ABSOLUTELY!  Professional training is excellent to keep up to date with new trends and developments to remain at the forefront of your chosen field, however validating your skills and experience are essential to your success! Mangers can’t afford to hire an employee who can’t contribute and be productive right away.  “Certified professionals are regarded as possessing a proven ability to understand new or complex technologies and engage in more insightful problem solving, both of which lead to higher productivity.”  

Two points from this survey of roughly 1700 responses from HR and IT executives, http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/it-certifications-matter-but-validating-them-can-be-tricky/44529:

• 64% of hiring managers rate certifications high in validating skills.
• 80% of human resource managers believe certification will become even more important over the next two years.

When considering which certification is right for you.  Do your homework and determine what would support what you already possess.  Having experience AND certification will boost your marketability and certainly give you an undeniable edge over the sea of candidates without certification.

“People always fear change … You can conquer almost any fear if you will only make up your mind to do so … Fear doesn't exist anywhere except in the mind.”  Do the thing you fear to do and keep on doing it … Inaction breeds doubt and fear.  Action breeds confidence and courage." – Dale Carnegie.

This article, http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifehack/an-interview-with-your-favorite-person-yourself.html, suggests it may be time to become a subject matter expert on your favorite person … you! Yes, time to thoroughly interview yourself! We talk to ourselves all the time but rarely ask ourselves serious insightful questions to know our true selves. So, choose a quiet place to be alone and without interruption. Relax, talk out loud, in a mirror, be honest, be yourself and take notes. 

Using this method can be very enlightening. It challenges those things that may block productivity. This type of preparation can also calm fear and anxiety by bringing suppressed procrastinations and dreaded activities to the surface to be recognized and resolved. Simply giving acknowledgement could be all that's needed. “Know thyself” – Kassandra McGhee.  

Look at this process as another way to practice how well prepared you are to sell yourself honestly and professionally.  Also how well you research target companies.  Make sure you include questions to demonstrate your worth and connection to company ambitions. 

When you find that you know yourself quite well, you ARE your subject matter expert! You know the value of research and practice.  And you certainly understand that knowledge, action, truth and preparation conquer fear.  YOU are confident and hold the keys to your success.  CONGRATULATIONS!

“The thing you fear most has no power. Your fear of it is what has the power. Facing the truth really will set you free” – Oprah Winfrey.