taking courses vs self-trained

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do people who have official certifications for certain skills (like networking) have a significant advantage over people who train themselves?

Getting the job: YES!! !

If you already HAVE the job - sometimes, in promotions or transfers or getting a new position elsewhere.

I agree with the above poster.
Having official certifications would have a definate advantage in actually getting a job.

Just say though, if two people were working at the same company, doing the same job...one was officially qualified and one wasn't, was just self taught...I don't think that there would be much of a difference of ability there. Aslong as the person who was self-taught, learn't everything that the qualified person did, then I don't see any disadvantages there.

I would describe a certification/degree as proof that you have a basic underlying level of knowledge of the area you're going to work in. It's great for getting you in the door. In many jobs, it would be very difficult to take a high school graduate off the street and give him or her the extensive training he or she needs just to begin to learn their everyday job functions. All the same, a degree is in no way an indicator of acquired skill or experience.

However, if you get hired off the street with no knowledge, and after 5 years on the job you have learned everything about it, I would say you are just as competent as a person with a degree. The degree still helps though. If you quit a job, if you are competing for a new job with people who have a degree AND your level of experience, you will likely be passed over.

People do like college degrees, not only because of the specific knowledge you've gained, but simply because a person who has attained a higher level of education is more likely to be well-rounded and have an easier time picking up new skills.

Still, education can NEVER trump experience. Education in itself comes from those with experience teaching others.

it doesn't hurt, but it's not the ticket it used to be to success. I've seen any number of people where I am with MCSEs, etc., been 86'd in favor of people in other countries picking up the same jobs at 1/5th the pay. Heck, we're shipping them in from those countries as fast as they can process the paperwork...

It's going to be a help to get a good paying job, but not as well-paying as it used to be. I tried to go that route, but found it not only incredibly complex, but incredibly boring. but I have the attention span of ....what was that?...