Study and Certifications

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I have just completed my Master Degree in Technology, major in Software Engineering from Institute of System Science, National University of Singapore. I also got my PMP certification this early half of the year, and is planning for TOGAF certification this year as well.

Some has questioned why the need for a Master Degree. After all, I had been working for almost 10 years! I have a Bachelor Degree in Computer Science from Ngee Ann-Adelaide Education Centre as well. Is all that not sufficient? And the certifications? Are they not too… diversified? Am I not supposed to be focused on the software development track?

A Bachelor Degree is not enough

I graduated with a Diploma in 2000. After serving the nation for 2.5 years, I worked in a small gaming studio for about 3 years. After which I started my Bachelor degree with Ngee Ann-Adelaide Education Centre, while working in a government linked company. It was there that I realized that education level matters. It was not that the degree taught me new things - I had worked for 3 years and was very well prepared for the degree, it did not offer much of a challenge. Rather, it was because I was paid according to my education level. For each education level, there, apparently, was a pay cap. Unfair, yes, and many would echo that private sector would be better. I worked in the company for only a year before I left for another small company (which I stayed till now) that offers Identity and Access Management consultation. However, I would not rule out a return to the public sector in the future. Pursuing a Master Degree would help in that area.

And a Master Degree was totally different from a Bachelor Degree. Throughout the 2.5 years of study, I actually learnt things. Especially from the 2nd year onwards, where I took a lot of non-programming related modules: Business Requirements Engineering, Business Process Management, Enterprise IT Governance, Organizing for IT Innovation, Service Innovation, eGovernment, Software Quality Management, Software Project Management, Enterprise Architecture. That was a lot to learn. It actually made studying fun (but the exams and assignments were not exactly fun).

So yes, a Master Degree really helps.

Diversity in Certifications help too

Or at least, it seemed diversified. My original career goal was software solution delivery. Hence the following path:

Software Solution Delivery Certification

Of course, after my Master Degree, my goal and interest changed. Hence the planned certifications below:

Enterprise Architecture Certification

To deliver quality solutions, I need to be able to

  1. Design solutions -> SCEA
  2. Ensure that operational concerns are catered for -> ITIL Foundation
  3. Manage the solution development effectively -> PMP, PRINCE2 and a dose of ScrumMaster
  4. Ensure the solution is secure -> CISSP

I hope to eventually be able to work exclusively in Enterprise Architecture & Governance domain, but to get there, I would then need to transit from solutions to governance, and hence TOGAF, CoBIT, and finally CGEIT.

The planned timeline is 3 ~ 4 more years to complete all that I need for my career, after which I just need to build up experience, write blog posts, and reap what I sow. I will probably be around 37ish by then. Hopefully not too old to finally enjoy life.

So, I'm not really taking any random certifications I can get my hands on. I'm not really slaving myself away and wasting time. Really. It's a deliberate plan to enjoy life earlier.