Many more companies are beginning to understand what it takes to develop and retain skilled IT workers.
Does Your Company Rate?
Many more companies are beginning to understand what it takes to develop and retain skilled IT workers.
- By Linda Briggs
- April 01, 1999
This month’s
cover story, in which we profile a series of companies
with exceptional treatment of high-tech professionals
in general—and MCPs in particular—has been something
of an energy renewal for me. Because I read and think
and write about Microsoft certification constantly (seems
like it, anyway), I sometimes become jaded about how satisfying
it still is to become an MCP, how tough and challenging
it is to become an MCSE—and what those achievements
can mean to you and your career.
In conducting some of the interviews for our cover story,
the enthusiasm and excitement of the people I talked to
were infectious. One story I love came from a Web specialist
at Star One Federal Credit Union in Silicon Valley. The
first MCSE at his firm, he’s now encouraging a coworker
to follow in his footsteps so that she too can qualify
for a bonus, a promotion, and new and exciting project
assignments.
People like Fred Shuherk at Star One made it clear that
certification has become a highly useful lever for IT
professionals to advance their careers. It’s also
a tool for more and more employers. Some use it as a hiring
bar, along with other measures like college degrees, years
of experience, and references. Some prefer to hire first,
then help employees earn the titles they want and need
as they go along. Read through our interviews and you’ll
see some of both.
And managers, here’s another fact the survey highlighted:
Paying top dollar isn’t necessarily what it takes
to retain the best. In our interviews, public recognition
of achievements, hot project assignments, and encouragement
from management got plenty of mention. Those kinds of
perks cost little or nothing.
Just over four years ago, we ran an article in which
we interviewed a series of IS managers and asked them
whether they valued Microsoft certification in employees.
We had to work, believe it or not, to find enough interview
subjects who cared—or even knew—what Microsoft
certification was. Not so any more, of course. That sea
change in itself is noteworthy—and an indication
of what the future holds for companies using certification
to their advantage.
Finally, rather than a definitive list of the best companies
to work for as MCPs, our cover story is a starting point.
For us, it will become a yearly feature in which we’ll
try to highlight firms whose treatment of their IT employees,
especially those with certifications, is outstanding.
For you, perhaps this article will serve as a catalyst
to move you to seek another certification, a promotion
within your company, a new assignment and set of challenges—perhaps
even a new job.
If you’re already thinking to yourself that your
company should have made the list, don’t worry. We’ll
be repeating this feature next year about this time. Look
for notices on our Web site at www.mcpmag.com.
In the meantime, what makes your company an absolute
primo spot (or the pits) for MCPs? Write me at [email protected].
We’ll print the top “companies we missed”
letters in an upcoming issue.
About the Author
Linda Briggs is the founding editor of MCP Magazine and the former senior editorial director of 101communications. In between world travels, she's a freelance technology writer based in San Diego, Calif.