Need for Certification ?
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Vinay.
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April 14, 2006 at 12:52 pm #43096
TinocoParticipant@anthonyInclude @anthony in your post and this person will
be notified via email.Hi all,
is it necessary to get a certification on Six Sigma or Lean to work on this topic ? And what could we gain to be Six Sigma certified ?
Thancks
Anthony0April 14, 2006 at 2:12 pm #136393
Ken FeldmanParticipant@DarthInclude @Darth in your post and this person will
be notified via email.Nah, you don’t need certification to work on this topic. You might want it to get a job and get paid to work on it.
0April 14, 2006 at 2:24 pm #136395Not really…a certification is just a piece of paper.
If I want to work as an electrical engineer, do I need a degree in electrical engineering? Not necessarily. I just need to know how to engineer electrical systems. Now getting someone to hire you to do this kind of work is a different story…
Actually, you employer would probably prefer this scenario:
You learn how to be a Black Belt…you accumulate the body of knowledge and develop the skill set. Then you apply that knowledge within your organization by doing projects and so forth, but you never “fill out the paperwork” to get your official certification.
Why would they like that? Because if you are successfully applying the tools, they are reaping the benefit, but if you don’t have the cert, there is little risk of somebody hiring you out from under them as a Black Belt.
If you like where you work, they pay you competitively, they allow you to apply what you’re learning, and you are therefore planning to stay with them, then there really isn’t any motivation to become “certified”. The important thing is to be certifiable, so to speak. :) (Darth’ll like that one.)0April 14, 2006 at 5:14 pm #136404
Chilly WillyParticipant@Chilly-WillyInclude @Chilly-Willy in your post and this person will
be notified via email.I may be further back on the track than Anthony. How can one who is not even working in the field get started?
I work as a contractor for another company. Neither my company nor the client is going to pay to send me to 6 sigma training and then put me on a project. However, if I wanted to break into the field, someplace else, how could I begin to do that, do you think?
Is it possible to learn enough from books and forums like this to talk-the-talk well enough to break into field w/o the certification?
My A+ certification (much more easily acquired, btw) demonstrated a basic understanding of PC hardware and software and allowed me to break into the IT field w/no prior work experience.
Any advice on how to get started in the field of 6 Sigma w/o forking out thousands of dollars on instructor led training?
0April 14, 2006 at 5:26 pm #136406Since SS is all about results, I hope that you can’t just talk your way into it! I’ve seen several posts here about doing a project for free to get the certification. If you aren’t willing to spend the $$ to get the training, why should any company be any different? I think you need to research it to see if you will enjoy it and if you can be successful at it. If the answer is yes, why not make a personal investment in your own career?
0April 14, 2006 at 6:07 pm #136411You are asking a bunch of consultants who get paid the big bucks to train 6 Sigma how avoid paying the big bucks? Good one.
0April 17, 2006 at 5:50 pm #136479
Chilly WillyParticipant@Chilly-WillyInclude @Chilly-Willy in your post and this person will
be notified via email.I wonder: How many people are able to pay for IL six-sigma training out of their own pocket?
I did a (very) small amount of poking around to see what 6 Sigma training would cost. It saw $5K for GB training and about $15K for BB training. At that rate, I might as well start saving up for my dream vacation on the moon, instead. It would be just about as likely to happen.
I suspect that most people in the 6 sigma field got started by being w/the right company at the right time and did not have to pay for the training themselves. Maybe I am wrong.
The more I learn about the field, the more I believe that I would be interested in taking my career in this direction. I think that I could find a project at a non-profit to which I could volunteer my time. Working that out is a problem I understand.
However, I am stuck trying to figure out how to acquire the book-learnin’ on-the-cheap or get to a company that would be willing to sponser me for proper training.
Is there another way into the field w/o being lucky enough to work for a company or organization that is willing to pay for it?0April 17, 2006 at 6:18 pm #136480
AnonymousParticipant@AnonymousInclude @Anonymous in your post and this person will
be notified via email.One thing to look into if you really are interested…
There are programs at many state and federally funded centers called MEP’s (Manufacturing Extension Partnerships) throughout the country. Because these centers are federally funded and not-for-profit, they offer their training at lower prices. There are centers in every state, but not all of them offer Six Sigma training (although most will have some kind of source).
At any rate, this would be one possibility for a lower-cost option. Typically you can get Black Belt training for what most consultants charge for a Green Belt.
http://www.mep.nist.gov
0April 17, 2006 at 6:24 pm #136481
Six Sigma guyMember@Six-Sigma-guyInclude @Six-Sigma-guy in your post and this person will
be notified via email.I took the ASQ certification (CSSBB) and paid all $200 and some myself. I picked a project that demonstrated use of the tools and my boss at the time readily sponsored me (by signing the affadavit). The next hurdle you face is getting in the door for an interview. You need to talk intelligently and demonstrate (through past projects) that you know what you’re talking about (and talk the Six Six Sigma lingo). I am now an MBB working for a fotune 100 company and love my work. All of this cost me less than $300 other than a $2500 refresher course which I took OOP as an optional prep course just to be safe. Think about it, spend a little upfront, and the payback time should be a few quick months.
0April 17, 2006 at 6:55 pm #136482
Eugene JacquescoleyParticipant@Eugene-JacquescoleyInclude @Eugene-Jacquescoley in your post and this person will
be notified via email.Chilly,
I presume, I was one of the lucky ones in terms of SixSigma sponsorship. At the time I was employed at one of “Big 4” accounting firms. In auditing, SixSigma methodologies have been utilized, so my employer felt the sponsorship was appropriate at that particular time.
I thought it was interesting on your approach to this particular matter, by reaching out to the not-for-profit sector for possible sponsorship. Depending on your area of expertise, particularly project management…will depend what types of responses you receive from this particular sector.
If you are active in an alumni association (e.g. Association of MBA’s); these particular organizations may provide further guidance.
Good luck,
E0April 18, 2006 at 4:15 am #136487No you do not need a certification but once you are certified, you get more respect and recognition in the company than your peers.You get more opportunity for growth by having bigger exposure to other cross functional activities and thus make your ideas and your self more visibile. If you have the potential, sky is the limit afterwards. – my two cents
0April 18, 2006 at 4:49 am #136489Anthony,
You may find benefit from these articles:
https://www.isixsigma.com/library/content/c010827a.asp
I know I did.
Good luck,
Trev0April 18, 2006 at 3:18 pm #136504Hold the phone one minute.
Im certified, yet I get zero respect from my peers.
Im certified, but havent had any positive recognition in years.
Im certified, and my growth opportunity is in the toilet.
Im certified, and Im pretty sure Im going to die of exposure.
Oh, I just read your part on potential.
Never mind .
Stevo0April 18, 2006 at 4:45 pm #136516
Ken FeldmanParticipant@DarthInclude @Darth in your post and this person will
be notified via email.Stevo,
Im certified, yet I get zero respect from my peers. That’s not true, we have little respect for you not zero.
Im certified, but havent had any positive recognition in years. I remember a post in which someone said, “Nice going dummy”.
Im certified, and my growth opportunity is in the toilet. Spend more time at your desk than in the bathroom and this might change.
Im certified, and Im pretty sure Im going to die of exposure. Give up the refrigerator box under the expressway and go live with one of your ex-wives.0April 19, 2006 at 12:04 am #136532I am sorry to hear your bad experiences. However, I have worked for many companies and I was able to make my place in a very short. Whatever I am today is becuase of six sigma. This is one of the finest and most productive program I have seen in my life time.
0April 19, 2006 at 9:06 am #136544
Zero_CoolMember@Zero_CoolInclude @Zero_Cool in your post and this person will
be notified via email.TSK TSK….
SAD.
Zero_Cool0April 20, 2006 at 11:38 am #136602
Black Belt BoyParticipant@Black-Belt-BoyInclude @Black-Belt-Boy in your post and this person will
be notified via email.I’m not ASQ certified, but have my certification from Six Sigma Consultants.
I am yet to work as a black belt in the true nature of my training.
I’m more of a “if it doesn’t fall under lean, VA/VE, then it’s black belt”.
I might as well be a registered sex offender, I’d get more respect and support.
I’m finding it a lonely road. Show me the money for the company, but do it now, not in 3 months.
I think that is one reason why we get bad rap…it’s takes too darn long to finish a project and the conclusion are “we knew that”.
Certification and being a black belt has been financially rewarding thought. I was stuck with raises and advancement until black belt, but now I’m pigeon-holed into black belt roles, though I also was a lean coordinator.
Darth, are you a motivational speaker living in a van by the river?0April 22, 2006 at 3:18 am #136677I dont believe you need to be certified to use 6-Sigma. It is, after all, a methodology based on data. My company has sent a few people to be trained and certified by high cost consultants only to leave shortly there after. We switched and began to hire BBs that were already certified and they were not very effective.
Its not the paper it is the persons ability and willingness to apply what they have learned. Im not certified but that did not stop me from volunteering to work on projects to gain practical experience. With several projects under my belt, which delivered increased performance, lowered defects and reduced cycle times I have paved my own path. Promotions and monetary gains have come from my own initiatives and hard work. This included returning to college, reading the ramblings on this site, and getting my feet wet.
Perhaps one day I will obtain my certification, but Im not waiting on it to use the 6-Sigma methodologies and tools, they are free and readily available if you want them.
JC0April 22, 2006 at 3:58 am #136678“I dont believe you need to be certified to use 6-Sigma.” – I agree with you.
“My company has sent a few people to be trained and certified by high cost consultants only to leave shortly there after”. – so what is wrong with that? It means they have more marketability after certifications.
“We switched and began to hire BBs that were already certified and they were not very effective.” – In order to be very effective, you need to understand the processes. To any new employee, it takes time to get familiar with the people and the processes. You are not saying they were not effective.
There are lots of engineers those who do have a formal engineering degree but only handful are doing well. You can easily differentiate who are degreed and who are OJT engineers. Nothing against OJT engineers but if you give something new to a degreed engineer, even something he has not done it in the past, will figure it out. On the other hand, OJT engineer will be hesitant to take the new assignment and will take a long time.
One day when you get certified, you will appreciate the value and the distinction that comes with it.
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