On several occasions, ITILnews have been asked for career guidance as to what direction an individual should take.
We must confess that the ITIL Qualification Scheme may appear somewhat daunting. The scheme has in our opinion, been devised so it may support and underpin an individual's experience and career path.
The entry level for ITIL is the 'Foundation', which is a prerequisite to obtaining a general understanding of ITIL. From here the individual can decide whether they wish to learn in detail a specific area of ITIL which are covered by the 'Intermediary' courses.
To step up to the next level, several areas of ITIL need to be understood in detail, which are then tested by undertaking the 'Managing Across the LifeCycle' or 'MALC' as it is sometimes referred to, qualification.
The ITIL 'Expert' qualification involves demonstrating that the individual has applied ITIL in a practical manner.
ITIL is being adopted around the world and in most cases is seen as a fundamental pre-requisite for most IT positions, some ask for the 'Intermediate', others 'Managing Across the LifeCycle', others specifically stating ITIL version 3.
Over time it has become necessary for middle to senior IT management to have obtained the 'MALC' qualification, enabling a consistent understanding of the ITIL Lifecycle to be established across the management team of any given organization.
A consideration we would suggest is that each individual interested in ITIL should obtain the ITIL Foundation certificate. As one's own IT career develops, you then decide which additional ITIL qualification(s) would complement your development.
Fundamentally, demonstrable experience of whatever skills set you have is often what employers look for. The fact that your experience may have been acquired in an ITIL structured environment(s) may be a differentiator that enables one to secure the position.
Collecting qualifications that demonstrate an understanding of the theory is only one aspect, applying the theory in practice is priceless, having evidence to support that practical application simply makes the perspective employers decision so much easier.
We would welcome your comment on the above article.