Education and certification inquiries

As I recently reviewed the many letters from readers with questions on career matters, one of the areas that was addressed most frequently was education. Within that category, I include both degree-level education and certification. Typically, questions in this area involve which degree or certification program is best and when a person might expect to see results from their educational efforts.

Since I'm going to be discussing education efforts in my next few issues, allow me to share my own education credentials, as my views and opinions are shaped by my personal experiences. I hold bachelor's degrees in computer science and business management, and earned both degrees while employed full-time. I decided to pursue those degree programs when I became convinced that the absence of a degree was going to inhibit my growth in the corporate world. In one of those unusual twists of fate, in the same year I completed my degree programs, I withdrew from the corporate world to start my own search business. As a result, I can't say if holding the degrees made any difference in my personal growth. I was at a fairly senior level of management before my corporate departure, so certification programs were not on my education agenda.

I am a passionate believer in the value of continuing education for the technology professional. When I say "continuing," I mean perpetual education of some type until the career has ended. I believe that everyone must carve out a portion of both their personal and work time to be set aside for educational purposes. I also think the individual must take a greater responsibility for identifying and funding the appropriate educational programs. Attending only training funded by your employer or - worse yet - not getting any training at all because your employer won't pay the bill is a bad career strategy.

I believe I've used up my allotted number of words for this issue, and I've barely moved past some basic philosophies. Stick with me on this; I'll continue to address education in the next newsletter.

Frank Schoff specializes in recruiting networking and telecommunications professionals at both the technical and managerial levels. If you are interested in discussing career opportunities, or if you need assistance with your recruiting efforts, or if you simply want to debate the merits of Frank's career tips, he would like to talk to you. He can be reached at (828) 884-4118.

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