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When a developer decides to pursue a certification, one key decision he or she must make is whether or not to go after a vendor-specific certification (such as Microsoft’s MCAD or Oracle’s SCJD) or a vendor-neutral certification (such as CISSP for security or PMP for project management). Training.DevX.com has published an article, Certification Uncertainty: Vendor Neutral or One from the Big Guys?, offering a few tips on how developers should decide. They write:
Vendor-specific certifications cover specific developer technologies, products, or software platforms and are focused on giving expertise in a specific tool. By contrast, vendor-neutral certifications deal with best practices and concepts in a particular area of development such as security or project management.
Which type of certification is best for you depends on your career goals — one size does not fit all. You need to consider the cost in terms of both money and time, as well as how valuable and impressive the certification will be to current and potential employers.
