Certification

[billbishop_GISP__GII]

So ... I have been using Esri GIS every since 1985. But I have used numerous of GIS Software over  the years for Federal, State and Local Governments. I also use GIS in ways that most do not. When GIS came out there was no Certification or training on it. But If you like something you will pursue it.  GIS has been a great tool. I have created huge Moving Databases with it. The military is the biggest. US Census is the second biggest. Local and state are the next. After more than 30 years in this profession I have seen where GIS will go and possibilities are as limitless as the person how uses it. I have created some great tools and thousands of Maps as well as thousands of studies for various causes and reasons.  Gis has been used to save numerous lives in event of Disaster. Solved Radio Frequency Problems with FCC. Track global Combat, Humanitarian  missions for the US military. Provide Economic Prosperity for local governments and address Global Problems. 

As a GIS wizard or today's Title would be  GIS Techie it has been the tool I use to Address issues, innovation, and save lives or track how well a city is doing.

So how do this fit into certification? I also tech people how to use GIS...

ESRI is a great product and the future looks bright for developers who are willing to use it. For me it is a great tool....

[RobertBorchert]

Certification in GIS is really a moot point with your experience. If someone was ignorant enough to not hire you because you do not have a GIS Certificate you would probably not want to work for that person. My boss has a 2 year tech college degree in AutoCAD, the woman across the hall from me has a teaching degree in Physical Education. She is brilliant in her GIS work.  Our other three techs (me included) all have Geography Degrees with GIS minors.  Very little of what I learned in college GIS classes really made a huge difference. What was more important was the Geography aspect of the education.  Then you have people that think GISP is important. That fine, go ahead and get that certification.  That said the only certification  you could really get with out going back to school is a GISP.  But then I go back to my second sentence.

There was a GIS person at an organization who quit to go work for a different one.  They contracted with my company for me to go work there for several months a few days a week while they looked to hire a new person. She trained me in for 2 days before leaving.  She told me she quit because one of the VP's told her she does not have a GIS certification and she could not get any more promotions or raises until she did.  But damn she had been there 16 years and built that GIS from the ground up.  Company pissed away that much experience due to ignorance.

[JerenPortillo]

Hi Bill Bishop‌ - It sounds like you have a lot of experience with our Platform and depending on your personal and professional development goals, you might consider Esri Technical Certification.  Our certifications are an industry benchmarker to demonstrate your skills and experience.  Achieving a certification is a great way to demonstrate that to your employer, colleagues, and peers.

We offer a breadth of resources to help you choose the right exam and prepare for it.  If you need any assistance with planning, reach out to our team!