Posted by Michael Marr

The major questions surrounding IT Certifications are: 1) Do I really need them; and 2) What Certification(s) should I get?

Do I really need an IT Certification?

An IT Certification can not take the place of work experience. Work experience is the main thing that a majority of employers will be looking for when hiring an IT worker. However, we all start out with zero experience, so how do we land that first job? Certifications are certainly a big booster in obtaining that first job. Certifications can sometimes be held on equal par or greater than a tech-related college degree. Certifications show, at least, a basic understanding of a precise IT field, whereas college degrees show a much broader, and often less intensive, scope of IT knowledge. Certainly if both you and another person are competing for a job with comparable college degrees and experience, having an IT certification can get you the edge.

There are also some certifications that show not only you are knowledgeable in a particular area, but also up to date on the latest trends in that arena. In particular, networking/technology security is a big field where having an up-to-date certification can really give you an edge over the competition and provide crucial knowledge to an organization.

What are the best certifications to get?

Dice.com recently compiled survey data from over 27,000 IT professionals to find the 10 best IT Certifications. Although the survey was more focused on certifications that can boost your current pay, it is easy to presume that if they can significantly improve your chances of getting a pay raise, they can also give you an advantage when seeking a job.

10. Security +

9. IT IL

8. MCSA

7. CISSP

6. Network +

5. MCP

4. CCNA

3. A +

2. MCSE

1. PMP

To break down these certifications further:

• only one certification focuses on hardware/software maintenance and troubleshooting, e.g. tech support
• only one certification revolves around development/programming of software
• one specific certification around Microsoft products and technologies
• three network certifications (one for Microsoft only)
• two security certifications; and
• two general IT management/best practices certifications

The most interesting thing from this list is that two of the certifications (including the top certification) revolves around proper implementation/management of IT systems, and not anything in a specific technology field. This likely a result of companies now realizing that simply flooding in hardware and software in the workplace is not the most effective way of utilizing technology, and thus are seeking ways to properly utilize technology to improve efficiency.

In the end, you need to decide what certification(s) best suite your career path. With this list compiled by Dice.com, it will give you direction on which certification might best serve you and your future/current employer depending on what area of IT you are working in.

About the Author: Michael Marr is a IT staff Writer for WebProNews.