Channel Reality Show

Year after year, our Salary Survey has underscored certifications as a way for technical personnel to guarantee a little extra something in their compensation package. Not so, this year.

As reported in our cover package, there now is a gap of less than $1,000 in the average compensation paid to those holding multiple certifications vs. those with none at all. The median salary for both groups is roughly $60,500. Even more telling, perhaps, is the fact that there was a slim margin of difference when it came to the average pay hike technicians earned last year. Noncertified personnel garnered 3.9 percent vs. the 4.1 percent raise for those holding multiple certifications. Those with single certifications earned an average raise of 4.6 percent, slightly higher than the other two groups.

The latter data surprised me until I thought about how much clients seem willing to pay for highly coveted Cisco internetworking expertise or certain security disciplines. Emerging technologies will remain the exception to the new pay age for certifications"one in which your investment in building real-world solutions should finally pay off.

We'll delve deeper in our annual Certification special report slated for August. But this first set of data from 2003 marks a clear turning point in the channel's evolution"a shift that places the value of a technical person's ability to create a total solution above skill at selling and deploying a specific product.

Vendors have begun espousing a common theme this year: Margins for technical skills are declining in favor of those tied to business solutions consulting and deployment. Hurry up and shift, the vendors seem to be saying.

But hold on. It's far too early to proclaim the death of certifications. Too many vendors use them as guideposts for achieving elite status. Be prepared, instead, to see programs retooled to emphasize vertical or solution expertise a la Microsoft's or Cisco's new programs. Maybe, in fact, it's time to borrow a page from The Apprentice and think about simultaneously fortifying your most promising new blood with basic technical skills while infusing them with real-world experience under the mentorship of your most seasoned implementation staff.

Whither certifications? Send your comments on this topic to HEATHER CLANCY, Editor at CRN, at [email protected].