Resumes are a necessity when it comes to pursuing jobs in almost any field. They give prospective employers a brief glimpse of your academic credentials, previous jobs, special achievements, and a little of your personal life. Yet their real purpose is to give you a chance to sell yourself in an effort to get the job you really want, to show why you are the best candidate. “In case you don’t already have it prepared, making a resume is a breeze with modern software.
Professional certifications play an important role in getting the attention of prospective employers and giving you an edge over other job seekers. Particularly in information technology (IT), professional certifications are an assurance to that employer that you have the knowledge and skills needed in a given area. With the right IT training and certifications, you can establish yourself in the IT career you’ve always wanted. Here is a list of some of the top IT certifications you should look into.
Certified in the Governance of Enterprise IT (CGEIT)
Holders of the CGEIT certification are specialists who advise, manage, and provide guaranteed services for enterprise IT governance. Holders of these certifications can pursue many different career options like Assistant IT Controller, IT Risk Leader, and Risk Management Officer. With the high demand from IT specialists, achieving this certification could be highly lucrative.
AWS Certified Solutions Architect
Amazon Web Services (AWS) certifications are growing in popularity. Completing the AWS certified solutions architect exam demonstrates expertise in designing systems on the AWS platform. This is the certification for you if you have experience with AWS services and experience architecting distributed systems on a large scale. Tests are administered at PSI centers across the country and recipients can earn salaries well over $100k annually.
Cisco CCIE Routing and Switching
The Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) is a go-to certification like isaca cism certification
for top IT candidates. It’s a rigorous top-level exam like isaca cisa practice exam but worth it once you’ve achieved it. Since the networking equipment produced by Cisco is industry standard, you’ll always have work with the CCIE and the certification can help those pursuing careers in cloud and virtualization and IT security. Cisco certification is definitely something you’ll want to give serious consideration to.
Project Management Professional (PMP)
Created and given by the Project Management Institute (PMI), the PMP certification is one the most widely recognized project management certifications to be earned. Demonstrating competence in project management and teams, there are five areas of testing including initiation, planning, execution, monitoring, and closing.
This certification requires that you have at least 35 hours of completed related training as a prerequisite. Those who hold a bachelor’s degree need 4,500 hours of project management experience, without a degree 7,500 hours are required. The PMP certification isn’t easy to acquire but the benefits make it a worthy time investment and those with the certification earn more than $100k annually.
AWS Certified Developer (Associate)
The AWS Certified Developer certification displaying a level of technical expertise in developing applications and maintaining them on the Amazon Web Services platform. Certification holders have demonstrated judgment in selecting appropriate AWS services for apps along with proficiency in the platform’s software development kits (SDKs). They must also demonstrate a knowledge of code-level application security. One year or more of expertise with AWS and proficiency of at least one high-level programming language are prerequisites.
Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)
The CISSP certification is for information assurance professionals responsible for the determination of architecture, design, management, and controls that guarantee your company’s security. It would be ideal for those working in analysis, auditing, systems engineering, and more. You must have five years of relevant work experience as a prerequisite aside from successfully passing the test. You will also be required to you’ll be required to receive Continuing Education credits each year to maintain the certification. Those who manage can make more than $100k annually.
Takeaway
Careers in IT take some planning but considering the need for such expertise, the time investment will be well worth it. Whether you’re interested in administration, security, or networking, there’s a certification that can strengthen your credentials and maybe help you achieve a raise or a promotion in the future once you’ve established the career you’re seeking.
