Customer Reviews

Get Certified & Get Ahead, Millennium Edition

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Along with the information revolution come new paradigms; of identity (e.g. Domain names), of rewards (e.g. contract rates), of time parameters (e.g. email), of space parameters (e.g. cyberspace), and now new ways of learning _ certification.

Certifications have created a new class of education; not university based, no minimum standards required, fluency in English a must, very flexible, very global, and very rewarding. The certified are the leaders in the information revolution.

The underlying concept of the book is that of the Common Body of Knowledge (CBOK). What is called an " . . . agreed upon baseline . . ." (p.xvii Foreword). The author doesn't say it directly, but I think she believes these CBOK's are converging into vendor-neutral certifications. This is because of her vision in seeing what is just over the horizon. A trend to look out for. Actually, this is also a comment on the role of Professional Associations into the future in determining minimum standards of competencies for professionals as well as things like ethical behavior.

In the meantime, "Certifications of a lower quality and less value will fall by the wayside, while a handful will gain increasing prominence" (p.35). And also, multiple platform certifications to show cross-platform expertise (p. 68) as well as "middle-of-the-road certifications" and "hybrid certifications". (p.110)

The IT field continues to be a worker's market but; "when you consider that most of the major industry vendors and many of the minor ones have already launched programs, it's obvious why the rate of growth can't continue apace; most of the players are already in the game" (p.28). Furthermore, " . . . certification is becoming a tool to define a path for professional development" (p.29). And finally, "certification will go from its current status as a qualification that elevates one professional above another to one that is present on more resumes than not" (p.36) " . . . people who have ignored the trend will have to play catch-up" (p.42)

Don't expect the author to spell out which certifications are best and which ones are useless. It depends on your background and where you are going. What you have to do is to read between the lines, e.g. the question of tainted certifications on page 22 and the various quotes from interviewed individuals who recommend what worked for them. The closest she gets is on pages 114 to 115 Choosing a Certification Because it's Hot. One very clever thing is that of categories between one to four for all the 200+ certifications quoted.

This book should be called the A to Z of certifying yourself. And it's a good test of your possible success in certification. To get the most out of it, you have to knuckle down and read it end to end!

I dont think any readers will get enough detail about A+, MSCE, CNA and many other computer related certification. This book talked about career planning, it doesnt say anything about what certification is good and what is not I would say buy other book pertaining to your interest, specifically exam guides.

This book has some great information but is written for people new to the Industry -- I am an MCSE and would have liked to seen more upto date/accurate numbers and talk about which certifications are becoming saturated etc. and which certifications are still rare but in demand. Great overview book of certifications for beginners.

Anne Martinez has given every one the facts about technological certifications and done it well. What this book gives you is precise information about what to do, how to do it and where to the information from.

The perfect reference manual for every director of computers and every network manager. Martinez shows the reader what to look out for, what things can get in the way and what you might expect to pay for the certification.

Combining 30 new certifications, the millennium edition contains a table of 200-plus certifications with the name of the certification, cost, and vendor/non-vendor information. All that is left is for you the reader to study and take the test.

The Book is web enhanced providing links to web sites, and other sources of information. A definitive book on certifications and a must have for everyone who has started or is thinking of starting your certification.

If you are thinking about getting certified this is a good book to start with. It will not give you in depth details about the different types of certifications. But, its purpose is not necessarily to choose which certification to go for. It is just a way to help you understand the benefits of certifications. For more details about the different types of certifications will require further reading.

"Get Certified and Get Ahead" is a useful career and computer certification guide for those thinking about working in the computer field. One notes that the book itself (the companion website was not reviewed by this reviewer) does not evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the 170 certifications listed in the text. Nor are specific certifications compared. One must note, however, that the certification business changes quickly, and what is true now concerning a specific certification, may not be true for the same certification in just a few months. Also, one can not expect an author to plan the reader's career; that is the reader's responsibility. Overall, this is a solid text with lots of good suggestions and tips on becoming successfully certified in the computer area of the reader's choice.

This book reminds me of an interviewing book I once glanced at. That book suggested that one of the primary elements an interviewer will look for is a healthy person. Recommendation: 6 weeks before the interview develop a physical fitness routine. Then it went into several pages of the benefits of various exercise programs - all for an interviewing book. This book also does a good job of filling pages with near worthless advice (Use "The Evelyn Wood 7-Day Speed Reading & Learning Program") and never delivers what it states on the back cover: "It gives you 100% of what you need to choose the certification that is right for you." If you have the patience and need to cover all of the material before the sparse overview of the certifications your primary focus should not be certifications. The certification section makes no effort to rate certifications on any common scale, provides no quality survey results or independent feedback, not even a thumbs up/thumbs down market indicator. If you want to know about certifications, your best starting place is the web. I have listed a few links that can point you in a starting direction and will cost you nothing but your time and Internet connection. Good luck.

I am actually young for a book like this, but it is actually a good reference to what I can help myself out on. Anne Martinez answers the FAQ and many other things. You will also need to keep notes on the abbreviations because I had to go back and write 'em all down. It is what I consider a resource because it has almost everything I need to know. It's genius. It also says which are the ones that you'll have time for and those that you won't. Getting certified isn't always easy because not everybody can pass the CISA test. So look before you just go. It also gives you recommendations.

The book offers in-depth information about the cost and benefit of certifications.

This book has been extremely helpful, and has guided me through the difficult and confusing methods to becoming certified in different IT areas. The Informix Certifications were my interest and found them here.