Information technology certifications, as defined by Wikipedia, are non-degree awards given to individuals who show a proficiency in the technology of a company. Certifications exist for a wide variety of technologies, including programming, hardware, management, networking and administration, to just name a few.
Having an IT certification can massively boost your job prospects and level of income too, companies like www.onlineitcourses.com offer a wide range of different online training courses that can easily fit into anyone’s schedule. Certifications usually need to be renewed to show the individual’s ability to continually learn. Whether you are looking to improve job prospects or simply acquire new technology-related knowledge, these are the top technology related certifications for 2014.
Top 5 IT certifications
1. Project Management Professional (PMP) – Being one of the few on this list that is not entirely software related, the PMP certification is the most coveted certification out there for project management. The “Project Management Professional” average salary is around $105,000 per year. Unlike some other certifications, what makes this certification worth its weight is the requirements necessary to take the exam. A four-year bachelor’s degree, along with 3 years of project management experience, with 4,500 hours of experience leading and directing projects and 35 hours of project management education is mandatory for this role. As with other certifications, this one has to be maintained in order to keep your status.
2. Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) – Considered the top of the pyramid networking certifications, this certification is also considered as one of the most difficult to obtain, with less than 1% percent of the world’s network experts possessing one. Earning between $110,000 to $175,000 a year, CCIE’s are among not only the most well paid but among the most valued. CCIEs possess deep networking knowledge and are deployed into the most challenging network assignments.
3. Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) – Coming from the ISC, this security-based certificate requires potential candidates to already possess 5 years of IT experience. Paying an average of around $94,000 and being in a field where professionals are in a short supply, this should be a certificate for the ambitious minded. CISSP professionals are tasked with Access Control, Telecommunications and Network Security, Information Security Governance and Risk Management, Software Development Security, Cryptography, Security Architecture and Design, Operations Security, Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Planning, Legal, Regulations, Investigations and Compliance and Physical (Environmental) Security.
4. VMware Certified Professional (VCP) – Coming from one of the hottest companies, VMware is the virtualization certification. The technology behind this company is undoubtedly going to be key in the future, being that everything is in the cloud these days. Average salary is said to be around $87,000 with some other professionals making significantly more than that. The certification tests the ability of the user to install, configure and deploy VMware’s vSphere environments, as well as cloud infrastructure concepts.
5. Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) – Like many other certifications, this one is vendor specific, belonging to the well-known Microsoft. MCP has four major tiers, those being: Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA), Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE), Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer (MCSD), and Microsoft Certified Solutions Master (MCSM). With a salary of about $70,000, MCPs are highly sought after due to the sheer abundance of Microsoft technology in the professional world.
Of course there are many more certifications available, ranging in price, requirements and employment demand. I recommend investigating which ones apply to your career path and invest wisely.
