Can iSeries 400 certification better your job prospects? Certification has been a boon for IT job seekers across the board. A recent RHI Consulting Inc. survey, for example, found that Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) holders make up to 10% more than their noncertified counterparts.
And Brent Handler, CEO of IQdestination, a training site, recently acknowledged the merits of certification programs offered by Cisco Systems Inc., Oracle Corp. and Sun Microsystems Inc. Yet in a live chat with search400 members, Handler stopped well short of endorsing IBM's certification programs.
There is indeed little evidence that iSeries certification is a moneymaker for midrange professionals. Most iSeries 400 surveys, like search400's Interactive Salary Survey, instead measure the impact of education and experience on iSeries400 salaries.
Nonetheless, IBM is updating its exam roster for the iSeries 400. Specialists can register online for everything from systems administration to e-business application development. You can read about the exams and register for them. Before you seek iSeries 400 certification, look at these links. Then let us know which exams you're taking and why. E-mail us at editor@search400.com
Return on investment study
IBM claims this survey of test takers proves that IBM certification "promotes recognition, helps create advantages in interviews and assists in salary increases and/or corporate advancement for certificate holders.."
Top 10 certification sites
Overwhelmed by your options? Search400 career editor Paula Vosburgh last summer cherry-picked 10 sites that have the "breadth and depth of information for a number of technology certifications."
Are you certifiable?
William A. Hansen, Ph.D., warns in this article that iSeries 400 pros need more than book smarts to beat the IBM exams.
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About the author: Baard is a contributing editor in Milton, Mass.
