Armed with a basic management degree and some IT knowledge, W.K. Wong landed his first job eight years ago as an IT helpdesk support personnel. He then picked up more IT skills when his employer at that time put him through internal training and technical certification courses such as the Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) and CompTIA A+ programs.

Wong subsequently moved on to several other companies, holding positions such as a systems specialist and security consultant, before ending up at his current job as a security specialist with a local financial institution. Along the way, he gathered more IT certifications including the EC-Council?s Certified Ethical Hacker, Check Point?s Certified Security Administrator, and Stonesoft?s Certified StoneGate Architect and Certified StoneGate Engineer, to make himself more marketable.

Certification, he says, has indeed been one of the major factors in helping him land the next job. "At least, it serves to indicate that you know your stuff," he says.

However, Wong is quick to note that the certifications he has earned have never really helped him move up the corporate ladder. Other important factors, such as leadership and project management skills, are also considered when employers decide on promoting a particular staff, he says.

Being certified in a particular area of IT does not necessarily guarantee mastery of skills, says Wong. "If anything, it only reflects the initiative that an individual has taken to be exposed to new knowledge and to go through the trouble of taking exams. The hiring and appraisal decision is not and should not depend solely on the number of certifications an individual has."

Dr Albert Wong, CTO of online recruitment company JobStreet.com, agrees. "The employer cannot depend on certifications alone to determine if a prospective employee really knows his stuff, especially when he has little work experience and possess only common IT certifications."

He adds that being certified is not that important if the individual can prove his capabilities. "Having a certificate can land you an interview but if you can?t demonstrate convincingly all your knowledge in the interview, then it is of no use," he says.

Woon Tai Hai, executive director at KPMG Business Advisory Services, says that while IT certifications are useful employees should also make an effort to ensure that whatever skills they have picked up are relevant to today?s job market.

"An employer will not regard certifications if none of them are relevant or required by his organization. Although it is an advantage, an employee should not get too carried away with it," he cautions.

Choosing wisely

Although most jobseekers today have some form of qualification or basic degree, the task of gaining employment is still a huge challenge for some. According to Dr Yap Chee Sing, managing director of Iverson Associates, the reason why such a situation exists is because the technical skills that most jobseekers have today are obsolete.

"Without a doubt, an IT degree provides the basic technical foundation but it takes three to four years to complete. By that time, technology would?ve advanced, he says.

Hence, pursuing additional certification is no longer a "good to have" option. It has become almost a requirement. Certification programs provide a way for both fresh graduates and experienced professionals to quickly get up to speed with the latest technology and increase the depth of their technical skills, he says.

Yap believes that with so many degree holders out there competing for jobs, an additional certification would add value to a basic academic degree and highlight an individual?s specialization in a particular area.

"It is therefore advisable that fresh candidates get an additional certification first before entering the workforce. It would be a definite advantage in enhancing one?s employment prospects," Yap adds.

But with so many IT certification programs available, which should jobseekers pursue? For starters, the MCSE and MCAD (Microsoft Certified Application Developer) as well as Cisco?s and EC-Council?s security- related courses are the safest bets, says Anthony Lee, executive director of Informatics Group Malaysia, one of the country?s largest private educational institutions that specializes in IT courses. The rule of thumb, adds Lee, is to look at industry trends which are currently focused on computer networks and security, and converged technologies.

Iverson?s Yap concurs. He adds that several years ago organizations were prepared to send their staff for these certifications but, today, most IT professionals are expected to already be equipped with these skill sets.

The demand for a particular specialization is also dependant on the dominance of certain IT players. "The industry is very vendor-driven. Most of the job opportunities are related to the dominance of these vendors and as such, drives the popularity of related certification programs," says Yap.

Other top IT courses include those related to CRM, SCM, database administration, knowledge management, project management and Linux.

While following the mainstream tracks is favored, Woon of KPMG says that one might also want to consider IT certification programs that are perceived to be less popular, such as those related to Unix.

He says that the demand for and availability of the more common courses have overshadowed the need for specialization in Unix, leading to the perception that the operating system is obsolete.

"Unix-trained and -certified professionals are, in fact, very rare and highly sought after. It is impossible that Unix will become obsolete at this point in time as a lot of organizations are still running older enterprise applications and systems that are powered by this OS," says Woon.

Woon also points out that following the IT market trends only serves as a reference point. Employees should take it upon themselves to gauge where and how they should hone their skills, bearing in mind that obtaining an IT certification does not necessarily equate to getting an increment or promotion, he says.

EDS Malaysia president Ayut Patel agrees, adding that IT certification is just "an entry to the (employment) game" and does not automatically entitle the individual to more money or a better position.

"Being certified doesn?t mean anything if you can?t apply what you have learned. It is the combination of certification, work experience and how you apply your knowledge that?ll get you a better remuneration," he says.

Nevertheless, in most cases, a candidate who has gained some form of specialized IT certification is likely to command a better salary although that might only be reflected in the longer term, says Lee of Informatics.

"The salary increment can range from anything between 5 to 16 per cent depending on the relevance and area of specialization," he says. He notes that a Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE), for instance, can command more than RM10,000 (US$2,632) a month because it is a very demanding and rigid program that is in high demand.

An Oracle Certified Professional (OCP) certification, meanwhile, is capable of fetching 30 per cent higher remuneration. Employees that possess this type of certification are also poised for higher-ranking jobs, says Leonard Sie, director of Oracle University at Oracle Corporation Malaysia.