Agile Certifications are worth it because they are highly respected certifications in project management, business analysis, and software development fields. However, it doesn’t end there, as Agile certifications can easily apply to other areas, depending on the certification, but the question remains, “is agile certification worth it?”
Agile certifications are primarily focused on project management teams, business analysts, and software developers. Agile certifications are highly regarded in these communities and are worth striving for if you seek advancement in your respective career. So is agile certification worth it still? Well, as expensive as it can be, I think it is worth it considering the enhanced earning potential you can achieve with this certification in the IT field.
What is Agile?
AGILE project management is a different methodology that businesses are using more and more to enable faster and more efficient processes when working on projects to achieve a dedicated outcome.
AGILE aims to promote and foster collaboration between teams and bring out the best of each team member to help build relationships to deal with the constantly evolving customer-driven marketplace.
Related: What is AGILE methodology?
AGILE is incorrectly deemed to be project management processes related to software development, although this isn’t exactly correct.
The early adopters of AGILE were developers, and the foundational literature, ” The Manifesto of Software Development of 2001“, perpetuated this flawed understanding. AGILE has progressed a lot since the early 2000’s and is becoming more and more prevalent in different parts of the business.
When we think of the question, “what is agile” and “is agile certification worth it”, something we should look at is the basic rules of AGILE project management, to help us understand if it’s worth your time or not.
Here are the 4 fundamentals of AGILE:
- Individuals and interactions over processes and tools.
- Working software over comprehensive documentation.
- Customer collaboration over contract negotiation.
- responding to change over following a plan.
The courses offered for Agile certifications are numerous and in-depth instructional and educational certifications with a broad scope but mostly focus on leadership principles within a variety of fields. The best part about Agile certifications is that you can choose the ones that best suit your goals and priorities.
Is Agile certification worth it
What Do Agile Certifications Offer?
Agile offers a wide variety of certifications that are often updated as well. In fact, there is a category dedicated just to “recently launched certifications.” Each certification comes with multiple levels of accomplishment.
Related: 6 Popular Agile Certifications in 2022
For instance, the Agility in Leadership certification is a category that includes four separate and distinct certifications.
- Business Agility Foundations
- Leading with Agility
- People Development
- Expert Agility in Leadership
The fourth and final category in this subset is the Expert Certification, meaning that you have completed all four tracks that fall under the Agility in Leadership category. The process is the same for all major categories of certifications, making things simple and understandable for those who want to move up in the same category.
The Agility in Leadership certification is just one of many certification categories that Agile offers.
- Agility in Leadership
- Enterprise Coaching
- Agile Team Coaching
- Product Ownership
- Delivery Management
- Agile Engineering
- Product Strategy
- DevOps
- Agile Testing
- Agile HR
- Agile Financing
- Agile Marketing
- Agile Systems Coaching
That doesn’t include the Agile updated category that includes new courses and training for certifications.
Is Agile certification worth it
Agile Featured Resources
Agile also has a category of featured resources that act sort of like a blog. These are entirely free resources that anyone can take the time to read through. Although they won’t lead to any certifications, they are nevertheless valuable resources for those looking to learn a little bit more about Agile and how it works.
It’s not just an instructional program on the functionality of Agile, however, it’s also a blog that includes tips and resources for those in any of the above-listed fields. More and more businesses are starting to turn their focus toward Agile and what it has to offer.
Here is an example of some free featured AGILE resources:
Related: Mural AGILE resources
So, it pays to stay up to date by browsing through Agile’s Featured Resources whenever you get an opportunity to do so.
Is Agile certification worth it
Potential Issues with Agile
One of the most frustrating components of any learning program (and this isn’t just about Agile, but LinkedIn Learning resources and other educational resources too) is the following. For some reason, college coursework has taken over the business mindset as the only way to achieve higher levels of success.
Related: LinkedIn Learning Review 2020
For instance, a prospective employer may review your resume and find that you have completed multiple certifications on the Agile platform. Even if the employer knows what Agile is, they will likely dismiss it quickly because it doesn’t have the words “Associates, Bachelors, Masters Degree” next to it.
If an employer doesn’t see the word “University,” they are likely to dismiss any educational credentials that you have to offer. This is not true for many employers out there, but it is true for most.
It almost seems as if Universities across the country and world have an unspoken agreement with businesses that only a college education qualifies you for a particular profession. Agile falls in that category, and it’s an absurd category to be in.
Employers are essentially refusing to look at the potential employee’s qualifications if no college credential is involved. It’s very questionable but an unfortunate aspect that you may have to deal with if you get many of your certifications from Agile.
Agile is designed to certify you and improve your marketability for particular jobs. It does that quite well. While there are many holdovers from the old way of looking at things, Agile is growing in the public consciousness, which means it’s also increasing in the prospective employer’s consciousness as well.
Is Agile certification worth it
What are the Benefits of Agile?
Despite holdovers from a time when a college degree meant everything and anything else was relegated to manufacturing industries, Agile has a lot of benefits that you can take advantage of
- Knowledge is power and Agile gives you the knowledge to clarify certain concepts
- You will have a higher degree of marketability and relevance
- Agile certifications bring positive and knowledgeable experience to workplace environments
- Agile certifications lead to a clearer and more positive way of thinking
- Agile provides you with hands-on knowledge, which is invaluable and arguably much better than a standard, hands-off classroom instruction
- Improves Scrum capabilities
Related: 10 Most Important Benefits of Implementing Agile
In case you have never heard of the term before, Scrum is not what most people consider it to be in the world of Rugby, at least not where Agile is concerned. Scrum is something you learn throughout the Agile certification process, which stands for complex team interactions when working towards a project or goal.
Scrum is something that all of the coursework you will find in Agile revolves around. Agile is not for the DIYer crowd, the introverts, and the “go-it-alone” types. It is specifically designed for team focus and team collaboration on the success of complicated projects. Agile calls it an “Agile Technology,” and, in many ways, it certainly is.
Final Thoughts
It would be best if you didn’t consider Agile a useless resource regarding your career pursuits and goals. While Agile is still hampered by the atmosphere of “college is everything,” more and more employers are getting on board with the experience and certifications that people are getting from Agile.
This positive upward trend shows Agile’s potential in the long run.
Hey, I’m Kris Taylor. I’m a Learning and Development professional currently in the healthcare field, with over 8 years of experience in the area of corporate education. I have created numerous instructional content for various corporate projects including eLearning, in-person facilitation, and virtual training across a wide variety of learning interventions and sectors. On Taughtup, I discuss topics ranging from how to succeed through K-12 to college all the way to instructional design tips for L&D designers.