Advancing your career in the technology landscape presents numerous opportunities. As you step onto the digital era, where most, if not all, activities and transactions are accomplished through technology, choosing a career aligned with tech is, indeed, advantageous and lucrative.
What Are IT Certifications?
An IT certification is a career certification categorised into the technology niche, which proves that its owner or recipient possesses competency in a field of tech required by the certification.
An IT certification typically revolves around the following credentials:
- Cybersecurity
- Project management
- Cloud computing
- Security management
- Business infrastructure
- Technical support
- Software development
How IT Certifications Can Help Your Tech Career
If you’re in the tech landscape or planning to enter it soon, you should know the advantages of having IT certifications to stay on top of your career.
You may ask yourself, “What makes a good tech resume?” This is where IT certifications come into the picture. Since tech giants and renowned tech companies usually offer IT certifications, having at least one certification can help you stand out from other professionals in your field.
Here are four essential IT certifications that can boost your career in technology:
Google-Certified Professional Cloud Architect
Linked Average Salary: USD$175,000
As offered by one of the biggest names in tech today, Google presents the GCP Cloud Architect certification that can define your career advantage in two hours. Aspiring professionals can take the exam within the said time frame to achieve this certification, whether in a local test center or online.
The GCP Cloud Architect certification is also linked to higher salaries among IT professionals, as cloud computing has been an in-demand tech niche recently. Although the Google Cloud Platform owns a smaller share in the cloud marketplace, it remains high in demand as its modular applications look appealing to tech startups navigating the cloud.
If you wish to work with the cloud architecture design, development, and management of the Google Cloud technologies, don’t hesitate to get your hands in this certification.
AWS-Certified Solutions Architect—Associate
Linked Average Salary: USD$149,000
As the leading cloud provider globally, the certification offered by the Amazon Web Services (AWS) called the AWS Solutions Architect certification is a one-of-a-kind advantage to your career. Because of its market dominance and low-cost availability of USD$150, it’s worth taking your chance to get this certification.
Compared to the GCP Cloud Architect certification, you must have at least one year of experience in solutions architecture to be eligible for this certification. You can renew it every three years. Before taking the exam, you can explore their six-hour digital training course, similar to online courses, that discusses the AWS platform’s use, principles, and compliance.
Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)
Linked Average Salary: USD$124,000
Next is an IT certification closely linked to business management, called the Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) certification offered by ISACA (formerly Information Systems Audit and Control Association).
Since there are many promising potential opportunities that one can reach with the help of this certification, it has demanding prerequisites. Specifically, aspiring candidates should have a minimum of five years in information security or at least three years of experience in information security management.
The CISM certification is much costlier than the previous certification, priced at USD$760 for non-ISACA members and USD$575 for ISACA members.
Moreover, ISACA has four other professional certifications:
- Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA)
- Certified in the Governance of Enterprise IT (CGEIT)
- Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC)
- CSX Cybersecurity Practitioner (CSX-P)
CompTIA A+
Linked Average Salary: USD$45,000 to USD$55,000
The CompTIA A+ certification is issued by a nonprofit trade association, Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA). This certification is the industry standard for IT careers that focus on operational and technical support. Earning this certification provides you a diverse tech career path.
Your USD$232 exam fee is, undoubtedly, worthwhile if you achieve this certification as you’ll learn a variety of IT skills, including:
- Hardware
- Networking
- Mobile devices
- Operating systems
- Hardware and network troubleshooting
- Virtualisation and cloud computing
- Software troubleshooting
- Security
- Operational procedures
Moreover, CompTIA has tons of other IT certifications, depending on your specialisation field and expertise level.
- Core
- A+
- IT Fundamentals (ITF+)
- Network+
- Security+
- Cybersecurity
- Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP+)
- Cybersecurity Analyst (CySA+)
- Penetration Testing (PenTest+)
- Infrastructure
- Cloud+
- Linux+
- Server+
- Additional Professional
- Project+
- Cloud Essentials+
- Certified Technical Trainer (CTT+)
Wrapping Up
Advancing your career shouldn’t stop at holding these certifications, but it should be the other way around. Instead, sign up, earn any of these certifications, and, then, use your acquired knowledge and experiences as a stepping stone for a more profitable career role that you’ll love and enjoy fulfilling for the rest of your life.