Certificate vs Certification

[bjcheung77]

LOL, I don't like repeating either, so if I was in a similar situation and people are confusing the two, I would have a little cheat sheet or something for them to refer to instead of me explaining to them verbally. As for myself, I also have many people who aren't "techy" enough on some things and I get many repetitive questions, I have FAQ's and other sharepoint/teamsites made for exactly that with documents that they can review (I keep these documents very concise and short).

[bluebooger]

... No, the undergraduate certificate in Cisco networking at your community college is not a Cisco certification.

depends on the school

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They both mean the same thing. They're used interchangeably.

I think you made her point.

again, it depends                 

are you cisco certified ?       
do you have a cisco certificate ?    
what version is your cisco certification ?

same thing           

CCNA literally means Cisco Certified Network Associate

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/training-e...about-ccna

"CCNA certification proves you have what it takes to navigate the ever-changing landscape of IT."

which translates to "Cisco Certified Network Associate certification ... " which is kind of funny

you can actually go to cisco's site and get a pdf copy of your Cisco Certified Network Associate certificate to put on linkedin

[jsd]

Jesus Christ it's like people go out of their way to be obtuse.

[rachel83az]

All certified people have a certificate. Everyone with a certification has a certificate. Not everyone who has a certificate is certified or has a certification.

[sanantone]

A diploma is a type of certificate. That doesn't mean that everyone with a certificate has a college degree. A certificate is just a document showing that you completed an academic or training course or, in some cases, passed a proficiency test.

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I forgot, there are also certificates for awards and acknowledgements, such as Employee of the Month and a Certificate of Appreciation. At its most basic level, a certificate is just a piece of paper (or badge or PDF document in modern times) showing that you achieved something. Certificates are handed out for anything and everything. I had a certificate showing that I was registered as a chemical dependency counselor. I was neither certified nor licensed yet; I was collecting experience hours for the license and still needed to take the exam. The certificate only proved that I went through a background check, submitted my transcripts showing that I met the educational requirements, and that I was listed in the state's registry as an intern.

[MNomadic]

For the Cisco example: CCNA is a specific certification issued by Cisco, issued after you pass a specific exam(used to be 2 exams) which requires renewal after 3 years to stay current(for you to stay certified). If you don't renew it, you're no longer certified. Many colleges offer a series of courses that are supposed to train you up on Cisco technology, which will theoretically prepare you for the certification exam as well. If you complete the course or courses, the college may issue you a certificate for completing those courses. If you don't go on to take and pass the CCNA exam, you're not certified. Its possible to both have a certificate issued by the school and a certification issued by Cisco, but they are not the same thing. Cisco also has their own online training academy. If you complete a Cisco Academy course, you'll usually get a digital badge which is the equivalent of a certificate of completion, but again if you don't then take and pass the certification exam, you're not certified. It's also possible for a college to use Cisco Academy courseware for their classes, therefore making it possible for you to receive a certificate from the school and a digital badge from Cisco Academy and then if one then proceeds to take and pass the actual CCNA exam, they will also be certified.

Edit to add: it's also possible for a school program to require you to pass the actual CCNA exam in order to pass the school's certificate program, but completing course requirements and passing a specific certification exam(and meeting any other requirements) are still 2 discrete accomplishments.

Feel free to correct me if I've misunderstood anything.

[dfrecore]

For the Cisco example: CCNA is a specific certification issued by Cisco, issued after you pass a specific exam(used to be 2 exams) which requires renewal after 3 years to stay current(for you to stay certified). If you don't renew it, you're no longer certified. Many colleges offer a series of courses that are supposed to train you up on Cisco technology, which will theoretically prepare you for the certification exam as well. If you complete the course or courses, the college may issue you a certificate for completing those courses. If you don't go on to take and pass the CCNA exam, you're not certified. Its possible to both have a certificate issued by the school and a certification issued by Cisco, but they are not the same thing. Cisco also has their own online training academy. If you complete a Cisco Academy course, you'll usually get a digital badge which is the equivalent of a certificate of completion, but again if you don't then take and pass the certification exam, you're not certified. It's also possible for a college to use Cisco Academy courseware for their classes, therefore making it possible for you to receive a certificate from the school and a digital badge from Cisco Academy and then if one then proceeds to take and pass the actual CCNA exam, they will also be certified.

Edit to add: it's also possible for a school program to require you to pass the actual CCNA exam in order to pass the school's certificate program, but completing course requirements and passing a specific certification exam(and meeting any other requirements) are still 2 discrete accomplishments.

Feel free to correct me if I've misunderstood anything.

That's a very good breakdown.

It's kind of like AP.  If you take the course, you get high school credit.  If you pass the exam, you get college credit.  You may opt not to take the course and still pass the exam; or you may take the course and not take the exam.  The course does not give you college credit, and the exam doesn't give you high school credit.  They are completely separate entities, with different uses.

[vintage_jacket]

I've learned this the hard way. Certificates are not the same as certifications. I've taken many online courses (free, paid, training for exams) but ultimately they didn't qualify me for XYZ.

Example, I wouldn't list a free/paid project management course under Education and Certifications on a resume/app.

If it was a significant course, I'd likely add it as a job accomplishment bullet, "Completed XYX towards...," or "Received XYZ certificate in X software/industry education."

If I can't put it on a resume without explaining it to HR, it's not a certification.

[MNomadic]

I know this is an older thread but I just happened upon a blog post from CompTIA discussing this very topic:

https://www.comptia.org/blog/difference-...rtificates

[sanantone]

I know this is an older thread but I just happened upon a blog post from CompTIA discussing this very topic:

https://www.comptia.org/blog/difference-...rtificates

An acquaintance just wasted money on CompTIA prep courses because he didn't know the difference between a certificate and certification. He thought he would finish the courses with CompTIA certifications or exam vouchers, but the courses only result in a certificate of completion.