UML Certification

July 13, 2006 1:02 PM

Which UML Certification is the best choice? IBM OOAD/UML or OMG Certification?

I am a developer who has been using UML for several years and I want to get certified. I have been preparing for certification and hope to achieve this by then end of summer. There are several different companies that offer UML certification. I am stuck between two specifically.

IBMs OOAD/UML ($175) : http://www-03.ibm.com/certify/tests/edu486.shtml

OMG Certification ($200 / exam): http://www.omg.org/uml-certification/exam_info.htm

I was wondering if anyone has an opinion on which one would be better? Which one has a stronger industry appeal? If there are any managers or analysts that have an opinion to which one is favored, please feel free to comment.

The monetary difference is not a big issue; I prefer to go the best route to cost savings.

Thanks!

posted by birdlips to education (5 comments total)

Speaking as a fellow developer, at first blush, I'd have to say an HR sort of person would probably be more impressed with an IBM cert, as well as quite a few manager types. If you are going hardcore, I think most techies would recooganize OMG as being 'closer to the bone'.

With that being said, I'm not entirely sure you really need a UML cert. If you can display that you can do it, and do sample problems in interviews well enough, that's probably more than enough.
posted by eurasian at 2:13 PM on July 13, 2006

Wow, certs in UML. That is insane.

Speaking as someone who has useless Java cert since I now work with Ruby, most certs carry little weight with managers and developers. Some HR departments see it as a nice box to check off on their list, others will not care at all. The Java cert is actually one of the best exams out there, as it requires some actual skill instead of just memorization. I can't say that I know about the specific certs you mention - are you appling for architecture or systems analyst type roles, by chance?

Also, I agree that there are a ton of ways to improve your marketability then a cert in UML. If you can draw some boxes and arrows and explain your designs to someone in english, thats about all you need for most shops.
posted by rsanheim at 4:28 PM on July 13, 2006

If it comes down to you flipping a coin, I'd go with OMG because, well, who wouldn't want an Oh My God certification in anything?
posted by kindall at 5:47 PM on July 13, 2006

The Java cert is actually one of the best exams out there, as it requires some actual skill instead of just memorization.

Which one, SCJP?
posted by bingo at 5:57 PM on July 13, 2006

Bingo: yeah, the SCJP. Only with 1.5 and above, tho, which they revised to have programming challenges. 1.4 and below were still pretty easy to pass w/o much real skill, though better then the industry standard I've heard.
posted by rsanheim at 6:17 PM on July 13, 2006