Don’t be sad if you already have a degree. I always wondered why people say a Certification is better than a Degree till I made a research. You may have asked questions like “Is the degree better than certifications or are Certifications better than a degree?” This argument will never cease to end, but I am here to support a motion that a Certification is better than a degree.

From my numerous interactions with heads of Human resources after I opened up this question, I discovered that it wasn’t as expected.

I have written down the several reasons why Human Resource Managers feel that a Certification is better than a Degree.

Certification gives you profit faster

When I say profit, I mean the return on investment. When you get trained as a web developer, you start earning money even before you conclude your studies. My preffered training center links their students to places they can get paid internship, which is a great opportunity to get industry exposure and make money also. So when we say a Certification is better than a Degree, we mean with respect to ROI.

The return on investment for those who acquire top skills like I listed on the blog is much higher than waiting for 5 years to get a university degree.

Read Also: How to get a high paying job in Nigeria

Skills are needed to Acquire Certifications

If you don’t have the right skill, you might end up not acquiring a certification. What makes a professional stand out from an armature is the skill they have. When it comes to a sensitive industry like Information Technology, you depend more on practical than theoretical jargons. In most certification exams, you prove your ability to have understood both the practical and theoretical aspect of the course.

This is what Human Resource Managers term as a complete worker who is ready to hit the ground and running.

Certifications have Universal Standards

When it comes to acquiring certifications, there is no lowering of standards to favour anyone. The level playing ground in acquiring Certifications is one major reason why Human Resource Managers feel that a Certification is better than a Degree. Whether you studied in Canada, Russia, or Nigeria, the standard is universal. This shows that before you pass a certification exam, you have to show the same skill and competence level like someone who studied in a country different from yours.

However, this cannot be said for those with a degree. The conditions vary, thus making it an unrealistic yardstick to qualify candidates. No one has the capacity to truly verify a degree, but the same can’t be said for a certification that is universally accepted.



Certifications don’t have Geographical Limitations

In a post on the blog, I wrote about the top skills that can get you a job abroad. This goes to show the importance of skills that has certifications attached to it. In top-tier countries, no one gives you a job because you have a First Class in Political Science. The political climate of your country and theirs can never be the same.

But when you have a certification in a course that is globally accepted, it gives you the leverage to penetrate the global market. When you penetrate the global market, you are treated like someone who has something to offer. The same can’t happen to a degree that is geographically limited.

Certifications are easier to acquire

This is just the irony of the whole debate. You spend an approximate period of 4 – 5 years to gain a college degree, and spend just a few months to get a certification.

University degrees are somewhat expensive, and the job opportunities that come along aren’t so interesting unlike when you have a certification.

Certifications are cheaper in terms of cost and duration. So if you mind getting one, it would be one of your best decisions.

Read Also: Skills that can get you a job in 2018

Employers focus on those with skills not degrees

An HR officer told me she would rather employ someone with a certification than a degree. With the increase in universities, degrees, employers are having a difficult trying to find those with the right skills to hire.

They believe that majority of graduates with college degrees aren’t employable, leaving a great opportunity for those with the skill and certification to get employed.

If you want to catch the attention of any employer on any social platform, then you should pitch your skills more than your degree.

Getting the right skill and certification even before getting your college degree has lots of advantage in the job market.



I have given you the reasons why a Certification is better than a Degree. The final decision boils down to you. You can ask questions regarding this subject matter, and I will be happy to answer them all.

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See Source for more details: http://topwritersden.com/is-certification-better-than-a-degree/

What do you think? Share your experiences.

Go for both. Both works together

I will get a degree first and then proceed to certification

cornel9297:
I will get a degree first and then proceed to certification

best decision

anyone the oracle choose for u

both,,

theory plus practical can sum up the definition of knowledge

make I first go for degree....only that its not really selling in Nigeria...but I will still go for degree first anyway

Both are needed.

If na jand you dey certifications would sure set you up up real good. Then disability, aged care and forklift are all certifications that pay well.

Don't think I have any certification sef. I've just learnt to develop my skills via reading, practice and teaching.

Certifications at times may give you a fall sense of ability which may be misleading.

Though it is important in some special cases if it might involve use of certain tools or equipment that are not mainstream or that are proprietary or difficult to access outside of a training environment.

Back to the question, It will depend on the use case. A degree most times in Computer science is better than any other certification in that line (most of the time). But a certification in Electrical Instrumentation might be more appealing than a degree in Electrical engineering

Degree cmon

in Nigeria, degree before certification. in some well developed countries, certifications earn more money than degree holders ( degree is just a plus ), although this depends on your field and area of expertise.

Without long leg both are useless

Education first, cos university teaches you the way of life..

I'm waiting for d professors to come and comment on this..gurus of lyf

BiafranBushBoy:
What do you think? Share your experiences.

You're going to get a lot of answers. Many people will tell you that you don't need a degree which is true. But, those without a degree don't earn as much as those with a degree on average in the job market in general or they can't move up.

By getting a degree, you are only helping your self. Experience is what people want but a degree can stop your CV from being thrown out. One of the things I've noticed is that a lot of the bigger companies HR will not forward your resume to the hiring department because you don't have a degree.

So in places where HR get's a hold of your resume first, as a way to just cut down all the applications they get, they will throw out those resumes that don't have it.

I got all my certifications after getting my degree and I did them while working.

It's unfortunate that both DEGREE and CERTIFICATION available in Nigeria can't really be used to judge the difference, because of the low standard way being use for delivery.
Both are what you need to survive in ICT field in Nigeria, but if it's in developed nations, Certifications matter over degrees as there are over million of JOBS for skilled workers.

www.sec-conceptsnetworks.com

From my experience, a degree will give you an edge and make certification easier. I have never been asked to present my degree certificate or which school I went to my class of degree on my last 2 jobs. The only mention of it is on the job description. But having a degree has helped make my job easier. Instead of certifications I will rather go for skills especially for those in IT. Your skills are more important than the certification except perhaps in a few cases.

I do not have the time to thoroughly critique your post, so I'll just cherry pick a few things.

In your first point, what Professional certification might one acquire for web development? I'm really curious about this.

Secondly:

Employers focus on those with skills not degrees

I agree with this, but I'll even take it a step further: Employers focus on those with skills neither degrees nor certifications.

The problem here is that people really don't know the purpose of a University and why they are there or studying what they are studying (due in small parts to posts like this). And then people come out of the university as empty as they got in (I'm also a victim of this).
As an example, you seem to be into web development so I'm sure you know about major frameworks, etc. The engineering of these frameworks requires a high level understanding of data structures and algorithms which every Computer Science program teaches. I haven't heard of any "professional certification" where you learn algorithms and its knowledge is priceless.

In summary, you can't say Certification is better than degree; it's not the degree's fault that most of the people who possess it don't even know why they did.

I have 2 degrees, 0 certifications and 0 regrets

It all depend on mother luck however acquisition of certification is more practical than degree here in Nigeria.

For Accounting, Certificates from ACCA or ICAN first before a degree especially if you are a recent school leaver this for many reasons but my major reasons are you would have known all required from you to be an accountant also I personally would employ a chartered accountant without work experience before i employ a graduate of accounting without work experience because all universities (including the private ones) in Nigeria have not started giving students the best- it's either the syllabus is not covered or the lecturer is wack hence can not impact knowledge

yorex2011:
Don't think I have any certification sef. I've just learnt to develop my skills via reading, practice and teaching.

Certifications at times may give you a fall sense of ability which may be misleading.

Though it is important in some special cases if it might involve use of certain tools or equipment that are not mainstream or that are proprietary or difficult to access outside of a training environment.

Back to the question, It will depend on the use case. A degree most times in Computer science is better than any other certification in that line (most of the time). But a certification in Electrical Instrumentation might be more appealing than a degree in Electrical engineering

This post makes so much sense!!!
I could have emboldened everything just that I don't personally know much about Electrical instrumentation/engineering

For me 4 things are very important, degree, certification, experience and skill. Though sometimes depend on the nature of the job and what is required for the job. It is very important to have all 4, you don't have to neglect any of them your experience shows you can do a job, certification shows that you are qualified to do it, your skills will keep you on the job and your degree will move you to the top.

yorex2011:
Don't think I have any certification sef. I've just learnt to develop my skills via reading, practice and teaching.

Certifications at times may give you a fall sense of ability which may be misleading.

Though it is important in some special cases if it might involve use of certain tools or equipment that are not mainstream or that are proprietary or difficult to access outside of a training environment.

Back to the question, It will depend on the use case. A degree most times in Computer science is better than any other certification in that line (most of the time). But a certification in Electrical Instrumentation might be more appealing than a degree in Electrical engineering

This is not true

To aid the discourse:

http://www.jarushub.com/6-factors-to-consider-when-deciding-between-an-msc-or-a-professional-certification/

http://www.jarushub.com/bsc-or-mba/

http://www.jarushub.com/10-tips-for-graduates-with-2-2-and-lower-grades/

100% true!!!

Even if you want to work outside the country, most companies will recognize professional certificate from Google, Microsoft Oracle etc than your local degree from your overhyped institutions here like unilag, oau, ui etc.

I also heard from a reliable source that in developed countries like USA, Australia, Canada etc, all Nigerian degrees are useless in those countries , so if you want to work there you gotta earn another degree

eph12:

This is not true

Exactly!

Very misleading notion that is

Majorly, the Difference between a Degree and a Pro Cert is the fact that a Degree actually states you are Capable of finishing whatever you start, you are Steadfast, Dependable,Reliable, Constant, Undeviating etc, while a Pro Cert shows you are good at that Topic/Course, You can hold your own, Skillfull etc.

bhankhead:
Anyone with any experience with this betting blog? www.donnieallen. Please help a brother about to risk some significant sum ofl money.

Brother. No think am. For the love of God I say don't. That guy is good at his scam.

MustiizRaja:
anyone the oracle choose for u

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