Being certified vs. being skilled. Which is important in this present economy?
Certificates are documents showing evidences that one has acquired a certain kind of knowledge while skills refer to the ability to apply information or knowledge that have been acquired.
In some cases, certifications are required for employment or pay increases. But it can be easy to put too much stock in certifications and certifying agencies especially as organizations develop their own courses. It’s one thing to pass an exam and receive a coveted piece of paper declaring your skill level, it’s another thing to actually possess those skill sets and continue to improve them.
It’s not the matter of acquiring certificates and knowing everything about that area of specialization. The main deal is to apply the knowledge gotten from being certified. You can find many people who have acquired lots of certifications but cannot make time, find required tools and have a suitable environment to apply all they had learnt. Professions like medicine, law, including people who want to venture into the educational sector will need to be certified in certain areas. However, High income skills like Forex trading, video editing, graphics designing, and copy writing can be monetized without a proof of being certified.
According to the news, we are moving drastically from the industrial economy to a skill economy which implies that employ-ability will depend more on skill set rather than degree. I think the best way to test your skill sets or put theoretical knowledge to practice is by taking part in internships or volunteering to serve.
Being certified and having a skill set are important in their own ways. You may have the required skills for a job interview but not having a proof may lead to disqualification. On the other hand, one may be certified but have less skills which may result to failure in the interview or on a long run, fails to deliver on the job.
To conclude this episode, certification just gives you that status that you “can” or you “are”. Meanwhile, skill sets backs up that status. Therefore, having both can give you an edge when applying for jobs in the present economy. But most importantly, skill sets could make you self-employed as it will require you to keep up with always developing your skills so you provide more value which will result in more pay.
