The IT Passport exam is considered an introductory qualification among information technology engineer examinations. However, there are opinions that “IT Passport is useless.” Is this actually true? This article takes a detailed look at the value and benefits of IT Passport.
What is the IT Passport Exam?
The IT Passport exam is a national examination conducted by the Information-technology Promotion Agency (IPA), evaluating basic knowledge of information technology. The exam scope is broad, covering fundamentals of information technology, management, and security. This exam provides useful knowledge for business professionals working not only in the IT industry but in various industries.
Value of IT Passport
1. Acquiring Foundational Knowledge
The IT Passport exam is a good opportunity to learn the fundamental knowledge of information technology. By understanding basic IT concepts, you can improve work efficiency and communication quality.
2. Career Starting Point
For those considering a career in the IT industry, IT Passport is a qualification that serves as a first step. As an entry-level qualification, it’s easy for beginners to challenge, and you can solidify the foundation for advancing to the next step.
3. Improving Business Skills
The IT Passport exam tests not only knowledge of information technology, but also knowledge of management and business. This allows you to improve skills across general business and increase your value within a company.
4. Advantageous for Job Hunting and Career Changes
Having IT Passport becomes an appealing point when listing on your resume. Especially in the IT industry, it’s often evaluated as a qualification proving you have fundamental knowledge. It can also demonstrate high IT literacy in other industries.
About the Opinion “IT Passport is Useless”
1. Low Difficulty Level
One reason why it’s said “IT Passport is useless” is that the exam difficulty is relatively low. However, this is natural since it’s an exam for beginners. The purpose is to acquire basic knowledge, and it’s not an exam for advanced users.
2. Lack of Practical Experience
Even if you acquire IT Passport without practical experience, you won’t immediately acquire skills that directly apply to practical work. However, having basic knowledge provides the advantage of smoother understanding when entering practical work.
3. Comparison with Other Qualifications
Compared to IT Passport, there are more specialized qualifications and advanced qualifications, so some people feel “IT Passport is insufficient.” Certainly, more advanced qualifications are highly specialized and often directly useful for work, but IT Passport provides the foundational knowledge for that.
Conclusion
While the opinion “IT Passport is useless” has some merit, this is only when the purpose and role of the exam are not properly understood. IT Passport is an important step for learning the fundamentals of information technology, and is very beneficial especially for beginners and as a career starting point. It also improves skills across general business and is useful for job hunting and career changes.
Therefore, regarding the opinion “IT Passport is useless,” it’s important to properly evaluate its value and think about how to use it in accordance with your own career and goals.