4. Failing to prepare equals preparing to fail Poor preparation is a major killer of certification aspirations. It is not enough to choose a training center. Many fail because they choose wrong training center. How did you marry your training with your exams? Do you need or did you take any time for revision after training? Did you go for test without knowing exam simply because you're an expert on field? What are your study habits like? Are you a smart guy that doesn't need to study? Or are you cramming expert? If you prepare for certification based on cramming, you fool no one but yourself.

And you have to be truthful to yourself; do you have work experience needed for that certification? Too often candidates don't prepare well due to overconfidence, ignorance of preparation options and poor personal organization. How can you succeed if your arrangements are too little, badly organized, and too late? Look here for More on certification preparation options: http://www.jidaw.com/article5.html

5. Unrealistic expectations Going into certification for wrong reasons breeds unrealistic expectations which eventually leads to frustration and dissatisfaction. Here are some of expectations: "A certification is required to get a job in I.T. industry. Certifications are my ticket to success. Get certified and get your dream job! Certification rules IT industry. Certification is a goldmine. A guarantee of career success." But is certification really your gold card to IT career success? Failure to understand what certification is all about leads to unrealistic expectations

Let's smash these myths to smithereens once and for all. Certification is no guarantee of career success! Period! In most cases, it takes experience, dedication and a lot of hard work to ensure IT career success. There are no free giveaways in life.

It's not certification, but job effectiveness and planning that count most. You must consider these two factors in making any certification decision. Employers aren't just paying for a piece of paper--they want job effectiveness. You must not only be able to do job assigned; you must do it meeting high standards, within budget and on time. Certification tests product knowledge, logical thinking, and problem-solving approaches. But clients and employers demand combination of experience, knowledge and skills. Certification can't give you experience.

The real world is more complex than world of certification. Quite often you have to get your hands dirty to gain important knowledge that is not tested in any exam. Furthermore certification focuses to a large extent on technical skills. You cannot succeed in IT with tech skills alone. Do you know how to deal with customers? "More often industry is looking for those who have experience, skills, and a solid ethics attitude first, before education". To succeed in IT you need people skills, resourcefulness, knowledge, experience and a corporate focus.

So, if you are considering going in for a certification program, make sure you understand what you are signing up for, and your likely future once you complete program. Get informed from career counselors, past candidates, IT managers and from industry, to have a more realistic view of value of certification programs as well as its likely future prospects, and how it fits into your career strategy. Look here for More on realistic approach to certification: http://www.jidaw.com/realistic.html Mistakes are not end of world So have you made mistakes? Who hasn't, you ask? First face facts. You don't help yourself by living in denial. It can be painful when we make mistakes. But at same time don't let mistakes shut you down. Continue with your high energy, positive outlook. What is important is how we respond. The solution is not to worry or moan. Self-pity is wasteful and pointless. You have ability to turn your minus into a plus. Try to look at process as a learning experience. Learn from mistakes, get over them and put them to positive use.

Have you invested, or are you about to invest, in certification? The success of your certification choices depends on a sensible combination of career focus, planning, resourcefulness and hard work.

Avoiding certification mistakes is about being wise in your decision-making. You need more sense than skills to create your amazing future.

All best in your IT Career!