How do you  learn?  

• Do you learn by gaining knowledge and understanding about the subject?
• Do you learn by example?
• Do you learn by experimentation?
• Do you learn by practicing?

My Answer:  All of the above.

Any good training should have all of the above covered.

When learning anything at any level

• You have to have a knowledge base from which to start.
• Examples help you get over the fear of getting started.
• Experimentation helps us internalize our own personal relationship with the subject.
• Practice helps us improve and refine

I could write a whole article on each of these at every level of learning, but that is a longer post for later. 

There are many great training classes on software development and agile methodologies and many of these offer certifications.  

And are training certifications an indication of capability? 

What do the certifications tell us?

I recently asked a client – What certifications do you look for when hiring a scrum master, team member or product owner?

Client Answer: “I don’t look at certifications. I look at experience.”

So then I asked:  “If you know of a certification that declares a person to have a certain level of experience and demonstrated success in the discipline, would that make a difference?”

Client Answer: "Yes!"

I recently polled some peers and others in the software industry: “How do you decide to pursue a certification through training and demonstrated competence?”

Answers in order of popularity:

• I take the classes that my company will pay for.
• I get certified so I can get to the next level in my career.
• I don’t do it. It is a waste of money.

One Answer I didn’t hear:

• I will invest the time and effort when I think it will accelerate my learning

So I ask the readers of this post:

• Why do you attend training classes?
• What is your experience with certifications?
• What do they mean to you as leader of others and what do they mean to you personally?

If you are looking for the right role based training for agile team members and agile organizational leaders check out our curriculum. We provide all four pillars of knowledge, examples, experimentation and practice for each and every role.