I thought certifications were a waste until I got one

For years I was dead set against getting any IT certs. I figured real experience matters more than some test you can cram for. But after getting passed over for a senior role at my company in Chicago three times in a row, I finally caved. I picked the CompTIA Security+ because a buddy said it was the easiest one to start with. It took me about 6 weeks of studying an hour a night, and I passed on my first try. Right after I updated my LinkedIn, a recruiter from a different firm reached out offering $12,000 more than I was making. I still think experience is king, but that piece of paper got me in the door faster. Has anyone else changed their mind about certs after seeing the salary bump?

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zarapalmer3mo ago

Oh man, same thing happened to me. I thought certs were just a money grab until I got my Network+ and a recruiter called me within a week. The salary jump was around $15k for me too, and it made me realize it's not about what you know, it's about who sees it.

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jamie7122mo ago

Same exact thing happened to me with my Security+. I was sitting there thinking they were just a way for companies to get more money out of people. Then I updated my LinkedIn and got a message from a recruiter the next day. The pay bump was around $12k for me, and it really changed my mind about them. @zarapalmer, you're totally right that it makes a huge difference just having that piece of paper in front of people.

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