The state of IT qualifications is constantly evolving – and I am always very interested in how we can help training partners match their offers to what the market requires. Training and certification covers a wider career field in which multiple segments overlap. Data Science and mobile app development is arguably the latest additions to the family of qualifications, however we predict at least another 5 key skills that will become critical over the next 12 months. The question asked by most job-seekers and business professionals is this: “What will be the top 10 best paid IT jobs”, however we venture beyond that with specific career pathways that will ensure a multi-skilled approach – which is not to say that specialization will lack, but rather that candidates will be more valuable to the employer – particularly for smaller companies where job functions are more varied.
What is great is the opportunity to change into a new career in a matter of weeks with no experience, or to take an intensive learning “deep dive” into additional skills if you’re already working in IT, seeking to evolve to the next career level.
If we consider career pathways without overlaps, this is the direction for the next 2 years:
Career Pathway1: Cloud and Distributed Computing
•Courses: •Cloud Computing
•Big Data
•Hadoop
•Amazon Web Services (AWS ec2 etc.)
Career Pathway2: Statistical Analysis and Data Mining
•Courses: •R
•SPSS
•Data Analysis
Career Pathway3: Mobile Development
•Courses: •Swift
•iOS Development
•Android Development
Career Pathway3: Network and Information Security
•Courses: •Network Security
•Vulnerability Assessment
•Computer Forensics
•Cryptography
Career Pathway4: User Interface Design
•Courses: •Interaction Design
•User Experience Design
•Wireframes
•Mobile Design
•Accessibility
Career Pathway5: Perl/Python/Ruby
•Courses: •Python
•Ruby on Rails
•Perl
Career Pathway6: Virtualization
•Courses: •VMware vSphere
•VMware Workstation
•Hyper-V
Career Pathway7: Business Intelligence and analytics (multi-segment skills)
•Courses: •Tableau
•QlikView
•Crystal Reports
Career Pathway8: Database Management and Software
•Courses: •SQL
•Microsoft SQL Server
•Database Administration
Currently, the positioning of various training solution and content providers for the industry is represented by the list below:
Certification
Solutions in place on the market
3Com
3Com Certifications
H3C Certifications
Adobe
Adobe Certified Associate (ACA)
Adobe Certified Expert (ACE)
Adobe Certified Instructor (ACI)
Alcatel-Lucent
Alcatel-Lucent Network Routing Specialist I (NRS I)
Alcatel-Lucent Network Routing Specialist II (NRS II)
Alcatel-Lucent Triple Play Routing Professional (3RP)
Alcatel-Lucent Service Routing Architect (SRA)
American Society for Quality
Variety of quality related certs
Apple
Certifications for Creative Professionals
Certifications for IT Professionals
Certifications for Business
Certifications for Education
BICSI
Various Certifications
BMC Software
BMC Software certifications
Certified E-commerce Consultants
Project Manager E-Business Certification (PME)
Certified E-Marketing Analyst Certification (CEA)
Master Project Manager Certification (MPM)
Software Analyst Certification (CSA)
Check Point Software
Check Point Certifications
Cisco Systems
List of Cisco Certifications
Citrix
Citrix certifications
CIW
Certified Internet Webmaster certifications
CompTIA
A+
Certified Document Imaging Architect (CDIA+)
Certified Technical Trainer (CTT+)
Convergence+
Digital Home Technology Integrator (DHTI+)
Linux+
Network+
PDI+
Project+
RFID+
Security+
Server+
Computer Associates International
Product Accreditations
DSDM Secretariat
Dynamic Systems Development Method certifications
EC-Council
CEH, CHFI, ECSA, CNDA, LPT, ECVP, ECSP, etc.
Enterasys Systems
Enterasys Systems Engineer (ESE)
Enterasys Security Systems Engineer-IPS/SIEM (ESSE-IPS/SIEM)
Enterasys Security Systems Engineer-NAC (ESSE-NAC)
Enterasys Certified Internetworking Engineer (ECIE)
ExpertRating
Dozens of certifications covering Windows, programming, networking, databases and much more.
Hewlett Packard
Tons of certs
IBM Corporation
IBM certifications
Infinidox
Information Security Engineering Certified Professional
Information Security Management Certified Professional
Information Security Auditing Certified Professional
Network and Internet Security Specialist
Cryptography Specialist
UNIX Security Specialist
Solaris Security Specialist
AIX Security Specialist
HP-UX Security Specialist
Linux Security Specialist
Windows Security Specialist
CISCO Security Specialist
Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA)
Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA)
Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)
Certified in the Governance of Enterprise IT (CGEIT)
Institute for Certification of Computing Professionals (ICCP)
ACP, CBIP, CCP, CDMP, ISA, I.S.P.
Institute for Configuration Management
CMIIB, CMIIC, CMIIS, CMIIA, CMIIP
Institute for Interconnecting & Packaging Electronic Circuits
Various certification programs
International Function Point Users Group
Certified Function Point Specialist (CFPS)
Certified Software Measurement Specialist (CSMS)
Information Systems Security Certification Consortium, Inc. (ISC)²
CISSP, SSCP, CAP, CSSLP
International Society of Certified Electronics Technicians (ISCET)
ISCET Certifications
International Webmasters Association (IWA)
Certified Web Professional (CWP) certifications
Learning Tree International
Various Learning Tree International certifications
Linux Professional Institute
Linux Professional Institute Certified Level 1 (LPIC1)
Linux Professional Institute Certified Level 2 (LPIC2)
Linux Professional Institute Certified Level 3 (LPIC3)
Microsoft
MCITP, MCTS, MCPD, MCA, etc.
NetQOS
Level I: Network Performance Technologies
Level II: Network Performance Metrics & Analysis
Nortel Networks
Nortel certifications
Novell
Novell certifications
Oracle
Oracle certification tracks
Planet 3 Wireless
Certified Wireless Technology Specialist (CWTS)
Certified Wireless Network Administrator (CWNA)
Certified Wireless Security Professional (CWSP)
Certified Wireless Network Engineer (CWNE)
Certified Wireless Network Trainer (CWNT)
Project Management Institute
PMI, CAPM, PMP, PqMP
QAI Global Institute
Software certifications
Red Hat Software
Red Hat Certified Virtualization Administrator (RHCVA)
Red Hat Certified Technician (RHCT)
Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE)
Red Hat Certified Datacenter Specialist (RHCDS)
Red Hat Certified Security Specialist (RHCSS)
Red Hat Certified Architect (RHCA)
JBoss Certified Applications Administrator (JBCAA)
Rockwell Software
ControlLogix Certificate Program
SAIR
Level 1 – Linux Certified Administrator
Level 2 – Linux Certified Engineer
Master Linux Certified Engineer (MLCE)
Santa Cruz Operation
Certified System Administrator (CSA)
Advanced Certified Engineer (ACE)
Master ACE
SAP Partner Academy
SAP Certifications
Sarbanes-Oxley Certification Institute
SOX-ITSEC Certification
Serena
Serena certifications
Sun Microsystems
Sun certifications
Sybase
Sybase certifications
Sysoft
Sysoft certifications
Xplor
Electronic Document Professional (EDP)