There are many reasons that one should consider for getting a certification. To tell you the truth, when I first gave the Dreamweaver 4 developer exam couple of years ago, my primary intention was that of “ hey look, I am a certified professional, yay !”. Well, somewhere down the line, and having received my Flash MX designer certification and more recently, my Dreamweaver MX 2004 certification, my attitude towards these exams is totally different.

IT professionals, and especially people working on user experience, work on the same tools, day in and day out. This, at times gives us a false sense of complacency that we are doing our jobs in the most efficient way possible. We are comfortable working with a routine set of commands and unknowingly fail to see what other features the tools have to offer.

Especially in the user experience field, many people think that the concept is the be all and end all of everything, and many a times it is true. But execution and deplyoement is what finally translates our vision. This is where an in-depth knowledge of tools help. How does getting certified come into this picture?

As part of the preparation for the Macromedia Flash & Dreamweaver MX 2004 examinations, I had to prepare and go through each and every detail of the interfaces, short cuts, and preferences section. Apart from this I also had to study how these tools interface with other software’s like fireworks and free hand. The Dreamweaver examination preparation brushed up my skills of CCS, scripting, QA, and planning. There were so many undiscovered features that I learnt, which helped me improved my productivity.

Apart from all this, you have the distinction of calling yourself a macromedia certified professional. You have to have the edge when competing for work in today’s economy. You have to have a solid portfolio, good credentials, that are where your certification will come in handy. And, all said and done, for those naysayers who are still not impressed, it takes nothing away to be certified. So, what are you waiting for, Go for it!