The F5 Guy

“To be or not to be, that is the question…”

Have you ever had a discussion with your co-workers about the value of technical certifications?  I have had that discussion many times with others and I have to say, the answers are always different.  Some will say they are just a waste of time, others will say it depends on the certification and others will say it should be a requirement to fill X or Y job role.  If you were to ask me, “Is it worth it to become certified in X?”  I would have to say that I fall in the camp that says “Yes”.  And yes to answer your question, I do hold a few certifications.  Feel free to check out my About page if you seek further details, as I am not a braggart.

So what certification shall I choose to discuss?  Well one of F5 Networks certification offerings of course!  I recently earned the “F5 Certified System Engineer” certification provided by F5 Networks, by passing the LTM (F50-511) and LTM: Advanced (F50-522) exams.  Woohoo!  It was fun to pursue, I read the manuals several times, tinkered with things, blew things up and in general learned a ton over the last few months.

I was driven towards obtaining this certification for several reasons.  Of course, as I type this article I am asking myself, is my judgment clouded?  I think it could be… BUT, let us take a look at a few facts and I will let you decide.  Here are few numbers for you, that I have obtained from our good friends over at F5 Networks.  A special thanks to F5 Networks for releasing these figures by the way!

Fact #1 – Currently there are around 2,400 people that hold the “F5 Certified Product Specialists” certification.

Fact #2 – There are around 1,200 people that hold the “F5 Certified System Engineer” certification.

Those numbers are Worldwide numbers by the way.  I guess it goes without saying, that I feel very fortunate to be one of those 1,200 and that feeling is actually reason #3 on my list.  So without further delay, here are the top 5 reasons I can think of as to why I feel that obtaining a certification from F5 Networks is a great thing:

Reason #1 – I’m “The F5 Guy”, I have to do my best to live up to my name!  Hehehe…

Reason #2 – F5 Networks is the leader for Application Delivery Control systems.  Their name holds weight with companies utilizing their products and a certification from them does as well.

Reason #3 – I like the challenge and the feeling of personal accomplishment.  In short, it is a bit of a moral boost.

Reason #4 -  I think it sends a clear signal to ones current employer that I take my work seriously and that I will do my best to learn everything I can about the technology that they have chosen to run their network on.

Reason #5 – I think it is excellent for the learning process.  Hours of reading the manual and hours of hands on experience is the idea I think.  I would even go so far as to say, I don’t think you could pass any of F5 Networks tests without having put in many hours of study in the manuals and the console.  For some I would recommend months or perhaps a year of daily application and study before attempting to take either test.  Know the manual, know your stuff from hands on experience and you will do well.

Now that you know my reasoning, I would like to pose a question to those of you in the community.  What value do you see in certifications?  What drives you to pursue or not to pursue certifications?  Feel free to post a comment or two, you do not have to register.  You do have to enter an e-mail address, but I don’t keep track of those.  We can all thank the spam bots for even having to do that!