Whether you plunk down a tidy sum to go to MCSE bootcamp or slog through months of late nights to get that CCE, certification is no longer enough. Used to be, getting that piece of paper gave you a tremendous advantage in the labor market, but no more. Oh, you ll need to have that cert, but you ll need hands-on experience too. It s not enough to have built a server in the lab under controlled conditions. Employers realized that to pass most certification exams, all you have to do is spit back stuff you memorized.
Certification is no measure of ability to perform in the real world.
The ideal situation to be in is to have credible job experience and the appropriate certification. Great, a catch-22. Well, if I had a good answer to that question, I could quit my day job. Not Every Advertised Job is Real Some times, employers like to test the waters. They advertise fictitious positions to see what kind of applicants they ll get.