Are SharePoint certifications worthwhile?

Question

There are several different certifications available for SharePoint 2010.

For IT Pros:

• Exam 70-667 TS: Microsoft SharePoint 2010, Configuring
• Exam 70-668 Pro: Microsoft SharePoint 2010, Administrator

For Developers:

• Exam 70-573 TS: Microsoft SharePoint 2010, Application Development
• Exam 70-576 Pro: Designing and Developing Microsoft SharePoint 2010 Applications

and Microsoft Certified Master on Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010

How valuable is it to study for these certifications (just to become better at SharePoint), and how valuable are these certifications to employers?

Answer 1

To employers, they can be beneficial as they may need more certified people in order to maintain their Gold Partner status within specific competencies.

As for a personal level, it won't have much clout if you don't have the work experience behind it, but if it's all you have (ie: little or no experience) then it can show employers you are keen and passionate for the platform, and will appeal to employers looking to hire a junior.

Answer 2

To be honest; certifications have never made me get a job or a new client. But it sure helps your partner status for your company, as djeeg explains. The best way to show off your skills is well documented cases and references!

Currently the certifications are quite easy to get through, with a high score, even if you're not that experienced. One good thing though, is that questions on topics that you're not that familiar with will pop up - and if you're smart you digest that and learn those areas.

Having the certifications listed on your CV/LinkedIn account will also give you masses of recruiter e-mails :-)

Regarding the SharePoint Microsoft Certified Master, which is a 3 week training and a couple of exams/labs. That's a totally different deal. It costs you tons of money and gives you the best SharePoint training you can get. You can't expect to do the MCM with mediocre skills - you already need to be a really highly skilled dev/it-pro/architect. unfortunately - clients are currently not that aware of this certification. So consider it very carefully, so it's really worth it.

Answer 3

Having certifications is now more valuable, as at the end of last year Microsft changed the rules for partners.

http://blogs.technet.com/b/uspartner_ts2team/archive/2010/08/24/mpn-it-s-a-major-evolution-not-just-a-name-change-here-s-a-review-of-some-of-the-key-changes-to-microsoft-s-new-partner-program.aspx

One big change, means employees can no longer be used for two fields:

Probably the biggest point that isn’t always well understood, besides getting used to the fact that the old “levels” no longer apply, is that the new Gold competencies will require 4 unique MCPs. This means if you want to have 2 Gold competencies, you will need at least 8 MCPs (4 each with the appropriate certs for the respective competencies) – this is a major change as you likely know. You cannot “double book” MCPs on multiple Gold competencies.

So it makes you more valuable if you have certs the company needs. Here is the stream for SharePoint:

https://partner.microsoft.com/US/program/competencies/40125152

Answer 4

Speaking from experience as an IT consultant, yes they are worthwhile.

Your consulting organization (or yourself?) gets points towards being a Microsoft Partner (or even Microsoft Gold Partner) which gets them all sorts of free Microsoft goodies, so there's an incentive for certification right there.

Also, they're cheap! So why not?

Exam: $125 (less with vouchers) Books: $50-$100 (your chosen method of study may vary) Trial Editions of Windows Server 2008, SQL Server 2008 and SharePoint 2010: Zero (though I hope you have adequate hardware for a least a barebones Windows/SharePoint 2010 install)

Other than that, notwithstanding work experience, how else are you going to tell employers you know SharePoint?

Answer 5

My past employer was a Gold Partner, and as a result, they needed a certain number of points from certified people (MCP counted as 1, MCPD counted as 3, I think the MCM was 8). The new program requires 2 or 4 certified people per competency, and each competency lists what certifications are required.

A quick glance at the partner site this afternoon (note: the stuff changes about every quarter and can be very confusing) shows a number of Sharepoint certifications required for the Content Management competency. If you want the silver competency, you'll need 2 people who have passed any Sharepoint exam. The list is a bit stricter for the gold competency.

Answer 6

I have never seen a case where they were not valuable. I guess it depends on what your objectives are. If you are a consultant, speaker, author, or job-seeker, certifications add credibility. In addition to being required for the partner competencies that some of the others mentioned, certifications are also required to be a SharePoint Deployment Planning Services partner. And if none of that is important to you, then you will still learn by going through the process.

Answer 7

If you don't already have deep knowledge then I think the exercise of studying for the exams is worthwhile, provided its studying the topics and not just studying the practice exams. You won't get anywhere near 100% SharePoint knowledge but you'll be better off than before.. Of course this depends on the depth of your experience to date, the more you have, the less helpful the certification will be in broadening your knowledge.

Answer 8

While it's definitely worth something personally for you, since it improves your marketability as a developer/IT professional, most of the emphasis in Microsoft SharePoint Certification and Microsoft's certification program in general is geared towards the the IT and software companies.

The process is simple, as I'll demonstrate in an example of this SharePoint certified company:

1. You apply for a job at the company, and they hire you because of your skills, but also because of the advantage you have for them by being certified (explained later).
2. They acquire more certified developers, pass all sorts of examinations, and because they meet the quota for employed MS-certified professionals, they're awarded the Gold Partner status.
3. Their newly acquired status gives them access to all sorts of direct benefits, among them free MS licenses and MSDN subscriptions.

Answer 9

As ever in IT, experience is most valuable, along with your attitude and approach to problem solving. However, these certifications will show potential employers that you have the professionalism and discipline required to study and pass exams, as well as the associated knowledge.

If you're happy in your current job, I would put more time in to gaining experience by building solutions that solve problems.

Answer 10

Certifications will definitely improve your credibility and shows your employer that you are serious about your career in SharePoint. Some companies are also willing to sponsor for your exams and sometimes it mutual that the company also benefits from it. My previous employer used to give me $500 if I pass SharePoint certification :). It's a win-win.

Answer 11

My feedback is it's always better to have certifications as part of your profile. It will help both you and your company for winning new business. There are lot of customers who ask for certified people before awarding the project.

It is also fun to take a certification (not going through a bump) because it will check your strength on how you can pick the right solution without the help of Google. :)

Answer 12

When looking for work Certifications can open opportunities. As a contractor, certifications were helpful to my landing the job, and in some cases I was able to earn them after joining the team.

Studying for a certification won't hurt you provided you are actually studying the course objectives and not the brain dumps that are out there. Memorizing answers to exam questions will not help you at all in becoming competent, obviously. There are no shortcuts to competency. That will come with experience applying what you learn in a variety of situations.

I always encourage people to pursue certification because, at the very least, it will structure your study of SharePoint which, as we know, covers alot of territory!

Answer 13

Speaking of personal level, the advantages of having Microsoft Sharepoint certification is you get globally acknowledgment of being a highly competent professional with respect to Microsoft SharePoint.

Certifications give you a professional edge by providing globally recognised industry endorsed evidence of skills mastery, demonstrating your abilities and willingness to embrace new technologies. Verify your skills—and unlock your opportunities.

But the certification of anything is worth only when you have working knowledge of that technology, because when you show your certification to any organization they expect that level of knowledge from you. So don't go behind certification until and unless you have fair knowledge about the technology.

The value for you Emoployer: In some cases, companies may require that there be a certain number of certified individuals associated with their organization to maintain a current partner level (and more if they want to pursue a higher partner level). Most major manufacturers and many other vendors have this requirement. Earning a vendor's certification benefits you and your organization since it enables the company to meet the required number of certified associates on staff.

Check these article given on microsoft site:

1. The value of technical certification.

2. Microsoft Certification Program benefits.

Answer 14

MCP, MCSA, and MCSE are valuable certifications. To touch on another point made about this topic. Yes, the certs are what you make them, in that if you don't have the experience to back it up, they won't be entirely useful. However, I've yet to come across someone with an MCSE certification in SharePoint who didn't know what they are doing. So, in a way experience and certification go hand in hand. Additionally, certifications will almost always help you stand out among other applicants for a job, and make it much more likely you'll get an interview.