZone. Join Today! Thanks for visiting DZone today,
Edit Profile Manage Email Subscriptions Moderation Admin Console How to Post to DZone Article Submission Guidelines
View Profile
Sign Out
Refcards
Trend Reports
Events
Zones
Culture and Methodologies Agile Career Development Methodologies Team Management
Data Engineering AI/ML Big Data Data Databases IoT
Software Design and Architecture Cloud Architecture Containers Integration Microservices Performance Security
Coding Frameworks Java JavaScript Languages Tools
Testing, Deployment, and Maintenance Deployment DevOps and CI/CD Maintenance Monitoring and Observability Testing, Tools, and Frameworks
Culture and Methodologies
Agile Career Development Methodologies Team Management
Data Engineering
AI/ML Big Data Data Databases IoT
Software Design and Architecture
Cloud Architecture Containers Integration Microservices Performance Security
Coding
Frameworks Java JavaScript Languages Tools
Testing, Deployment, and Maintenance
Deployment DevOps and CI/CD Maintenance Monitoring and Observability Testing, Tools, and Frameworks
  1. DZone
  2. Culture and Methodologies
  3. Career Development
  4. Technical Certifications and My World's Greatest Dad Mug

Technical Certifications and My World's Greatest Dad Mug

How are technical certifications like self-praising mugs, and why should you care?

Dave Fecak user avatar by
Dave Fecak
·
Apr. 21, 16 · Opinion
Like (7)
Save
Tweet
Share
3.68K Views

Join the DZone community and get the full member experience.

Join For Free

I am frequently asked about the value of technical certifications as they related to one's career prospects. Thousands of developers have invested millions of dollars and countless hours studying for exams that, assuming they pass, provides a document suitable for framing and enables them to put a single line and fancy acronym on their resume. Often at the bottom.

I don't have any technical certifications (I'm not a programmer). I do have a World's Greatest Dad mug. I didn't buy it for myself, as that would feel like cheating. It was a gift from my wife. There are many other dads of varying ability that own mugs making similar superlative claims about the owner's parenting skills.

Do I Need the Mug?

If I was somehow required to prove my parenting skills for some Best Dad Talent Showcase, I probably wouldn't incorporate the mug into my demonstration. I might instead change some diapers and show that I know how to feed and play with my baby, and hopefully the baby would react positively. Observers might get a sense that I was a pretty good dad.

But let's imagine that I did walk into the Best Dad Talent Showcase with mug in hand, proudly waving it around and pointing to it (and then to myself) as if the mug were some genuine award? I imagine the judges might become suspicious. Spectators could be thinking, "This guy might be an incredible dad - perhaps even the World's Greatest - but a great dad wouldn't need a World's Greatest Dad mug to prove his point." 

If I was a brand new dad with no clue how to parent, that mug might be the only thing I've got to compete with the experienced dads. The fact that someone felt strongly enough about my abilities to buy me the mug might sadly be the best chance I have. 

Image title

Certifications Are Not Mugs

The analogy between certifications and my mug is clearly imperfect (it was mainly an opportunity to brag about and photograph my mug), but I hope the message comes through. Certification tests from the more reputable vendors are generally regarded as quite challenging, and I would never mean to imply that the certs can simply be bought or earned simply as one might buy a mug. 

The intended takeaway is that when experienced professionals pursue, earn, and advertise that they have certifications, it might actually raise some eyebrows instead of instilling confidence. Just like the World's Greatest Dad wouldn't need a mug to prove his worth, a strong technologist pursuing certs might be considered to be overcompensating for some possible skills deficit.

What If I Had Fifteen World's Greatest Dad Mugs?

This perceived overcompensation is largely due to the fact that one rarely pursues just one certification. I tend to find that certs come in bundles, and someone might list from three to fifteen different certs on a resume. When I see multiple certs on a resume, the first impression is not generally positive.

Going back to my mugs, what if you came to my house for coffee and found that I had fifteen World's Greatest Dad Mugs? You might find that a little strange, and if you discovered I had bought them all for myself you might even suspect that I had some sort of complex about my own parenting ability. 

Conclusion

The greatest value of a certification may be the journey and not the destination. The pursuit of a cert provides a learning goal to be achieved within a deadline, and the financial cost (whether on the individual or an employer) gives added incentive to study and perform. One may find that removing multiple certs (particularly older ones) from a resume may improve results.

career dev Framing (social sciences) Testing Pass (software) Clue (mobile app) Impression (software) React (JavaScript library) Sort (Unix) Document

Opinions expressed by DZone contributors are their own.

Popular on DZone

  • 2023 Software Testing Trends: A Look Ahead at the Industry's Future
  • Asynchronous HTTP Requests With RxJava
  • Why You Should Automate Code Reviews
  • Kubernetes vs Docker: Differences Explained

Comments

Partner Resources

X

ABOUT US

  • About DZone
  • Send feedback
  • Careers
  • Sitemap

ADVERTISE

  • Advertise with DZone

CONTRIBUTE ON DZONE

  • Article Submission Guidelines
  • Become a Contributor
  • Visit the Writers' Zone

LEGAL

  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy

CONTACT US

  • 600 Park Offices Drive
  • Suite 300
  • Durham, NC 27709
  • support@dzone.com
  • +1 (919) 678-0300

Let's be friends: