Hello Dipo, Top of the day to you. I hope you remember me; you guided me to my PMP exams about 5years ago and also gave me some materials on Scandinavian universities and how to access them. Please I need help, guide, support, assistance, mentorship, advice…. just name it. I am struggling with my career. Not enjoying it at all. I have all required experience, passion, and certifications but am not making required and commensurate progress. Please what do you think I need to do or I need to stop doing? I am at a crossroad. I will appreciate your response. Thanks in advance. God bless. Engineer Anonymous, MNSE, CISA, CISM, PMP, CSSBB
His question is in two parts: “Please what do you think I need to do or I need to stop doing?”
Lets begin with what he needs to stop doing?
Engr. Anonymous is a Production Manager in a leading FMCG for 2.5yrs. Please, take some time and review Engr. Anonymous certifications below:
MNSE – An Engineering Certification
CISA – Information Systems Auditor Certification
CISM – Information Security Manager Certification
PMP – Project Management Professional Certification
CSSBB – Certified Six Sigma Black Belt Certification
Is there a common factor? Can you deduce any story from the above certification? Is there a correlation between his present job position and the certifications he has acquired? What position can one refer to him?
If I put on a recruiting manager’s lens, I see a brilliant ambitious chap who does not know the direction he wants to consciously take his career to. I cannot pinpoint his passion or area of interest. Despite his plenty achievements (trust me, those certification exams are not easy to overcome), he seems to believe that getting certification is “uhuru” – a false positive end. His cry for help is a symptom of an underlying paradigm of fear and escapism.
We mostly fall into this trap – the belief that certifications are similar to financial assets – if one does not work out, we can simply apply the other. The idea that recruiters are drawn to the candidates with quantity certification as opposed to quality experience is a false positive. Certification should be a milestone towards gaining experience in a predefined career goal. Numerous certifications without direction imply confusion.
Now lets go back to Engr. Anonymous question:
What he needs to stop doing?
Please, STOP getting certifications as a panacea to career growth and fulfillment!
What do I need to do?
I will answer this question in the part 2 of this article….
RECOMMENDED READ – A Practical Approach to Certification Here
