So – what certification means the most to you or what certification has the most value?

Deciding which certification has the most value or means the most to you is a difficult question to say the least - what one person holds dear or found difficult another may find otherwise. Some might say it was their first certification test that they took (always nerve wracking!) for others it might be their MCSE or CCIE - but whatever the certification, there is at least one you hold dearer than the others. Whatever the case, I am sure we all remember our first certification more clearly than most - after all, it was the first!

The first certification exam is always the worst! You have absolutely no idea what to expect. Sure, if you had a class, the instructor probably gave you some hints as to what (or what not) to study and tricks. My first certification test was one of the NT4 Series - the Implementing and Supporting NT4 Workstation. I had taken the actual class that covered most of the test almost a year earlier (ran into the same problem many others have - work and life intruded into my study time) and now was faced with the daunting task of trying to relearn what had I had initially gleaned from the classroom so long ago. Eventually I passed the exam (on the first try!) - But it was not an easy task.

I am sure that my experience is not far from what others have experienced in their IT careers - studying and passing their first exam. It can and is a difficult process the first time around. There are many unknowns associated with the first certification test - not knowing how or what to study, how the questions are worded, even just what to expect. If you attended a computer training class, hopefully you had a chance to talk to your instructor.

While trainers should not "teach" the test, they should help new students overcome their fears of a certification test - after all, all of us had to take a "first" test at some point! An instructor can help answer questions, give some general guidance to the future test taker even point out legitimate test preparation programs. Ours is not some arcane field in which we must make the tests so difficult as to guarantee failure - but rather we should be mentoring newcomers to our field. We will need these neophytes to help us in our jobs and we should train them to take over when we decide to move on to new endeavors.

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