certifications rates in terms of investment needed?

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I was doing some research last night, but couldn't find exactly what I was looking for. It's easy to get research on the top certifications or hot technologies etc. But it seems harder to get information that describes the investment (in terms of time and money) to acquire various certifications, or even the relative difficulty level. I have experienced in the past significant differences in difficulty for certifications, and it made me think this information up front would be useful.

Anyone got any research links ?

cheers
sean

 

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There have been threads on what certs match up to the established NVQ levels - do a search you will find it.

As for a ROI calculation it is impossible to do, or atleast very difficult given the study methods involved. Some people learn faster, some people learn from one book, some from 4, some pass the exam first time others on the third.

For the MS exams here is roughly what each module will cost

£88 for the exam - but you can get discount vouchers.
£20 - £60 for the text book depending on where you shop.
The time it takes you to Know and Understand the topics, not just enough so you pass the exam.
So you are looking at £110 - £150 per module, you can then add additional test question packages from people like Boson, Transcender and Exam Cram.

The big variable is study time and that is something only you can decide.

Good Luck and let us know how you get on.

 

What he said.

It really depends on what sort of experience you have, and although I hate to say it, your basic level of intelligence. Some people absorb things easier than others.

Some topics are harder than others, but may exams will give you some idea of the target audience or any pre-requisites so you'll know what level they are pitched at.

Some exams will only require you to read a book etc. Others will require you to have some hands on experience. So if you're going for an SQL exam, you'll need to consider the additional cost of some kind of home lab and software licenses etc.

 

Agreed it's difficult to put a cost on each exam. I flew through my CompTIA exams and all my MS exams pretty much using 1-2 books and the exam cost. The 70-291 exam on the otherhand has cost me 2-3 books, additional server + RAM, and a MS Technet subscription plus the exam cost so roughly about £600 up to now.

 

Even given a study method and a fixed amount of time to study, the ROI is impossible to figure because certifications have different worths depending on the amount of experience you have. The MCSE without experience is nearly worthless; the MCSE with experience has value. The value isn't that you can get more dollars with the MCSE... the value is that you can make your CV/resume look more attractive to employers.

Still, even if you get a job while holding the MCSE, does the certification make a difference in getting that job? Sometimes it does... sometimes it doesn't. It's hard to say for sure. So how could you possibly determine the ROI?