Certification Compensation

[Damned Angel]

It's been floating around at work that the bosses want everyone to get certified up the wazoo. MCP and hardware certs for us bench monkeys, Network and large format laser printers for the onsite monkeys (although everyone is encouraged to get all the certs they can).

We are currently trying to negotiate some compensation for getting these certs.

Do you get a bonus or a raise for getting certified? If so, what did you get? Right now they are talking around $500 a year for MCP and maybe $50 a year for hardware certs (printers, notebooks, desktops) and possibly a small immediate one time bonus for each cert. Sux that they will not go retro active on the certs thoughas I have a few hardware certs already under my belt.

So please, give me some ammo to bring to the next meeting we have about compensation and benifits.

[Cleetus]

I got a pat on the back when I did the A+, so I stopped trying.

[NooNoo]

Depends DA, are they paying tuition and exam fees?

[PuterGeekGirl]

We get a 500 bonus for every cert we get.... not sure if they pay for exams and stuff...but I do know they paid for my whole degree!

[Pinnacle]

My employer pays for the class, books, and exam fee up to around $5500 per year. This can be either for certifications or a degree seeking college student. They do not give me a raise or bonus when I achieve a certification, but I think it must help anyway on some level when they are considering how much to give me each year. Even if it did not help at all in my raises (and it may not), I would still try to take advantage of the program because I enjoy learning new things.

[paraflyer]

We get two things here, "jack and $h!t".

All the hospital gives is 60% tuition reimbursement, but most tech seminars/A+/Printer repair cert's don't count; HR department's only interested in college credits....

[Johnny Blaze]

dude,
Are you still working there ?? Here's my advice. Get all the Certs out of them that you can . Then leave and find something better.

[gazzak]

Think yourself lucky!

My old employer paid for the courses and exams, but we had to sign our lives away for the privelage! If we left within a year of getting a cert, we had to pay back ALL tuition and cert exam fees. I took all I could get. I looked upon it as bettering myself and my carreer prospects. You should too. It eventually got me out of my old job and into my new one. That was a big enough bonus for me.

A lot more employers are doing that now.

[Damned Angel]

They will pay for all the traning material and course costs, but only if you have to take an instructor led course to get the cert. Something like an MCP, here, here's an 1800 page book, read it and take the test.

Johnny, lots has changed here since you left. Infact, since you left things just keep getting better

We are even getting a new boss at the end of the month!

[silencio]

I got a big bonus... it did come with a new job though.

[imaeditedbysowulo]

That's not too common anymore for an employer to pay for any and all certs. I'd have to say that's compensation enough, but if they're willing to give you raises that's even better. I wouldn't demand one tho.

[Larommi]

I got a pat on the back when I did the A+, so I stopped trying.

The computer shop I managed went under I went and got some certs, and have not worked in the field since. At least not for anyone else. That was 2001