Chidi Okwudire IT Professional. ERP Enthusiast. NetSuite Certified (Administrator, SuiteCloud Developer II, and ERP Consultant). Celigo Certified (Level 4+). Passionate About Empowerment Through Knowledge Sharing. Always Eager to Learn.

Certification Insight #1: What’s your “why”?

1 min read

Last updated on March 6, 2023.

“Not knowing is bad; not to wish to know is worse.”

African proverb

Why do you want to get NetSuite certified?

Before going into the mechanisms of the exams, tips and tricks, survey results, etc., it is crucial that you first figure out, for yourself, why certification is important to you. If you don’t have a clear “why”, you risk being unduly influenced by others (including myself), ultimately leading to choices that might not be ideal for you. Equally important, knowing the “why” will help you answer other questions like “when” or “how”.


This concept of starting with why, made popular by folks like Simon Sinek, is very powerful not just for business or interpersonal relations but also for your individual pursuits like getting NetSuite certified.

In 2019, I decided to get NetSuite certified. It just felt like the right thing to do at that stage but some weeks into my preps, I had to take a step back to evaluate why I was embarking on that journey. Here’s a bit of how that played out:

  • Why do I want to get NetSuite certified?
    Because I’ve decided to focus on NetSuite as a platform going forward instead of general software development/consulting.
    • Why do I want to focus on NetSuite going forward?
      Because I’ve been exposed to it for some years now and I’ve figured it aligns well with my career goals.
      • Why is certification important in pursing this career switch?
        Because I think it will help me get a job in the NetSuite space.
        • Why will anyone want to hire you for a NetSuite position?
          Because I think I’ve have built NetSuite skills that can help them… or have I? Certification will help me validate that claim. (Aha!) 
  • So, why did I really want to get NetSuite certified in 2019?
    Because I wanted to validate the NetSuite knowledge I already had and acquire more in the process, ultimately to better position myself for a career in the NetSuite space.

You might be familiar with this technique of asking “why” multiple times to get to the root of something. That’s just one way to go about it. Do what works for you. Even if you’re already certified, you might be considering further certification. Or you might want to go down memory lane to revisit your “why” at the time of certification. Or simply apply to technique to some other exploit you’re currently considering.

Bear in mind that there are no right or wrong answers and you don’t need to share your motivation with me or anyone so be fully honest with yourself; it will certainly pay off later on.


The insights in this article represent the views of the author, who, by the way, holds multiple NetSuite certifications. However, the perpetual certification survey that’s been running since January 2021 reflects the collective thinking of the community on the subject matter.

Our hope is that the combination of both resources will provide you with a balanced view. Take the certification survey today! Once completed, you’ll unlock the anonymized aggregated survey results with nice charts and stats. Alternatively, you can subscribe to our NetSuite Insights newsletter using this link to gain immediate access to the survey results and email notifications when we publish new insights.

Other Articles in the NetSuite Certification Series

Chidi Okwudire IT Professional. ERP Enthusiast. NetSuite Certified (Administrator, SuiteCloud Developer II, and ERP Consultant). Celigo Certified (Level 4+). Passionate About Empowerment Through Knowledge Sharing. Always Eager to Learn.

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