What Are The Best IT Certifications In 2022?
Table of Contents
Introduction
How many times have you seen the following expression in a job posting, “requirements: degree in ….?”
Many times, for sure.
But do you ever notice the expression, “requirements: xyz certification?”
Rarely.
So, maybe you should just enroll for a degree course instead of taking an IT certification course? Well, no!
The fact that most job postings rarely specify certifications as requirements for roles may cause you to think that certifications are not that useful, but you can’t be farther from being correct.
Firstly, you need to understand that certifications, particularly in the IT world, are truly not so useful, except if you have the right mindset towards them.
Employers rarely ask for certification courses, and if you show them, it is often not weighty enough to knock them out.
So What Is The Right Mindset?
The right mindset towards certifications is to understand that while degrees certify your commitment and learning potential, certifications certify that you have hands-on skills in the area of specialization.
You should understand that certifications might not do so much to land you a job, but they will do more than enough in retaining your job and getting a promotion.
All you need to do is to understand that what matters most in a certification course is not the certificate, it is majorly the skills you’re able to add during the course of preparing for the exams.
So next time you’re preparing for a certification exam, focus on the number of new skills you have developed in the process, and not just on getting a good score in your exams. At the end of the day, the score won’t matter as much as the skills you have amassed.
So, What Are The Best IT Certifications To Hone Your Skills?
1.Cybersecurity Certifications
Computer security, cybersecurity, or information technology security is the protection of computer systems and networks from information disclosure, theft of, or damage to their hardware, software, or electronic data, as well as from the disruption or misdirection of the services they provide.
Cybersecurity is a rapidly growing field. For two consecutive years now, cybersecurity has held the top investment space with 50% of IT departments worldwide
The cybersecurity industry is also projected to have 33% market growth from 2020-2030. Considering the average for other industries is 8%, that’s pretty significant!
The most popular cybersecurity certifications in the world now are ISACA, followed by (ISC)2 and CompTIA.
2. Google Certifications
Google offers a number of certificates in cloud computing.
Cloud computing is the delivery of computing services—including servers, storage, databases, networking, software, analytics, and intelligence—over the Internet (“the cloud”) to offer faster innovation, flexible resources, and economies of scale.
Cloud computing is a big area of investment focus for organizations worldwide, with only cybersecurity ranking in priority.
Google’s Cloud Professional – Cloud Architect ranks third on the list of the most widely held certifications. This certification allows organizations to leverage Google Cloud technologies to drive business objectives. Google Cloud Associate also appears in the top 10 list.
3. ITIL
ITIL certification was the most-held certification in 2021.
It is geared towards developing your skills in using the ITIL framework to enhance service management.
The certification demonstrates that you are educated in service management best practices, utilizing processes, terminology, and methods that are common in modern IT.
ITIL-certified professionals are in high demand and they earn an average $121,075 in North America.
ITIL certifications should be taken by IT project managers, CTOs, or anyone with an interest in management of IT services.
4. Microsoft Certifications
Microsoft Azure, often referred to as Azure, is a cloud computing service operated by Microsoft for application management via Microsoft-managed data centers.
Microsoft Azure Fundamentals certification is one of the 10 most sought-after certifications this year.
The certification validates your basic knowledge of cloud services and how those services are provided with Azure. MCSE: Windows Server – Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer: Windows Server rounds out the top 10.
5. CISCO
Cisco Certifications are the list of the Certifications offered by Cisco Systems. There are four or five (path to network designers) levels of certification: Associate (CCNA/CCDA), Professional (CCNP/CCDP), Expert (CCIE/CCDE) and recently Architect (CCAr: CCDE previous), as well as nine different paths for the specific technical field; Routing & Switching, Design, Industrial Network, Network Security, Service Provider, Service Provider Operations, Storage Networking, Voice, Datacenter and Wireless.
There are also a number of the specialist technician, sales, Business, data center certifications, CCAI certified instructor (Cisco Academy Instructor).
6. Amazon AWS Certifications
AWS, Amazon Web Services, Inc. is a subsidiary of Amazon that provides on-demand cloud computing platforms and APIs.
AWS certifications are designed to certify the technical skills and knowledge associated with best practices for building secure and reliable cloud-based applications using AWS technology. To earn an AWS Certification, individuals must prove their proficiency by passing an exam.
The AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate certification is particularly one of the most sought-after AWS certifications. It is intended for individuals who perform a solutions architect role. The exam validates your ability to effectively demonstrate knowledge to architect and deploy secure and robust applications on AWS technologies.
7. CompTIA Certifications
Starting with the CompTIA A+ certification in 1993, CompTIA has been one of the most recognized certifications in the IT industry, issuing over 2million certifications.
CompTIA certifications are vendor-neutral certifications; that is: they do not focus on one particular vendor’s platforms or tools, but they give a broad overview and test your knowledge of different technologies provided by different vendors.
CompTIA certifications spread across different fields: from cloud computing and networking to cybersecurity and infrastructure.
8. ISACA Certifications
Two ISACA certifications rank in the top 5 most sought-after certifications.
They are: Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) and ISACA Certified Information Systems Manager (CISM).
SACA is an international professional association focused on IT governance. On its IRS filings, it is known as the Information Systems Audit and Control Association.
ISACA currently offers 8 certification programs as well as other micro-certificates.
Conclusion
CompTIA has an alternative to almost all of the aforementioned certifications; and more often than not, CompTIA certifications are cheaper and just as effective as the ones offered by the other vendors.Â
An advantage CompTIA certifications boast of is that they are vendor-neutral and you can apply the skills learnt to any service.
Check some of the certification practice tests out hereÂ
