What IT Certifications are best suited for me?

Most people, even some of those in IT, get confused and/or overwhelmed by the whole Certification process. Well, I am here to sort it out for you. First, you have to assess your situation- i.e. current documentable work experience, products/applications you work with, educational background, your particular job market and what kind of connections you have already in IT positions. Notice I said current documentable work experience, if you have been away from IT for more than 6 months you need to be realistic with yourself. A lot of changes occur in 6 months (you get duller and rounder and IT gets sharper and more streamlined). Here is a question to consider: Are the products and applications you are familiar with mainstream? Microsoft, UNIX, Cisco, Oracle, Adobe or are they Industry specific applications? What kind of education do you have? Have you been exposed to particular technologies? Do you have a good understanding of Networking, Scripting, or Querying? How are your people skills? In your job search, what skill sets have you found companies are looking for? What are the requirements? Experience level? Do they require Certifications?




Once you know where you are in the big scheme of things, you need to decide what fits your current situation. If you are a green IT person looking for work, do not waste your time or the companies’ time by applying to a Network Security Administrator position for which you are not qualified. That is a good lofty goal, but grab the low hanging fruit first - everyone has to start somewhere. Aim for the entry level PC Tech, IT Support, Bench Tech, or Help Desk positions to get your feet wet.



Research jobs to find out if you meet requirements and can perform listed job duties. The majority of entry-level positions require an A+ Certification. Even if they do not require an A+, it is still an excellent way to get noticed ahead of your competition. CompTIA A+ certification validates one’s skills and abilities to perform PC/Laptop upgrades, hardware/software installation and troubleshooting. Microsoft uses A+ and Network+ as prerequisites for other, more technical certifications. Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician Certification (MCDST) is also a relevant path to pursue. The MCDST will teach a beginning IT Professional how to manage users running Windows desktops and applications, which could be close to 100% of the end-users in your market.



Are you a new college grad with an A.S. or B.S. in Computer Networking Systems? Or Information Technology Security? Are you ready to tackle something new and to work in your chosen field? Do you want to have more than an expensive piece of paper hanging on the wall? The best way to get yourself noticed is to earn a Certification because it will make you stand out among all other applicants. While the A+ is always the initial Certification for most, IT professionals pass it up. This is not an practice I would recommend.



One can look into obtaining the CompTIA Network+, CompTIA Security+, Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA), or Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP); these will take a little bit more effort. Network+ teaches skills enabling you to set up a network for a small to medium business. It covers topics such as: OSI model, TCP/IP Protocols, troubleshooting, fault tolerance, remote and wide area network (WAN) connectivity. Security+ will provide understanding into the field of network security and how it relates to other areas of information technology by covering topics such as: Intrusion detection, Cryptography, Security baselines and Computer Forensics. You should earn an A+ and Net+, or at least the equivalent knowledge of the content covered in A+ and Net+ before taking the Security+. Security+ lays the foundation leading to specialized security certifications. CCNA is a highly respected, sought after certification; Cisco maintains about an 80% market share in the routers and switches arena and plans to add 1.7 million CCNA’s by 2010. The CCNA validates the ability to install, configure, operate, and troubleshoot medium-size routed and switched networks, including implementation and verification of connections to remote sites in a WAN. The Microsoft Certified Professional or MCP certification is designed to help the future Network/System Administrator get familiar with the Windows Server environment and explains how to manage and maintain Windows Server 2003.



If you are a seasoned IT Professional with a lot of chops, but still feel you want more knowledge, need to update your skill sets, or better position yourself in future negotiations regarding promotions and salary increases, you can look beyond some of the entry-level certifications I mentioned above. Ask yourself the questions and assess where you are currently and what career goals are you looking to accomplish? What does your current job entail? What are your job duties and responsibilities? If you are looking for advancement the best way to validate your abilities and knowledge is to earn a certification in your particular discipline. Certifications validate your knowledge of best practices, skills, and your familiarity with the tools to make your network and IT department run at its optimum level. The payback for your and your employer is higher morale, less stress, a pleasant work environment, and higher wages.

What Certification do I need to get a job?

Most people, even some of those in IT, get confused and/or overwhelmed by the whole Certification process. Well, I am here to sort it out for you. First, you have to assess your situation- i.e. current documentable work experience, products/applications you work with, educational background, your particular job market and what kind of connections you have already in IT positions. Notice I said current documentable work experience, if you have been away from IT for more than 6 months you need to be realistic with yourself. A lot of changes occur in 6 months (you get duller and rounder and IT gets sharper and more streamlined). Here is a question to consider: Are the products and applications you are familiar with mainstream? Microsoft, UNIX, Cisco, Oracle, Adobe or are they Industry specific applications? What kind of education do you have? Have you been exposed to particular technologies? Do you have a good understanding of Networking, Scripting, or Querying? How are your people skills? In your job search, what skill sets have you found companies are looking for? What are the requirements? Experience level? Do they require Certifications?

Once you know where you are in the big scheme of things, you need to decide what fits your current situation. If you are a green IT person looking for work, do not waste your time or the companies’ time by applying to a Network Security Administrator position for which you are not qualified. That is a good lofty goal, but grab the low hanging fruit first - everyone has to start somewhere. Aim for the entry level PC Tech, IT Support, Bench Tech, or Help Desk positions to get your feet wet.

Research jobs to find out if you meet requirements and can perform listed job duties. The majority of entry-level positions require an A+ Certification. Even if they do not require an A+, it is still an excellent way to get noticed ahead of your competition. CompTIA A+ certification validates one’s skills and abilities to perform PC/Laptop upgrades, hardware/software installation and troubleshooting. Microsoft uses A+ and Network+ as prerequisites for other, more technical certifications. Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician Certification (MCDST) is also a relevant path to pursue. The MCDST will teach a beginning IT Professional how to manage users running Windows desktops and applications, which could be close to 100% of the end-users in your market.

Are you a new college grad with an A.S. or B.S. in Computer Networking Systems? Or Information Technology Security? Are you ready to tackle something new and to work in your chosen field? Do you want to have more than an expensive piece of paper hanging on the wall? The best way to get yourself noticed is to earn a Certification because it will make you stand out among all other applicants. While the A+ is always the initial Certification for most, IT professionals pass it up. This is not an practice I would recommend.

One can look into obtaining the CompTIA Network+, CompTIA Security+, Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA), or Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP); these will take a little bit more effort. Network+ teaches skills enabling you to set up a network for a small to medium business. It covers topics such as: OSI model, TCP/IP Protocols, troubleshooting, fault tolerance, remote and wide area network (WAN) connectivity. Security+ will provide understanding into the field of network security and how it relates to other areas of information technology by covering topics such as: Intrusion detection, Cryptography, Security baselines and Computer Forensics. You should earn an A+ and Net+, or at least the equivalent knowledge of the content covered in A+ and Net+ before taking the Security+. Security+ lays the foundation leading to specialized security certifications. CCNA is a highly respected, sought after certification; Cisco maintains about an 80% market share in the routers and switches arena and plans to add 1.7 million CCNA’s by 2010. The CCNA validates the ability to install, configure, operate, and troubleshoot medium-size routed and switched networks, including implementation and verification of connections to remote sites in a WAN. The Microsoft Certified Professional or MCP certification is designed to help the future Network/System Administrator get familiar with the Windows Server environment and explains how to manage and maintain Windows Server 2003.

If you are a seasoned IT Professional with a lot of chops, but still feel you want more knowledge, need to update your skill sets, or better position yourself in future negotiations regarding promotions and salary increases, you can look beyond some of the entry-level certifications I mentioned above. Ask yourself the questions and assess where you are currently and what career goals are you looking to accomplish? What does your current job entail? What are your job duties and responsibilities? If you are looking for advancement the best way to validate your abilities and knowledge is to earn a certification in your particular discipline. Certifications validate your knowledge of best practices, skills, and your familiarity with the tools to make your network and IT department run at its optimum level. The payback for your and your employer is higher morale, less stress, a pleasant work environment, and higher wages.

Computer Jobs Hit Record High

Source: http://www.cioinsight.com/c/a/Workplace/Computer-Jobs-Hit-Record-High/?kc=CIOMINUTE070908CIO1

Computer Jobs Hit Record HighBy Eric Chabrow2008-07-07

Unemployment among computer-related jobs hovers near historic lows as the U.S. information technology workforce tops 4 million for the first time.

The size of the IT workforce in the United States has topped 4 million workers for the first time last quarter, according to CIO Insight’s analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. And the number of employed IT pros reached 3,956,000 in the second quarter of 2008, also a record high.

The IT unemployment rate inched up one-tenth of a percentage point last quarter to 2.3 percent, but still hovers near historic lows. That’s in contrast to overall unemployment, which last quarter stood at 4.7 percent, more than double the IT jobless rate. (In June, overall unemployment stood at 5.5 percent for the second consecutive month, after shedding 62,000 jobs that month. Comparable numbers aren’t available for computer-related occupations.)
Why would IT employment remain robust as unemployment rises in most other job categories? IT performs a critical role in business productivity, and the efficiencies it brings are crucial for employers looking to trim costs—including payrolls—as fuel and related expenditures soar and the economy and dollar weakens. In addition, companies today cannot operate without functioning IT systems, so certain business technology skills cannot be eliminated if a company wants to remain competitive.

A year earlier, the IT unemployment rate stood at 2.1 percent, with 3,599,000 workers employed in IT and 77,000 jobless and looking for positions in the field, for an IT workforce size of 3,675,000.

With 4,050,000 managers, professionals and other staffers holding or seeking computer-related positions last quarter, the IT workforce has grown by 10.2 percent over the past four quarters.
Another sign of a strong IT economy: the number of workers employed by IT services firms rose by 56,100 this past year to 1,414,400, a 4.1 percent increase, according to last month’s BLS establishment survey of some 160,000 businesses and government agencies covering about 400,000 worksites. The active sample includes about one-third of all nonfarm payroll workers.
The increase in IT services employment reflects the continuing need by companies for outsourcers to manage corporate IT infrastructures as well as provide hard-to-find but needed skills to develop and support new applications and systems.

Not every person employed by IT services firms—officially labeled by the government as computer systems design and related services—is an IT pro, but a majority are. A 2006 government report estimates that 53 percent of IT services firms' workers hold IT jobs such as programmers; software engineers; computer, network systems and data communications analysts; or database, network and systems administrators. Another 3 percent are computer and IS managers. The remaining employees—44 percent of payrolls—encompass non-IT managers and administrative and operational support personnel, including those in finance, human resources and sales.

Besides the establishment survey, the government also queries 60,000 households to determine employment and unemployment in the U.S. For our analysis, we use a BLS quarterly report that aggregates the monthly reports and details employment in hundreds of occupation categories. The government tracks seven major computer-related job categories: computer scientists and systems analysts, computer programmers, computer software engineers, computer support specialists, database administrators, network and computer systems administrators and network systems and data communications specialists plus computer and information systems managers.

CIO Insight analyzes these eight occupation categories to determine current IT employment conditions. Because these IT professions comprises less than 3 percent of the overall workforce, and each occupation category’s size on its own would be statistically unreliable, CIO Insight aggregates the last four quarters to determine each quarter’s workforce, employment and unemployment levels. For example, we added BLS data from the last two quarters of 2007 and the first two quarters of 2008 then divided by four to determine second-quarter 2008 data. Statisticians and economists say aggregating four quarters worth of data makes them more statically reliable than just using one quarter’s worth of data.

Top 10 InDemand IT Jobs/Skill Sets

After reviewing many articles, reading many blogs and doing research based on the local IT job market Baseline Magazine is spot on with their edition of the Hottest IT Jobs for 2008. I have contacts ranging from Senior Account Executives working for the largest IT Placement Company in our local market, owners of IT Placement Agencies and IT Staffing Companies in the area all who would love to get their hands on IT Professionals with the Skill Sets mentioned here.

Even in tough economic times, employees with the right skills will always be in demand in the IT industry. Baseline analyzed recent employment studies and interviewed several technology recruiters and industry professionals to find the hottest IT positions today. Although there is still consistent demand for the “old-reliable” jobs such as network administration and help desk positions, these picks reflect the current gaps between supply and demand. Here is Baseline Magazines' list:

1. Senior Level Java/J2EE and .NET Developers - Most headhunters agree that finding lead developers with Java/J2EE or .NET proficiency and management experience can be a tall task in today’s market.
“If they're software developers and they have Java/J2EE or any of the .NET skills, they're very hot right now,” says Janet Miller, president of the recruiting firm Computer Management.

2. Application Development Managers - Dan Martineau of Martineau Recruiting Technology says that the need for application development managers nips closely at the heels of Java/J2EE opportunities at the top of search lists from clients.
“There is a definite need for applications development managers with strong technical backgrounds, specifically within object-oriented and service-oriented architecture-based applications,” he says.
In the Robert Half Technology 2008 Salary Guide, lead applications developer was listed as the position predicted to see the largest increase in salary this year, with an increase of 7.6 percent.

3. Security Professionals - In spite of increased awareness about IT security in recent years, there is still a skills gap when it comes to this specialty. In fact, a recent CompTIA survey found that among all IT skills, security has the biggest disparity between demand and supply of proficient workers.
“Managers we talk to say that the reason skills are coming up short is because the security landscape changes so rapidly that it is very difficult for anyone to stay on top of all of the different threats that are out there,” says Steven Ostrowski, director of corporate communications for CompTIA.

4. Architects of All Stripes - All varieties of architects are in strong demand today, but there is a special need for those who can help organizations ramp up their burgeoning service-level architecture deployments, Martineau says.
“Architects of all stripes are big right now, but the hottest ones are applications architects,” says Martineau.
According to the Robert Half Technology 2008 Salary Guide, applications architects are expected this year to see the second-largest average pay raise among all of the positions it studied, with an expected bump of 7.5 percent.

5. Talented IT Managers - Pretty much all of the data and anecdotal evidence point to an acute need for talented IT managers. Businesses seek ideal candidates who not only have strong technical skills, but also proficiency in communication and business knowledge.
“All of those things that fall into the bucket of what seem to be 'soft skills' is something that most employers—if not all employers—want in addition to the technical skills that people need to have,” Ostrowski says.
A recent survey by Robert Half Technology backed Ostrowski up—more than 41 percent of CIOs questioned said that they are placing a greater emphasis on knowledge of business fundamentals when considering applicants for IT positions.
These fundamentals are especially important for those in management, Martineau says. He believes that there is a particular need for managers who are able to capably lead geographically dispersed teams and who can effectively manage outsourced labor.

6. Business Technology Professionals - The fact that there even are designated “business technology” roles should scare IT professionals because, as Martineau puts it, they exist only because IT isn’t doing what is expected of it.
“The difference between business technology and information technology roles is that IT delivers a particular service—whether it’s a shared service or an application or whatever,” he says, “while business technology workers accomplish the hybrid goals that live between the business and IT. These are strategic roles that are all about aligning the business needs with IT.”

7. Database Administrators and Managers - In its annual salary report, Robert Half Technology recently pinned database administration and management as one of the key growth niches in IT, particularly in light of Bureau of Labor Statistics predictions that this sector will outpace the growth of all other occupations through 2014.
This year Robert Half expects the biggest salary bumps in this category to benefit data modelers (7 percent) and business intelligence analysts (6.6 percent).

8. Infrastructure Pros with Strong Backgrounds in Virtualization - Most organizations these days are trying to find a way to leverage virtualization deployments into bottom-line savings.
“Virtualization is the biggest thing going on in the data center right now,” Martineau says. “It allows you to deliver the same number of applications with a quarter of the servers, saving space, money and power, so people with virtualization skills are in high demand.”

9. Web 2.0 Developers - As business finds more ways to utilize Web 2.0 and service-oriented architecture (SOA), the need for developers with appropriate skills will continue to rise, Ostrowski says.
“There's a lot of interest in the Web 2.0 type applications and development, so people who have some sort of ability in that arena certainly have a leg up,” he adds.

10. Wireless Networking Experts - Although wireless professionals may not be in very strong demand today, the need for their skills will soon outstrip the supply, many experts believe.
“Wireless IT skills are going to be critical in the not-too-distant future,” Ostrowski says.
A recent CompTIA survey of more than 3,500 IT managers found that wireless and radio frequency (RF) mobile technology is the skill set they expect to increase most in importance over the next five years.