While getting a particular IT certification will make your resume stronger, sometimes it’s hard to justify the cost of classroom instruction or the multi-hour proctored exam. It’s understandable that you would want to knowledge but forgo the cost of actual certification, especially if your employer isn’t footing the bill.

Nothing stops you from buying the training books, which are often much cheaper than classes and the exam, and simply learning the skills you’d need from those books.

In fact, sometimes you can find the certification books simply by looking online. If you search for it online, you are certain to find free certification study guides. Oftentimes they will be dated but much of the baseline knowledge is the same and you would benefit by simply reading and understanding the basics.

In the end, the certification is a piece of paper that proves you know what you say you know but the knowledge always comes first. By studying the training guides, you give yourself the skills you can use in your job. Eventually, when it makes financial sense, you can take on classroom training and then the exams.