Top IT Certifications To Prepare You For The Next 5 Years

Today we find ourselves in an ever-changing, and quickly advancing technology-driven world, where information technology (IT) professionals are required to keep up with current technologies and also prepare for the heavy IT demands of the future. Many certification programs offered by either software vendors or IT professional associations do so for two important reasons:

• To maintain a high, industry-level, technical competency standard that all IT professionals can strive for and be objectively measured against.
• To offer post-educational learning paths that allow IT professional to stay knowledgeable while furthering their own IT careers.

We listed some of the certifications that are essential for IT professionals at this present time and have included some IT certifications that we believe will remain in high demand in the next 5 years.

Network Certifications - The following certifications will verify core competencies for physical and virtual machine management within a data center.

1. Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE)
2. Cisco Certified Design Professional (CCDP)
3. Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert Security (CCIE Security)
4. CompTIA A+
5. CompTIA Network+
6. CompTIA Security+
7. CWNP Certified Wireless Network Administrator (CWNA)
8. ISC2 Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)
9. Citrix Certified Professional - Virtualization (CCP-V)
10. Citrix Certified Professional – Networking (CCP-N)
11. VMware Certified Professional - Network Virtualization (VCP-NV)
12. VMware Certified Professional 5 - Data Center Virtualization (VCP5-DCV)
13. Aruba Certified Solutions Professional (ACSP)
14. Red Hat Certified System Administrator in Red Hat OpenStack

Database Certifications - The following certifications are focused on database management.

1. Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer (MCSD)
2. Oracle Database Administrator Certified Professional
3. IBM Certified Application Developer

Cloud Certifications - The following certifications cover core competencies for working with cloud computing environments.

1. Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE)
2. VMware Certified Professional - Cloud (VCP-Cloud)
3. Oracle Certified Professional, Database Cloud Administrator
4. IBM Certified Solution Advisor - Cloud Computing Architecture V3
5. CompTIA Cloud+
6. AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional Level
7. Arcitura Certified Cloud Professional
8. Rackspace CloudU Certification
9. CCSK - Certificate of Cloud Security Knowledge - Plus

Programming Certifications - The following certifications will verify developer expertise for creating and developing modern applications.

1. Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer (MSSD)
2. IBM Certified Mobile Application Developer - Worklight V6.0
3. VMware SpringSource Certified Spring Web Application Developer
4. Zend Certified PHP Engineer Certification

Mobility Certifications - The following certifications verify the configuration of secure enterprise wireless networks.

1. Cisco Certified Network Professional Wireless (CCNP Wireless)
2. VMware Certified Associate - Workforce Mobility (VCA-WM)
3. Citrix Certified Professional – Mobility (CCNP-M)
4. CompTIA Mobility+
5. CWNP Certified Wireless Design Professional (CWDP)
6. CWNP Certified Wireless Security Professional (CWSP)
7. Aruba Certified Mobility Professional (ACMP)

Project Management Certifications - The following certifications validate the skills required for project managers to excel at project management.

1. PMI Project Management Professional (PMP)
2. PMI Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)
3. CompTIA Project+
4. PMRG Master Project Manager (MPM)
5. IAPPM Certified Project Manager (CPM)

Technically qualified IT professionals will always be desirable for employers to have and for employees to solidify their IT career and technical knowledge set.

Certifications will continue to benefit employers who acknowledge the benefits of having staff meet industry standards and they will also continue to benefit IT professionals who continue to advance their career.