Eldon
join:2001-04-17
Chicago, IL
 ·RCN CABLE
| Anyone here ITIL certified?
Just finished 2 grueling days of exams for the ITIL Service Manager cert and wondered if anyone else here has been through it?
I took my Foundations class a couple years ago and did the Define & Agree Practitioner's course last year.
I think of all the certifications I have taken, this Manager's Cert has been the hardest. |
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Wily_One
Premium
join:2002-11-24
San Jose, CA
 ·Pacific Bell - SBC
| Not yet - scheduled for training this summer. Did you do Version 2 or the new Version 3? I've heard how hard it is. Are there any good sites/good books to bone up before the class?
Was ITIL required by your employer? In my case no, not yet anyway, just highly encouraged by current management. I've looked at the site and frankly it looks like their goal is to sell books/sell training. As for the tangible benefits of this program, the jury is still out. |
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Eldon
join:2001-04-17
Chicago, IL
·RCN CABLE
| I took the v2 Manager's courses because the v3 courses are still a long way out. Besides that, it's cheaper and there are fewer classes to get to the same v3 level (ITIL Expert).
I am registered for the v2 Manager to v3 Expert bridge course in July. This assumes, of course, that I pass. 
All of my training was through HP, but the training just isn't enough to pass this exam. There is so much to it that you can't just take the classes and then pass the tests.
If you have not taken the Foundations exam, then you have to start there. If you decide to go for the Service Manager's cert, then I would recommend the Service Delivery and Service Support books ("the red and blue books") as a start.
I also took a 2-day exam prep course from HP which was VERY helpful in understanding the approach to answering the exam questions (they are all essay). It helps you understand how the exams are marked and how to get the maximum number of points. Of course, we will see when I get my results back how helpful it really was.
I am a consultant in the Service Management area, so these certs are important to me and my employer did fund them.
As far as value, I think they are extremely valuable for people who want to move into management and executive roles within IT. Even more important if you want to do enterprise process/strategy consulting. My experience is that for the most part the true grease monkeys think it's not really worth it. |
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Wily_One
Premium
join:2002-11-24
San Jose, CA
·Pacific Bell - SBC
| Yes I'll be taking the Foundations V3. That's likely as far as I'll need to go. Any tips for a newbie?
What I mean about the value is, yes it seems to be the current management program du jour and it looks good on a resume, but how many companies have actually implemented it fully? And of those that have, what cost savings/process improvements/increased efficiencies actually materialized? |
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pit_viper
1 Shot, 1 Kill, No Remorse, I Decide
join:2002-07-24
Play_Hockey
| said by Wily_One  :Yes I'll be taking the Foundations V3. That's likely as far as I'll need to go. Any tips for a newbie? What I mean about the value is, yes it seems to be the current management program du jour and it looks good on a resume, but how many companies have actually implemented it fully? And of those that have, what cost savings/process improvements/increased efficiencies actually materialized? I have also been researching as I am allotted money for training on a yearly basis and I thought about this or going for my CCNP. |
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LazMan
join:2003-03-26
Angus, ON
·Bell Sympatico
·Rogers Hi-Speed
| reply to Eldon
I took the Foundations v3 through work this winter. Maybe the most useless course I've taken. The presentation was awful (I can read the powerpoints myself, I don't need someone infront of the room doing it for me)...
Anyways - I passed (73%) - and haven't used one thing from it since. But it looks good on my wall.
Laz |
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Eldon
join:2001-04-17
Chicago, IL
·RCN CABLE
| reply to Wily_One
said by Wily_One :Yes I'll be taking the Foundations V3. That's likely as far as I'll need to go. Any tips for a newbie? What I mean about the value is, yes it seems to be the current management program du jour and it looks good on a resume, but how many companies have actually implemented it fully? And of those that have, what cost savings/process improvements/increased efficiencies actually materialized? It is fairly new in the states, but has been implemented with a lot of success in Europe and Canada for many years.
Companies here absolutely are implementing it. My company has adopted it, going so far is to get ISO 20000 registered.
When implemented properly it has huge benefits and cost savings.
I think foundations is valuable for anyone in IT. If nothing else is provides a good methodology to looking at how IT works.
I think ITIL is here to stay. |
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