Peer Pressure Drives Many to Acquire Security Certifications

Dark Reading: A new survey finds that many IT security professionals choose to get certifications because they believe they’ll be passed over for promotions or new jobs if they don’t have them. According to “The Value of Information Security Certifications Survey,” 55.4 percent of IT security pros agreed that peer pressure and fear of being passed over motivated them to get certifications. In addition, 54 percent of IT security pros believed they had been promoted or hired because of their certifications.

However, the people who conducted the survey felt differently about certifications. “In the world I live in, no one says, ‘Hire this person because this person has a certification’ or not,” said report co-author and security professional recruiter Lee Kushner. “They hire the best person” for the job regardless of their certifications, he added.