Is becoming SHRM certified necessary with a master’s degree in HR?

Many of the certifcation bodies require that you take their courses and go to their conferences and pay annual dues to keep up the cert. I found most of the time their conferences were more a showcase for vendors and consultants rather than a learning experience.

I would think its a personal choice.

On a personal level, I had one of the HR certs for awhile- but my identity was never tied to the cert but rather my master’s degree. Many of the certifcation bodies require that you take their courses and go to their conferences and pay annual dues to keep up the cert. I found most of the time their conferences were more a showcase for vendors and consultants rather than a learning experience. For me the courses need to be based on real world experience and research or academic research. Many of them are trying to cover what is the latest and coolest. And perhaps most important of all- once you have earned your Masters in HR you have that credential for life- it doesnt have to be recertified year after year.