IT QUALIFICATIONS
The following list was produced from our database - it shows the major IT fields and the percentage of employers advertising that role who mentioned or requested the qualification in the job advertisement.
Qualification
% Job Advertisements
% Job Advertisements Degree or Associate Degree 26%
ITIL 14%
MCSA or MCSE 10%
Comptia 2%
CCNA 2%
Qualification% Job Advertisements
% Job Advertisements Degree or Associate Degree 23%
ITIL 17%
MCSA or MCSE or MCP 3%
Comptia 10%
CCNA 3%
Qualification% Job Advertisements
% Job Advertisements Degree or Associate Degree 44%
ITIL 0%
MCSA or MCSE or MCP 6%
Comptia 0%
CCNA 6%
Qualification% Job Advertisements
% Job Advertisements Degree or Associate Degree 36%
ITIL 6%
MCSA or MCSE or MCP 15%
Comptia 0%
CCNA 6%
Qualification% Job Advertisements
% Job Advertisements Degree or Associate Degree 45%
ITIL 6%
MCSA or MCSE or MCP 32%
Comptia 0%
CCNA or CCNP 52%
Qualification% Job Advertisements
% Job Advertisements Degree or Associate Degree 55%
ITIL 11%
MCSA or MCSE or MCP 9%
Comptia 0%
CCNA or CCNP 11%
Qualification% Job Advertisements
% Job Advertisements Degree or Associate Degree 21%
ITIL 21%
MCSA or MCSE or MCP 14%
Comptia 0%
CCNA or CCNP 7%
Togaf 36%
Qualification% Job Advertisements
% Job Advertisements Degree or Associate Degree 59%
ITIL 0%
Prince2 10%
MCSA or MCSE or MCP 0%
Comptia 0%
CCNA or CCNP 2%
IT QUALIFICATIONS FAQ
One of the most common questions we receive from visitors is ‘is it worth doing formal IT qualifications?’. If so, which ones are the best?
That question does not have a straight forward answer. But in this article I will do my best to give you the seven most pressing points when assessing your personal IT qualifications requirements.
Considerations
Deciding to commit to IT qualifications is a great first step, however,. you need to understand exactly what you want to achieve in order to select the right qualifications for you. This is primarily because Information Technology does not currently regulate training in the industry. This means that there may be a number of different paths that you can take in order to achieve the same result.
Some simple ways to learn about different IT fields and gather indicative salary expectations are:
- Study Job Advertisements – Job advertisements are a live window to the current market. Recruiters often list preferred experience and IT qualifications in their advertisements. Research advertisements in your area to get a gauge on what to aim in order to succeed in the field.
- Speak to Job Recruitment Agencies – I have developed very good relationships with many recruitment agencies over the years. We have spoken about the local market many times and these discussions have shaped my career. It is interesting to hear agents point of view because they are often aware of upcoming bodies of work as well as current trends.
- Speak to Friends. If you are lucky enough to have a friend, neighbour or relative in the IT industry seek their opinion about your pending decision about IT qualifications.
By the time that you have gathered information from these sources you should have a better idea of the what specific field is interesting to you as well as the demand, training and pay scale in your local region of the world.
Career Options
Firstly, you should not limit yourself just because you do not have a huge budget for IT training. There are dozens of training options including very low budget solutions and of course free internet based information at your finger tips. Most people get caught up with professional training options because they do not know what content they need to learn in order to complete a certification. Most certifications exams require that you pass an electronic exam, they do not specify ‘how’ to acquire the information so you could easily identify the content of your desired exam via a simple google search and use the internet and the local library as preparation for the exam.
Remember, IT qualifications exist so that you can demonstrate your level of competence in a field. If you are able to demonstrate this competence via other means then you can still submit a strong job application.
Some ways that you can demonstrate technical competence in your Cover Letter, Resume and Interviews are:
- Experience including work experience
- Degrees and Diplomas
- Professional Certifications
- Home projects. hobbies and memberships
- Self study courses
- In house professional courses such as boot camps
Getting Qualified - Managing Time.
When it comes to IT certifications time can be managed with money. That is, the more money that you have to spend, the faster that you should be able to complete each certification. Certifications can be completed relatively inexpensively (at the cost of the exam and perhaps a book) but in my experience the trade off is that it takes several months longer to accomplish.
Getting Qualified - Your Budget
There is no doubt that the IT industry is king when it comes to the sale of knowledge. IT qualifications are no exception. A well funded candidate can position him/her self in a very strong career position. A candidate with a low training budget can achieve the same results but at the expense of additional time. Relevant work experience is a good way to fast track low budget certification goals but it is not a substitute for hard study, it is a value add.
University degrees and diplomas are less susceptible to time management budget issues because they generally run for a fixed period of time.
Getting Qualified - Region of the world
IT qualifications do hold different values in different regions of the world. Local job searches and recruitment agencies should shed light on the value of your proposed certification in your region. Generally speaking, this factor is closely associated with the supply and demand of candidates with those qualifications.
Getting Qualified - Peaks and Troughs in the Economy
Yes, the economy plays a big part in the value of qualifications. When times are tough such as the economic troubles of 2008 and 2009, qualifications become a powerful tool against stiff competition. During IT boom periods many employers are less picky because good candidates are scarce. Once again, this factor is associated with supply and demand.
Getting Qualified - Hot Industry Technologies
Every once in a while a booming technology catches the industry off guard and creates a skills shortage. Voice over IP is a good recent example. If you are certified in the ‘hot’ technology during a skills shortage then other qualifications seem to take a back seat – at least temporarily.
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