IT Certification Hot List 2015, Research Paper Example

The Information Technology (IT) industry is constantly booming as the society, along with the rest of the world, grows more and more dependent on use of computers. IT can be found everywhere in just about any field of work or discipline. When you think about it, just about every field of work requires some kind of IT system. Just about every business has an IT department somewhere in their offices. Even world governments have taken an interest in IT for measures of world security of intellectual information that is often classified. Of course, there needs to be somebody with the qualifications and knowledge to operate such complex systems. There are many certifications in the field of IT. Some carry greater value than others, will each of them focus on certain components of IT. Depending on the certification, they can consist and require varied amounts of experience, study time, and exam levels. (Tittle, 2015)

Getting an IT certification is a marketable way to further grow your career within the IT and computer technology industry. Whether you do work for a publically traded company, a small to medium sized business, a branch of government, health care, or any of the numerous other places that employ IT experts, the greatest way to stimulate career advancement in this field is to establish your skills and experience through a wisely chosen certification. It is not uncommon for one to carry multiple certifications in IT as it reinforces their growth potential in the field, making them more versatile. In order to obtain the refined knowledge and expertise and to increase the potential of a higher pay check, many of IT professionals may choose to pursue some of the following certifications. (Tittle, 2015)

The first certification carrying the highest growth potential is the Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC) certification. This certification has an average salary of $119,227. The not for profit group ISACA are the ones who offer the CRISC certification. Initially, ISACA use to stand for Information Systems Audit and Control Association. Presently they now go by the acronym only. (Hein, 2015)

The CRISC certification is designated for IT professionals, IT project managers, and other types of managers whose job is to verify and calculate risks from relevant Information Systems (IS) controls. These experts cover the entire life cycle of a given IT project, from the initial design to the implementation, all the way to the continuous maintenance. This certification measures two of the most primary areas in IT; those areas being risk and IS controls. Similar to the control lifecycle of IS, the risk area extends the range from recognition and analysis of the focus and possibility of a specific risk to watching for it and responding accordingly to it should it ever occur. (Hein, 2015)

The next IT certification is called the Certified Information Security Manager (CISM). This certification has an average salary of $118,348. The ISACA not for profit firm also enacted the CISM certification. This certification is mostly designed for workers at the management level rather than the IT professionals. The skills associated with this certification are focused on security strategies as well as analyzing the systems and regulations in place. This certification does not really focus on the one who actually integrates such regulations using a specific vendor platform. (Hein, 2015)

The next certification is the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification. This certification carries an average salary of $109,405. This is one of the highest paying certifications in the IT industry and however it is not related to security as the other ones are. The PMP certification was established and is also granted by the Project Management Institute (PMI). This is the most popular project management certification in the IT field that is available. Currently, there are over 630,000 PMPs throughout the world. (Hein, 2015)

The next IT certification is the Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) certification. This one has an average salary of $106,181. This is another high paying certification and is also created and granted by ISACA. This certification is mostly for IS auditors. The CISA certification is actually ISACA’s oldest one. This dates all the way back to 1978. Since it was created, the CISA certification has gained more than 106,000 members. The CISA certification requires a minimum of five years of relevant experience associated with IS auditing, security, and control. On top of the experience component, candidates must pass a rigorous exam that is only offered three times a year. (Hein, 2015)

The last IT certification in this list is the Cisco Certified Design Associate (CCDA) certification. This one carries an average salary of $99,701. The level that Cisco has established with this certification is at the associate’s level. IT professionals who earn this Associate’s level IT certification are generally network platform design specialists, engineers, or support technicians. The holders of this certification are expected to be able to design basic campus style platforms and also be familiar with routing and switching concepts, IT security, voice, video, wireless connections, and IP addresses. (Hein, 2015)

In the next 5 years, the most valuable IT certification will probably be the CISA certification. This is because it actually requires a minimum of 5 years of experience in its emphasized field before a candidate can even earn the certification. This 5 years of experience gives the holders of the CISA certification an advantage over the other certification that don’t require such adequate experience.

References

Hein, R. (2015, March 3). IT Certification Hot List 2015: 10 That Deliver Higher Pay. Retrieved from CIO: http://www.cio.com/article/2891552/careers-staffing/it-certification-hot-list-2015-10-that-deliver-higher-pay.html

Tittle, E. (2015, May 14). Best IT Certifications. Retrieved from Tom’s IT Pro: http://www.tomsitpro.com/articles/best-it-certifications,1-1352.html