CWNP - which would be better on a resume

Author

which would be better on a resume

tugees

2003-05-12, 1:52 pm

a cisco wireless cert or planet 3 wireless cert ..........Cisco Wireless LAN Support Specialist or certified wireless network administrator....

kingtj

2003-05-18, 12:22 pm

Umm, it's hard to say this without sounding like it's a personal attack.... but I really think this is part of the problem with today's certs. (and those pursuing them!).

Which is better on a resume? Who cares! That's not even the right question. The reason you pursue a given cert. is because it's relevant to what you already do, and you want to "showcase" your talents.

If you primarily work with Cisco wireless devices and wish to keep doing so, then I'd say the Cisco Wireless LAN Support Specialist would be the cert. to go with first.

If you tend to work with more general wireless environments (not necessarily Cisco equipment), then go with the other one first.

Ultimately, employers aren't going to really care which one you have on a resume. They just want to see that you, #1, made an effort to better yourself, and #2, have experience relevant to their needs.

quote:
Originally posted by tugees
a cisco wireless cert or planet 3 wireless cert ..........Cisco Wireless LAN Support Specialist or certified wireless network administrator....

wirelessboy

2003-05-18, 11:57 pm

quote:
Which is better on a resume? Who cares! That's not even the right question. The reason you pursue a given cert. is because it's relevant to what you already do, and you want to "showcase" your talents.

thats a good one, its time the remaining few employers who take people on basis of these certs , to stop that.

certs must be a proud acheivement for an individual, a satysfying feeling when u see the score card , u know u have worked hard for that.

well, now for tugees question, i would prefer CWNA, for it is not vendor specific, and also it does not stop with a single cert, it has four levels to keep u motivated and occupied for a atleast say two years!

regards

meijin

2003-05-19, 8:39 am

kingtj:

I would tend to disagree with you. Do you think people plan what college they would like to get into based on what their chances are to make more money and be more likely to get a high profile job? Of course they do! And this is how colleges like MIT, Harvard, Yale, Wharton, etc. can get away with charging so much per credit hour as opposed to "Middle of Nowhere East State University".

I pre-date the IBM PC and can remember when the first certifications came out. They were not all that necessary, but over time that has changed no matter how much experience you have. So, I have decided to go ahead and take the tests for the certifications that I think fit the job field I am in and anything else that would make me more likely to get a job that I put in for.

So, to answer the question at hand...it would have to depend on the company. If they are strictly a Cisco shop looking to use Cisco wireless equipment, then the Cisco cert would probably carry more. I went ahead and got both.

HTH

kingtj

2003-05-19, 12:15 pm

Well, I'm not exactly disagreeing with you on the colleges/universities - but I don't think they necessarily equate with getting a certification either.

People typically pick a college or university to attend right after high-school, and before they've even had much experience in the "work world". Often, they have no idea what they want to do in life, and they hope they'll figure it out as they go through college.

Many times, a college is chosen based on location, financial limitations, and where one's friends are going, as well as on reputation. Sure, people pay much more for Yale or Harvard because it has a strong reputation, but I think it's also fair to say that most of the "rest of us" feel it's not a fully justified reputation either. Many people get accepted to the "ivy legaue" schools based on their relatives having gone there in the past. Some of the best and brightest businesspeople have dropped out of those schools before going on to do great things, too.

Are they "good schools"? Sure! Are they "worth the money"? Very questionable.

I think, by contrast, certifications are pursued by people who already have a good idea what they want to do for a living/career, and they're simply tools to sharpen one's skills in a very specific area. Yeah, some employers strongly prefer a particular cert. - but when they discount other comparable certs., they're usually just showing their ignorance at what else is out there.

meijin

2003-05-19, 1:10 pm

I wish I had the website available, but I cannot find it right now. It shows, however, that people getting certifications are doing so for the following reasons:

#1. To change careers

#2. To enhance their current skillset as to improve their chances for a raise

#3. To enhance the opportunity they will have on getting a different job

I am in a position of working in an environment totally different than where I was two years ago, and even more so from two years before that. Same general industry, just way different job description. So, I (like many others) are looking at certifications as we way to enhance my skillset on my resume and in real life so as to reflect the direction my career is going and my go in the near future.

jroy1

2003-05-20, 9:21 am

I would like to add. Don't go after a Cert because "It looks good on a resume". Go after a cert because it tests your ability to understand the topic at hand. Many people chase the dollar bills instead of what interests them. This is a tragedy in this field because too many "paper whatevers" are running around with a few letters tacked onto their resume and just went out and did a stinkin testking test. I am so glad all the vendors are going to labs and hard test simulations like the new CCNA and the new CCNP coming. It makes the test taker actually have to know how to configure the device and understand the topic instead of remember a bunch of test answers.

meijin

2003-05-20, 10:12 am

Well jroy, I don't need a certification test from anyone to tell me personally that I am knowledgable in the field. If it is of interest to me, then the technology will be in my home lab and I will be buying any good reference material I can get my hands on to learn it.

The only thing a certification is good for is the employment realm. It shows that you took the initiative and it shows (supposedly) someone who may not know you or know you very well that you have a certain standard of knowledge on a particular topic.

Certifications, for anyone who is working in the real world, is very much about money. It is about how much money you can command when it comes to getting a raise. It is about money when it comes to getting a promotion to a position with a higher salary. It is about money as you make yourself more marketable to new potential employers. No matter who doesn't want to admit it, it is very much about money.

Can certifications be made by someone who does not really know the material? Sure. But they are not ever going to last for very long in a real work environment. Sort of Darwin for the Enterprise if you will.

But let's not get on some high and mighty pure white horse when it comes to certifications...know what I mean?

jroy1

2003-05-20, 11:26 am

Yup Michael,

It's all about the money. Integrity and fidelity mean nothing anymore. What is the difference anyways - we all just evolved from animals and there are no consequences to our actions - right?

Long live Testking!

meijin

2003-05-20, 11:49 am

Testking? Integrity? Fidelity?

Where the hell did I mention testking or any other sorts of dumps in this conversation? And what do you bringing the topics integrity and fidelity into the conversation have to do with anything? Aside from that, fidelity to what or to whom? It does not even appear that you are using the word correctly.

If you want to accuse me of something, then come right out and say it. What I am talking about are people that want to advance their careers and their way of life. for those of us in the technical field that actually use this stuff for a living, sometimes it is through certification. Please show me where I am advocating a lack of integrity in the process? A quote of mine perhaps? I don't think you can find one. And also please show me a quote where I advocate test dumps like testking and the like to gain the certification without the actual knowledge? I don't think you can find one of those either.

At this point, I begin to think to myself and wonder how old you are and how much real life experience you have in the "real world".

And lastly, to whom should we be expressing fidelity to?

jroy1

2003-05-20, 12:42 pm

Michael,

I must have struck a cord here.

Can you honestly say that testking or any "study guide" that gives the actual test questions and answers is actually beneficial for the industry as a whole?

>But let's not get on some high and mighty >pure white horse when it comes to >certifications...know what I mean?

No, I don't know what you mean?

Did you not imply here that those who consider so-called "study guides" with the actual answers an afront to diligent study and real life experience to be "high and mighty" and on "our pure white horse"? You seemed to imply these types of guides are OK.

Please correct me if I misunderstood. And by the way, age has nothing to do with anything we have discussed. It is childish to even suggest anything of the sort.

I have responded to the original posters question on what cert would look better on a resume. I stated NOT to go after the cert "JUST" for money and don't get caught in the trap of memorizing answers - because they would be shortchanging themselves.

Integrity - something testking doesn't understand - word for word answers go against all definitions of this word - a litle thing called an NDA comes to mind

Fidelity in this case - keeping true to the basic pricipals of study set out by the entity offering the certification. Not going around the backside to get an "edge" for personal gain

Just so there is no misunderstanding -
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=fidelity

meijin

2003-05-20, 12:54 pm

Just so YOU will understand...

I never mentioned a study guide one...the "white horse" comment had to do with the idea that the majority of people seeking the certification tract do so for some sort of higher personal ideal as opposed to a career enhancement or something else like that. I know what a dump is and I know what it is used for. And I know how to type the words. So please, try not to put words in my mouth (so to speak) that I did not say (or type). My thoughts on dumps that provide nothing but test questions are quite clear and I have "reported" a couple of different groups to Planet3 when I saw some of the crap they were putting out.

Did you hit a nerve? Yep, you bet you did. When you start to give an idea that the certifications that I have were obtained through dubious measures, then you hit a nerve. I have spent, literally, thousands of dollars on classes and thousands of dolloars more on books and equipment (each).

My personal integrity is not in question by me or anyone else.

Other than that...have a nice day. I really don't see this conversation going any place else.

meijin

2003-05-20, 2:55 pm

Just to show I am not the only one who thinks this way...

=============

Every year, Certification Magazine conducts a survey to determine the effect of technical certifications on an IT professional's salary and career. During the economic boom, certified professionals could boast of huge salary gains that were higher than their noncertified colleagues. Salary disparities between the "haves" and "have nots" often reached 20% and more. It was easy to say, then, that attaining a technical certification was worth the time, cost and effort.

But what about today? The economy has soured, IT spending has slowed to a crawl, and many IT professionals have experienced or witnessed massive layoffs. Those who have been laid off are having trouble finding jobs. Is there still any value in getting a technical certification?

The answer is a resounding yes, according to the nearly 10,000 people who responded to Certification's 2002 survey. Despite the gloomy economic news and flat IT spending throughout 2002, certified professionals still had good things to say about the value of being certified. Nearly 80% of the survey respondents plan to pursue additional certifications during the current year.

They are doing so primarily for job security. These people - your peers - believe that certification plays an important role in keeping their jobs in these uncertain economic times. And not only do they feel more confident about maintaining their jobs, they also feel more confident about performing their jobs. Certifications verify your skills and knowledge for analyzing, designing, installing and supporting complex computing environments, and employers take notice.

Some employers even make certification training a formal step in their workforce development programs. This is sound reasoning on the employer's part; the Certification survey points out that employees feel that technical certification improves their problem-solving skills and overall job productivity.

But you don't get certified just to be more productive. You're in it for the money! Well, there's good news on that front as well.

Even though the tough economy has slowed the pace of raises and promotions, holding at least one technical certification increases your prospects of a better raise or promotion. Of the 2002 survey respondents, 31% received a job promotion within a year of attaining their primary technical certification. I interpret this as a sign that employers appreciate the increased knowledge, broader range of skills, and enhanced confidence and productivity that accompany the attainment of a certification.

Even if you don't see a promotion after getting certified, you at least can anticipate earning more money. Nearly half of the survey respondents reported receiving a raise within a year of attaining the certification. You might say that those raises were slated to occur anyway, even without the certification. Not so, say the respondents. Most of them believe their raises were mostly attributable to their certification.

OK, so promotions and more money are good. But what else can you expect from getting certified?

Well, there's the respect of your colleagues, customers and peers. More than half of the survey respondents believe they get more on-the-job respect because of their technical certifications.

There's also the attention from your key computer vendors, particularly if they are the ones that have issued the certifications. Cisco, HP, IBM, Microsoft, Novell and Oracle, among others, issue well-respected technical certifications. If you make the effort to complete their certification programs, they treat you better than they do the average guy off the street. The special treatment usually includes access to preannouncement product information such as road maps and strategies; offers for discounted equipment, training and services; in-depth technical information and tools that help you perform your job better; and access to priority support. It all adds up to helping you be a better technical professional.

So times are tough and training money is scarce, but there's still value in attaining technical certification. Whether you're getting your first certification or you're adding on to an already-impressive resumé, certification makes you more attractive as an employee. It's a classic "win-win" situation for you and your employer.

wirelessboy

2003-05-20, 10:40 pm

hello members

hey tugees where are u!

what have u decided

i am presently waiting for that new and improved CWNA exam planet3 had promised, without those vague questions.

regards

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