On Industry Certifications

 

Industry certifications are real door openers for your career and they come in a million shapes and sizes. Each with its own prerequisites and exam formats to certify your expertise in the material. Some are multiple choice exams, while others are comprehensive lab practicums. From the humble ITIL: Foundations exam to PMI’s Project Management Professional and all the way over to the grueling Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert. These credentials added to your resume increase your chances of getting an interview, the pay you can command, and the amount of opportunities for promotion.

Tips and Tricks for Studying

Industry certifications can be quite difficult at times, but with enough perseverance, passion and persistence anyone can succeed. Here are some tactics that have really helped me out in my certification studies.

1. Commit

Haphazardly pursuing a credential is the easiest way to guarantee failure, as you simply will not do what it takes to receive that passing score. The first step towards success is to truly commit yourself to your certification studies. Commit to yourself, commit to your plans, and commit to others! The added accountability of publicizing your certification goals applies some extra pressure that will keep you honest in your studies.

2. Create a schedule

Build good study habits by putting together a schedule and sticking to it. Ideally your study schedule will consist of daily dedicated study time. It is more effective to study for smaller chunks of time consistently than it is to have one or two massive time blocks during a week. Consistent studies are what keep your mind sharp.

3. Invest in a Complete Set of Study Materials

One of the biggest handicaps you can place on yourself is not having the proper tools for success. It takes money to make money, so do not fear investing in a combination of books, online courses, practice exams, and equipment! Having a well-rounded study program goes a long way in ensuring success.

4. Practice

Practice makes perfect is something we have all been told a million times in our life, and yet, it always holds true. Whatever it is you are learning, without practice you will never master the topic. Take the time to practice not just theory, but real-world applications of what you are studying. By having the ability to take knowledge and put it into action, you train your brain to connect all the dots needed for mastery.

5. Teach Others

“If you can’t explain something simply, you don’t understand it well enough.” – Albert Einstein

By far the best way to truly learn a topic is to teach said topic to others. Not only is it extra practice, but there is a certain level of built in accountability when you are responsible for the education of another person. This really provides extra motivation to learn the topic better, to the point where you can explain it in simple terms.

6. Remember Why You’re Doing It

Throughout the certification journey, there will be ups and downs. The key to maintaining motivation is to always keep in mind the purpose behind all the hard work. Not just the immediate goal, but the implied fruits of your labor. Certifications come with great prestige and financial benefits but remember why you are seeking those benefits in the first place. For example, perhaps a promotion or new job will enable you to better provide for your family wth the financial gains!

7. If You Don’t Know It the Day Before You Won’t Know It

A common study habit many people have, especially in their younger years, is cramming the night before. While this may get you through a quiz in school, this will not work forever. Especially when preparing for a certification exam with a large breadth and depth of exam topics. The final day before your exam will be much better spent relaxing and enjoying time with loved ones. Doing so you will be able to tackle the exam feeling fully refreshed. If you studied with complete dedication, everything will work out just fine!

 

Picking the Right Certifications for You

Finding the right certification path for you depends on two factors: your area of interest and your current level of experience. Often times, each vendor will offer multiple levels of certification to provide a framework for advancement in the field. If you are not quite sure where to start on your certification journey, the section below provides brief look at some certification providers for various industries. While there are far more providers to choose from, this section should offer a bird’s eye view of various opportunities.

Entry Level

Probably one of the biggest names in entry level certifications is CompTIA. CompTIA covers a wide range of knowledge areas with their line of certifications. Each exam is typically multiple choice and has little to know prerequisite credentials. For anyone getting started in technology I would highly recommend taking a few exams from CompTIA to build a solid foundation of knowledge. Their A+, Network+, Security+, and Project+ certifications go a long way in jumpstarting a career.

Once equipped with a base set of certifications, a couple years of experience, and an idea of what you wish to focus on; you can begin looking at specialized certifications from other vendors.

Server Infrastructure

• Microsoft has a wide variety of certifications focused on the various aspects of designing, deploying, and operating Microsoft environments.
• CompTIA Linux+ covers a wide breadth of introductory Linux system knowledge.
• Linux Professional Institute offers numerous certifications diving deep into enterprise system administration
• RedHat also dives deep into enterprise administration, but specifically for their distribution of Linux.

Security

• ISACA offers certifications focused heavily on systems auditing, governance, and risk management.
• (ISC)² has many security certifications for experienced engineers, developers, and professionals in leadership.
• EC-Council perhaps most well known for their Ethical Hacker certification, also offers credentials in security analysis and architecture.
• SANS Institute offers a myriad of Global Information Assurance Certifications (GIAC) covering security topics across the board.

Network

• Cisco by far has the greatest market share of any network vendor. Their certifications cover core routing and switching technologies and branch out into many specializations, from data center and service provider technologies to network programmability.
• Juniper is a relatively popular alternative to Cisco and has their own certifications tailored to their line of hardware.

Cloud

• Amazon Web Services is the most mature cloud provider and offers certifications in cloud architecture, development, operation, big data and networks.
• Google also has quite a strong cloud presence and has training and certifications in their cloud product line.

Data Science

• Cloudera has certifications paths for the modern data scientist looking to prove their ability create data driven solutions with SQL, Spark, Hadoop, and other big data technologies.

Project Management

• Project Management Institute is perhaps the most well-established organization offering certification in project management skills.
• ITIL bases their certifications on n framework of best practices for managing technology service operations.