When, if at all, should business intelligence (BI) certification enter the picture – before someone makes a career move, or once they are established with more experience?
I'm often contacted by someone who wants to get into the BI space. They look toward certification to give them the leverage that they need. Since you need education and experience to pass the exams, I take a different approach in these areas. I encourage them to use the body of knowledge for the exam as a starting point. This can get them focused on which of their skills are transferable, and which of the specialty roles and job areas really peak their interest. This is where they can start determining where their knowledge and experience gaps lay. This is really a question of whether credentials fit into an overall career development plan – and the answer may change for each individual.
Career development has many dimensions, including knowledge, skill, job opportunity, experience and credentials – each demands commitment of time, energy and finances. Setting priorities for the use of your time, energy and money is a personal planning activity that depends on where you're at today, where you want to be and what steps offer the best path to getting there. So, it's definitely a personal approach.
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