IBM WebSphere Commerce Certifications

"IBM WebSphere Commerce Certifications for Helping Companies Implement IBM E Commerce Solutions"

Type of IBM WebSphere Commerce Suite certifications for computer careers:

Vendor

From:

IBM, although no longer the total dominating force in info technology that it was up until the early 80s, is still a huge and important company. It is still a strong competitor in virtually every arena, including of course e-commerce, which in the last few years has become the universally recognized means of business survival. No major company would dare try to stay in business without going online, but that does not mean they automatically have the expertise to put up a first class web site.

Therefore, a lot of companies have thrown their hats into the e-commerce ring, including IBM. WebSphere is the name of their suite of e-commerce software.

Worth it?

Standard disclaimer:

Whether or not any certification is "worth it" is an individual decision. You alone must decide what your career goals and needs are.

Look at certifications from a cost/benefit or Return On Investment (ROI) basis. If they help you get a better paying job or make more money at your current job, they are obviously "worth it."

The problem is, there is no real way of measuring how much you can expect your income to go up as a result of any given certification. It also depends on non-related job search skills such as how well you network.

The parts of the WebSphere Suite Include:

Server and Servlet architecture
Net Data Programming
Custom Functions
Custom Shopping Models
Payment Processing
Systems Integration

The IBM Certified Solutions Expert certification for WebSphere commerce requires that you pass just one test for each part.

You can actually do well by passing just one part of the IBM WebShere. Each one expects more knowledge of you than two or three of some other certifications combined. The two parts are:

IBM Certified Specialist - IBM WebSphere Commerce Suite V_ Implementation
IBM Certified Solutions Expert - IBM WebSphere Commerce Suite V_ Customization

The version numbers will change as time goes by.

The Implementation part is for anyone who primarily installs, configures, and maintains e-commerce sites using IBM WebSphere Commerce Suite.

The prerequisites include:

Basic e-commerce practices
Basic knowledge of XML
Basic knowledge of Java-based technology
Skills in network administration
Skills in relational database administration
Experience in administering web server
Experience with WebSphere Application Server administration

Obviously, this is not an entry-level certification.

However, the list of prerequisites for the Customization part is even stricter. The Solutions Expert is expected to work with other professionals to customize:

Commands
Override Functions
NetData macros
IBM HTTP Server
DB2 database
Java Server Pages
Servlets
XML files
All other components of WebSphere commerce suite

That is a lot, and IBM doesn't pretend that one certification is going to teach you all that, so here is the list of prerequisites:

Advanced knowledge of Object Oriented Programming (C++, Java)
Relational Database Management Systems (RDBMS) concepts
Web Server concepts
Basic knowledge of JavaServer Pages
NetData Programming
XML
Servlets
Hands on experience creating and maintaining databases
Hands on experience writing SQL
Hands on experience configuring web servers

Anybody with that kind of resume can probably pick and choose what they prefer to do. Whether IBM's WebSphere will be their chosen specialty or not -- you can decide when you get there.