The web is covered with stories regarding the benefits of professional computer certification, and most of them are backed up with salary surveys and the like. While theres certainly nothing wrong with making more money and having better job prospects, theres one benefit of certification that many candidates forget about.
Confidence.
You cant pay your rent with confidence you cant pay for gas with confidence you cant pay for ANYTHING with confidence, right? So who cares, right?
Wrong. The confidence you build from truly earning a certification, whether its an MCSE, CCNA, or CCIE, cannot be purchased, borrowed, or stolen. It has to be earned.
What do I mean by truly earned? First, Im referring to those little documents out there generally referred to as braindumps. If you buy one of these things and happen to skate by a certification exam, did you learn anything? No. Did you learn anything? No. Are you going to be effective on the job? No. As I tell my students, when youre standing in front of a server or router that isnt working, and all eyes are on you to troubleshoot the problem, the correct answer is not B. There is no multiple...