Whether you are a graduate or a veteran of the workplace, you should think about how to continuously improve your competitive advantage in your career. Sometimes your competitiveness has been built, but you lack a form of expression, such as how do you show to employers that you have an IT skill? IT Certification is still an effective method, which can not only improve practical skills quickly but also promote deeper interest and professional knowledge in the field of professional development.
Certification and skills can help you raise your salary, stand out from the crowd in the competition, and help you get promoted in your current position. A survey of Global Knowledge found that 83 percent of IT professionals in the United States and Canada hold IT Certification, while in the United States, the average salary of certified IT staff is USD 8400 (or 11.7 percent) higher than that of the non-certified. Hiring certified professionals are also good for employers. Of the people surveyed, 44 percent of IT Decision Makers said certification would make employees work faster, 33 percent said certification could improve system implementation efficiency, 23 percent said they could help them deploy products and services faster, and reduce errors.
So what kind of certification should we have? Here are 15 of the most valuable certifications for IT workers this year.
1. Certification of the Governance of Enterprise IT (CGEIT)
The CGEIT provided by ISACA demonstrates your understanding of Enterprise IT Governance. This certification shows that you can apply IT governance principles and concepts in a professional circumstance. According to ISACA, it is designed for those who play important management, consulting or assurance roles related to IT governance, including IS and IT directors, consultants, executives, managers, and governance professionals. According to Global Knowledge, CGEIT is currently voted one of the most valuable certifications.
Requirements: It requires at least five-year experience in IT Management, and supporting IT Governance Plans in an enterprise circumstance as a consultant or director or other ways. You need at least one year of experience in IT governance framework and at least two-year experience in the field of CGEIT, including Strategic Management, Benefits Realization, Risk Optimization, or Resource Optimization.
Average Salary for CGEIT Holders: USD 121,363
2. AWS Solution Architect Certification-Assistant
AWS is still the preferred Cloud Platform, and AWS Certified Solution Architect-Associate Certification(spoto) is designed for people with an AWS Platform background. It focuses on demonstrating your ability to design and deploy expandable systems on AWS, including how to maintain the performance of the solution without sacrificing security, reliability, and quality.
Requirements: It requires at least one year of practical experience in designing systems on AWS, at least one advanced programming language knowledge, and an understanding of best development practice based on AWS Applications.
Average Salary for AWS Certification: USD 121,292
3. Project Management Professional (PMP)
The PMP Certification is provided by PMI and is designed for Project Management professionals. PMI said that PMP Certification will allow you to “work in almost any industry, any method, and anywhere.” The certification covers five major stages of the project life cycle, including Start-up, Planning, Execution, Monitoring, and Closing Control.
Requirements: It requires to take the exam, the person with a four-year degree needs the three-year experience of Project Management, 4500 hours of Project Guidance Practice, and 35 hours of Project Management Education. With a secondary school degree, you need five-year experience, 7500 hours of Project Guidance Practice, and 35 hours of Project Management Education.
Average Salary for PMP Certification: USD 114,475
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4. AWS Certified Developer Assistant
This AWS Certification is for developers who participate in Core AWS Services, and it will demonstrate your ability to develop, deploy, and debug Cloud-based Applications using AWS. With the increasing adoption of Cloud Technology, the Internet of Things, Machine Learning, and other emerging technologies, AWS Developers Certification has become more and more valuable for job seekers.
Requirements: It requires at least one year of practical experience in designing and maintaining AWS Applications, mastering the basic knowledge of one or many advanced programming languages, and understanding of AWS Services.
Average Salary for AWS Certified Developers-Assistant Certification: USD 114,473
5. Certification of the Information System Security Professionals (CISSP)
The CISSP is provided by ISC and recognized by ANSI, formally approved by the U.S. Department of Defense, and is adopted as the standard of the ISEEP Procedure of the National Security Agency. It is recognized globally as a certification aimed at helping IT Security Professionals establish best practices around modern security.
Requirements: It requires that you need at least five-year experience in Information Security and at least three-year experience as Security Supervisors. Experience must be obtained within 10 years before taking the exam or within 5 years after passing the exam. You need to use CPE credits to update certification and you need at least five years of full-time experience in two or more subjects to be tested.
Average Salary for CISSP: USD 111,475
6. Certification of the Risk and Information System Control (CRISC)
ISACA claims CRISC Certification is “the only one that can help IT professionals meet IT and enterprise risk management challenges and make them become corporate strategic partners.” This Information Security Certification demonstrates your ability to assess, mitigate, respond, monitor, and report on Risk Management.
Requirements: Requires to obtain CRISC Certification, you need to have at least three years of experience in at least two of the four topics covered by the certification. You also need to earn CPE credits annually to maintain certification.
Average salary for CRISC: USD 111,049
7. Certification of the Information Security Manager (CISM)
ISACA also provides Certification of the Information Security Manager, which focuses on IT security on Global Management. It aims to demonstrate the level of proficiency in establishing, designing, and managing enterprise safety plans. The exam provides only two 16-week courses throughout the whole year, starting on February 1st or June 1st each year.
Requirement: It requires to obtain CISM, you need at least five-year experience in Information Security, and the experience must be within 10 years before the exam date or five years after passing the exam. You also need CPE credits to maintain certification.
Average Salary for CISM: USD 108,043
8. Scrum Master Certification
Scrum Alliance provides Scrum Master Certification, which is well-known and respected in the IT industry. Becoming a Certified Scrum Master will demonstrate your understanding of the scrum framework and how to apply it in the workplace. This is a particularly useful certification for project managers, technical project managers, Scrum administrators, project managers, project leaders, and product developers. In addition to your certification, you will also be awarded a two-year membership in Scrum Alliance, which will enable you to participate in local and online social activities.
Requirements: Before you get a certification, you will need to attend a two-day face-to-face Certified Scrum Master Course taught by a certified scrum trainer.
Average Salary for Scrum Master Certification: USD 106,938
9. Certification of Ethical Hacker (CEH)
The title of Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) certified by the Ethics Committee indicates that you have the skills and knowledge to find vulnerabilities in computer systems and prevent hacking. “Certified Ethical Hacker” means a professional who uses the same skills and knowledge as malicious hackers to develop security measures to prevent potential attacks. Usually, enterprises will ask you to think about weaknesses in their computer systems and networks like hackers, and with this knowledge, it’s easier to fix security vulnerabilities and prevent potential threats.
Requirements: You need two-year experience in Information Security.
Average Salary for Certification of Ethical Hacker: USD 106,375
10. Citrix Certified Professional Virtualization (CCP-V)
CCP-V Certification demonstrates the ability of virtual desktop applications using Citrix technology. Subjects include preinstallation and installation required technology, the configuration of technical components, and test configuration. In 2014, this certification replaced the Citrix Certified Enterprise Engineer (CCEE) Certification and focused on the skills of Citrix-based XenDesktop Software Deployment, maintenance, and configuration of solutions.
Requirement: You need to obtain Assistant Level Certification before you get CCP-V Certification.
Average Salary for CCP-V Certification: USD 103,424
11. Microsoft Certification of Systems Engineer (MCSE) – Server Architecture
MCSE Authentication is unique in this list because Microsoft has stopped offering it and has been replaced by MCSE: Microsoft Certification of Systems Engineer. Nevertheless, it is on the list of Well-paid Certifications, because if you get certification by March 2017, it is still valid. Certification of Systems Engineer is a very suitable alternative. This certification demonstrates your ability to run an efficient data center and your knowledge of Cloud Technology, Virtualization, Storage, Network, Systems, and Identity Management.
Requirements: Requires to obtain MCSE, you need to pass one of the four MCSA Certifications provided by Microsoft.
Average Salary for MCSE – Server Architecture: USD 100,656
12. Certification of Information System Auditor (CISA)
ISACA describes CISA Certification as “Globally-recognized Information System Auditor Certification.” It has existed since 1978 and focuses on demonstrating your audit capabilities, the ability to report compliance procedures, and the degree of that you can assess vulnerabilities at each stage of the audit process.
Requirements: You have at least five-year experience in the area of Information System Auditing, Control, or Security. You need to pass the entry-level before you take the ISACA CISA Exam. Like other ISACA Certifications, you need CPE credits to maintain your certification.
Average salary for CISA: USD 99,648