A certificate is more than just a piece of paper with your name on it. Obtaining a formal certification is an indicator that you are a professional. It’s evidence to your employers, colleagues, and even yourself that you know what you are doing and you’re no less than anyone.
I bet you know that certification will undoubtedly raise your pay. And that’s valid to a great point. So does that mean that any tech pro has to spend a bunch of time, energy, and sweat to get certifications? In fact, According to the Dice Salary Report, some 47% of software professionals are certified. But another 24 percent said they didn’t need qualification because of their position, and 29 percent said they didn’t have one for other purposes.
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Did you notice a pattern in these statistics, there are certainly conflicting opinions on the importance of certifications in the technology industry. Although others see them as an affirmation of their abilities and evidence of their skill, other senior employees take the opposite opinion and feel that the true importance and potential of an IT worker is shown by their expertise and by the projects and not a piece of paper that will validate their value. Other than that, Qualifying and obtaining all of these certifications may be an expensive procedure, and some of the more sought-after certificates will possibly cost thousands of bucks.
So is all of this hassle worth it? What if after getting certified there is no change in your life whatsoever? On the other hand, what if getting a certificate is the only thing keeping you away from achieving your goals?
Among millions of questions like these, there is an answer. And if you are here in search of that, we’ve got good news! Keep reading to find out the importance of technology certificates.
So Are Technology Certifications Worth it?
In a nutshell, yes, of course, it is! To further prove this, experts say that getting an IT certificate will raise your pay by up to 5% relative to non-certified employees.
What this shows us is that there is a clear likelihood that workers may put much greater importance on certification than workers that do not With this being said, there are extremely technical occupations that certainly need certification; in those situations, companies would probably not recruit software professionals that do not have one, right? There is obviously value in getting certified in certain cases, not just for a raise in salary. Many workers also need accreditation in some situations as well.
However, there is something you need to keep in mind. If you are dropping out of school just to rely on technology certificates. DO NOT DO THAT. Regardless of how important technology certificates, a school degree always holds an upper hand in the market. Rather, speak to all your teachers and ask them for advice to improve your marketability and what other technology certificates you can opt for.
Therefore, if you really want to concentrate and specialize in one field, with a lot of experience at hand then having a certification will not play a big role in your career as some companies favor experience over certification. I mean, what’s the point of having innumerable certificates and not being able to imply any one of them to work?
Technology Certification For Employees
If you’re an employee, you either want certification as they back up what you claim to be good at.
If you’ve been in the company for a while, maybe you’ve been frustrated doing the same job for a couple of years, so you’re searching for a motivation to step into a new position or operate in a certain form of technology. One way to convince your boss that you’re serious about switching to a new system or position will be to obtain certification in that field. That may be the key to help you get to the next phase of your career.
Employers use credentials, including certification references and related skills, to test their candidates throughout the recruiting phase. The only way to learn for sure that a developer will cut the mustard is by looking at how they perform, how they code, and how well they fit in the company.
Best Technology Certificates Worth Having
Now that you are clear of the importance of getting certified, here comes the real question: With hundreds of certifications to pick from, how can I determine which one is better suited for me? Which ones will help me achieve my goals? Which ones are more impactful in the market?
In terms of standing out, even one certification can not be appropriate. Globally, 85 percent of The practitioners possess at least one certification, while 66 percent are either seeking their next credential or planning at some stage this year. So, yes you need to be careful. But don’t worry, we’ve got your back!
Here are 4 certificates that have tremendously high value in the market and are certainly worth having.
AWS Certified Solutions Architect
AWS Certified Solutions Architect – This Associate Level Certification is the perfect fit for IT professionals looking to fill a cloud-based hiring void. This certificate has become a standard-bearer for cloud specialists, especially when many organizations have completely invested in AWS cloud services. According to the IT Skills and Salary Survey, it is the fourth top-paying credential in the United States and Canada (130,883 dollars) and the ninth highest in the world (110,429 dollars).
In fact, one out of every three global cloud specialists received this certificate.
All in all, AWS Architect Associate is suitable for people who develop cloud services and model architectures, or who build programs and applications.
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ITIL Foundation
This entry-level qualification has been revamped over the last year, as ITIL v3 has made room for ITIL 4. This latest version of the accepted standard for service management directly addresses emerging technologies and business processes that accompany the digital shift. The ITIL Foundation helps you to understand the IT development cycle. Certified experts are leading when it comes to promoting business outcomes and risk management. ITIL-certified employees are always at the frontline as a company improves the way it does business.
Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert
Azure solutions architects offer guidance to customers and turn market needs into safe, flexible, and efficient software. This professional, role-based qualification will affirm your mastery of the skills required to develop solutions that operate on Azure, as well as your experience in programming, storage and protection.
Azure Solutions Architect Professional certification is intended for qualified IT professionals. Those seeking this certification need knowledge through different areas of IT procedures, including networking, virtualization, identification, protection, business continuity, disaster recovery, data processing, financial planning, and governance. This position includes the management of how decisions influence the ultimate solution in each field.
CompTIA Security+
Many companies find security to be the basic standard of qualification for all the roles, whether you are a beginner or a professional in the field of digital security. With regards to cloud services and a rise in the complexity and intensity of data breaches, organizations are more worried about security than ever before. This certificate offers the training required to detect, react to, and defend against cyber attacks. Therefore, with the essential need for trained security specialists, all IT experts, irrespective of your expertise, may benefit from this vendor-neutral certificate.
Applicants seeking a Security+ certification will have at least two years’ experience as an IT professional with a compliance priority and a day-to-day involvement with digital security. Apart from this, membership of CompTIA Network+ is also required.
Total Cost of a Technology Certification
As for everything else in existence, certifications aren’t free! Many of the certifications, if not all, cost anywhere from $100-$500 and in certain situations much more for top-level certifications even to arrange an assessment. On top of this, most tests include pre-requisites that also have certain certifications, or any sort of training program that often costs money.
Besides all the money talk, a certificate will also demand your precious time out of everyday schedule. Some employers will require you to prepare outside working hours, but for others, studying for an exam can take place at the cost of personal time.
So, if you genuinely want to pass that exam on the first try, you’ll bring in a lot of training time and make sure you’re highly positive before you sit the exam. All of this training comes at a premium, but if you see the term ‘PASS’ at the end of the test, and a thriving career it will all be worth it.
Conclusions
At the end of the day, certifications certainly have value for certain professionals in the IT field. They can be really useful to those just starting out, because they may be the secret to having your foot in the market. Certificates certainly act like a catalyst that will get you more closely involved with a particular technology. What certification does NOT do, is to fully train you to excel in your career.
Most IT specialists have become highly successful without any certification at all. It is the knowledge acquired by working with technology in a skilled setting that is really the most important asset in developing your career. IT certifications may be part of that, but they can be viewed as a complementary asset along with your expertise and not something that you can totally rely on to have a flourishing career.
