Accepted Papers from TCEA Symposium 2008

Information Technology: Certifications versus
Academic Settings

Hilmi A. Lahoud, Ph.D.
East Carolina University
Department of Technology Systems

ABSTRACT: As individuals consider careers in Information Technology (IT), having the right training and certification is crucial in order to get a job and succeed. To master IT skills, an individual must pass certain industry-specific certificates or complete a degree from an accredited educational institution. The number of IT certified professionals has reached the hundreds of thousands. Many IT based companies are spending millions of dollars developing training materials to prepare individuals to plan, install, and manage their products and software. Training is presented in self-study settings, boot-camp environments, accredited colleges, and universities as part of degree or certificate programs. This paper focuses on the differences between IT industry certifications, IT technical training, and academic settings of IT degrees.