IT Certifications pave the way for higher salaries, secured job opportunities, and the ability to advance your technical skills. This roadmap is a step-by-step guide to obtaining an IT Certification. However, Certifications begin from easy, intermediate, advanced, and expert as shown in figure 1, and bring several opportunities in the IT field. Moreover, several fields exist within information technology. You can begin planning out a bright future career in information technology by navigating our IT certifications roadmap. In this review article, we discussed the importance and training of IT certification as well as top IT certifications in detail.
Importance of IT Certification
IT Certifications not only benefit the individual but also contribute to the department’s effectiveness as a whole. Holding a certification shows that an individual is willing to invest time into growing themselves in their IT career. After receiving IT Certification, individuals see improvement in their work quality like –
- 31% of individuals perform better at their respective job.
- 36% of individuals are engaged more in their work.
- 52% of individuals see improvement in their work quality.
Certified staff from an organization increases effectiveness across the board like –
- 36% see the time improvement it takes to troubleshoot issues.
- 43% see an improvement in meeting client requirements.
- 44% say it increases productivity.
- 52% of organizations say having a certified staff closes organizational skill gaps.
Training of IT Certification
When it comes to training, 50% of IT professionals train to prepare for a new career certification whereas 78% of IT professionals train to build new skills. You want to pursue IT by understanding its area; you can develop a well-rounded training program and career path for your future. The important points of IT certification pathways –
- Software Development.
- Information Security
- Web and Mobile
- Network and Cloud Technologies
- Storage and Data
- IT Management and Strategy
- Hardware, Services, and Infrastructure
Top IT Certifications
- Comp TIA A+ is one of the best foundational certifications on IT certifications. This certification validates that an individual has held in operating systems, cloud computing, hardware, security, troubleshooting, and networking mobile.
- AWS Certified Solutions Architect-Associate is one of the most popular cloud certifications in tech. In addition, it confirms the technical skills of individuals and expertise in the design and implementation of AWS. The AWS Certified Solutions Architect-Associate is intended for those individuals who have hands-on experience of one or more years using management services and AWS deployment.
- Google Certified Professional Cloud Architect (GCP) – this examination certifies that individuals have skills in design, development, and management. Moreover, they work with robust, secure, highly available, scalable, and dynamic solutions to drive business objectives.
- Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) – validates an individual’s expertise within cybersecurity. Moreover, it also confirms that they have the skills and ability to design, implement and manage cybersecurity programs. This exam is based on the following areas in computer security –
- Software Development Security
- Security and Risk Management
- Security Operations
- Asset Security
- Security Assessment and Testing
- Security Architecture and Engineering
- Identity and Access Management (IAM)
- Communication and Network Security
- Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) – validates that candidate holds skills in multiple software and networking technologies. These include cyber operations, data center, cloud, collaboration, switching, security, service provider, and wireless networking.
- Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) – assures that individual has networking experience. In addition, it identifies individuals that can plan, implement, verify and troubleshoot local and wide-area enterprise networks. The certification of CCNP is designed for network engineers and administrators who work with Cisco enterprise and networking solutions.
- Project Management Professional (PMP) – verifies the ability of candidates as project managers. It ensures they can lead both projects and teams. A four-year degree requires PMP certification. Moreover, it requires at least three years of experience leading projects.
- Certified ScrumMaster® (CSM) – validates your knowledge of Scrum and Agile management practices. It also confirms that the candidate holds an understanding of events, team roles, and artifacts. An individual must attend a 16-hour course taught by Certified ScrumMaster® to obtain CSM certification.
To summarize the above work, we can conclude that the certificate you want to get depends on your interest in IT and its specific field of study. You also need to look at your experience level by understanding the requirements of the job position that you aspire to fill. You can also ask the employer about what skills are most useful to learn in your recent IT role.