All of you remember the first certification test you ever took – the fear and trepidation that went with taking that first test. Not knowing what was going to be asked or even knowing HOW it was going to be asked. Taking your first certification test can be quite the harrowing experience. I know it was for me and I had been in the industry a number of years before taking my first certification test.
Now take a young person who is just coming into the IT field, or someone who has been working in the field for 20+ years and neither one has ever taken a certification test. Yes, it the testing experience is new for both of them, but I think the person who has been in the field for the longer period of time must feel that they have more pressure on them than the noob – uh, new member to the IT field. After all, the veteran of 20+ years has seen the industry change dramatically. This veteran most likely first started working in an environment that did not have all of the types of servers, Operating Systems, workstations that are prevalent now. This grizzled veteran also did not need to be AS concerned about computer security, data and ID theft or even the inter-connectivity of disparate systems. The new entrant to the IT field, on the other hand, has always known the existence of email, viruses, data and ID theft as well as working with different OS platforms.
In either case they are both going to take their first certification test. Each one brings their own experiences, knowledge base and learning methodologies into the testing booth. The newly minted IT Pro comes in without a great deal of background knowledge and possibly has only focused on the material for the test at hand. The more experienced IT Pro comes in with a vast amount of background knowledge and experience, but these same benefits might prove to be a hindrance – a feeling that since I have this knowledge, I perhaps don’t have to study as much as the newbie.
In either case – they are both going to have study very hard. The newbie has to study hard because of the lack of experience. The veteran must overcome the hubris of “I have been there, done that and gotten a t-shirt for my efforts”. I wish them both good luck!
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