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Conclusions: The Bottom Line:

Now what? The bottom line is GET CERTIFIED. If you are starting out—fresh out of high school, and you want to go into IT, get your bachelor's degree. The college experience will give you a broad perspective on a multitude of disciplines. There is more to life that IT. If you are feverishly interested in IT as you enter college, pursue the B.S. in CIS; otherwise, follow your heart. If you have a bachelor's degree in some other discipline, you can still have a fantastic career in IT. When you finish your bachelor's degree, GET CERTIFIED.

If you are a career changer or an IT professional wanting to move up the ladder, get certified. If you are interested in networking, get one of the Novell or Microsoft certifications. If you are interested in UNIX, get Linux+- or Sun-certified. If you are interested in programming, get Java-certified. If you are interested in database work, get Oracle-certified. If you are looking for a job that involves the Internet, get CIW-certified. If you want to break into IT, get A+-, Net+-, and/or Server+-certified. If you are in IT, and want to move up to management, get IT Project+-certified. If you are interested in Wide Area Networking, get Cisco-certified. If you are interested in security issues, get CISSP-certified. The bottom line—GET CERTIFIED. It will validate a baseline knowledge that HR people and employers are initially looking for on a resume, and the certification will open up doors you might never consider.

If I had to do my education all over again, or if I had children that were interested in IT, my strategy would be the same. Get an undergraduate degree and GET CERTIFIED. The doors will open. The doors open, even if you are paper-certified. Don't get hung up on the Catch-22 debate over paper-certified IT professionals. Everyone who is certified is paper-certified. Some have experience, and some are gaining experience. Just consider the fact that university degrees are paper degrees. It's all relative. In retrospect, I wish the certification options had been available in the late 70s and early 80s. I would not have opted to get a master's degree. In truth, my master's degrees have made me a more rounded human being, but they have not paid my bills. My certifications have paid my bills.

The funny thing is that I have had a lot of fun getting certified, teaching others who are pursuing certification and experiencing the joys and frustrations of life as an IT professional. I have abandoned thoughts of teaching for a university or getting a Ph.D. I will follow my interests and what has worked for me and pursue the Cisco CCIE. Will that be my last certification? Probably not! As the industry changes and new opportunities open up, I will explore and pursue them as well. In a sense, I am doing what universities advocate (lifelong learning), except I'm doing it through the certifications available in IT.

Let me know your thoughts on certification and traditional education. Feel free to e-mail me at wyrostekw@msn.com or open up a thread on the InformIT.com discussion board. Talk to you soon.

Want to continue reading this series? Click over to Warren Wyrostek's page to see all of his "Now What?" and other career and certification articles.

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