Six Sigma Certification

Six Sigma Certification

Obtaining this certification is not only a salary booster, but also a path to increased job opportunities. If you are thinking of changing a job, having a green or black belt certificates will tangibly augment the number of interested organizations and therefore a number of interviews. For any given job application, most hiring managers between two candidates with similar credentials would likely give preference to someone who has passed a six sigma certification exam. So it is likely to lead to higher earnings and increased job opportunities. ​

If you have been thinking about advancing your knowledge as business / government professional or are just trying to find a better job, professional certifications can certainly help. One of the most valued and recognizable is lean six sigma certification. Getting certified as a six sigma professional is not only a testament of one's knowledge of quality management techniques and advanced statistic, but also a potential salary booster.Black belt holders (one of the highest certification levels) make around $100,000 annually  in the US as base salaries. Not bad considering today's competitive market.
Furthermore, preparing for the exam will help you organize your knowledge about management, quality control and statistics and help you think in more organized manner. This will enable you to solve problems more effectively and with less stress.
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Now, that you are convinced six sigma certification may be useful for your professional career growth, you probably have two questions: where should you get certified? and, how should you prepare for the exam? Well, there is no single organization for six sigma similar to Project Management certification which is administered by PMI. Instead a number of organizations provide master black belt, black belt, green belt and yellow belt seekers with an opportunity to take certification tests. Some of the well known organizations are American Society for Quality (ASQ), International Association for Six Sigma Association (IASSC), Villanova University etc. A large number of American corporations such as Motorola, General Electric, Amazon, Boeing, Bank of America, Ford Motors Company, Northrop Grumman and others provide in-house certifications for their employees and implement six sigma projects.

As far preparation goes, six sigma certification seekers have two options: paid and unpaid. You can take paid on-site or internet based training. Normally, the training is not cheap and can vary from $400 to $2,500. Well established and known training providers charge around $1500-$2000. In addition, most six sigma certification seekers end up taking exams with these training providers and have to pay additional $150-$400. 
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However, there is a way to self prepare for a six sigma certification exam for free or for very cheap. If you are shooting for a green belt or black belt certification and have basic knowledge of statistics you can self prepare by using training materials which are available online at www,sixsigmatrainingfree.com for free and compliment your studies with fairly cheap books. On this web site you can find black belt body of knowledge (BOK) for six sigma certification exams administered by American Society for Quality (ASQ) and International Association for Six Sigma Certification (IASSC). If you are shooting for a green belt or a lower certification (yellow belt or white belt) you will still find the ASQ and IASSC black belt BOK based training guides useful. You will just need to remove some of more advanced topics from your preparation process.

You will also find a number of free practice tests and sample ASQ and IASSC exams.  Solving these tests and sample exam questions is crucial for self preparation. You will find these tests invaluable. Well, I hope this sums the benefits of obtaining six sigma certification and provides helpful tips for exam preparation. Good luck!

Read more:
How Much It Costs to Get Six Sigma Certified
What You Can Expect as a Six Sigma Black Belt Salary
About Six Sigma Certification
History of Six Sigma
Lean Six Sigma Belt Roles and Responsibilities