About IT Certifications

IT Certifications are industry recognized credentials earned by an individual from an IT vendor such as Cisco, IBM or Microsoft. Certifications provide an impartial, third-party endorsement of an individual’s professional knowledge and experience in one or more technologies.
Since certifications are not tied to a particular company or private training school, the certification credential is recognized internationally as a well defined yardstick to measure technical expertise in a given technology area. While some certifications are valid for several years, many require periodic renewal either by way of recertification or continuing education. This requirement and certification validity term varies by vendor.

How do employers view certifications?
IT certifications are an industry wide, internationally standardized, highly recognized method of demonstrating your technical expertise in a given area. While not all employers require certification, getting certified is tangible proof of your motivation and skills as an IT professional to stay current on new technology. It shows current and prospective employers a candidates’ initiative and willingness to learn new skills that could add to the bottom line of their company.

Benefits

Certified professionals find that their financial investment in training and certification is well worth the investment in several ways. Surveys consistently show that certified professionals

• Earn more than their counterparts who do not have a formal certification.
• They are more likely to get a job than someone with similar experience but without a certification (or two!)
• Are more likely to be promoted or considered for new opportunities within the organization
• Have excellent chances of being assigned key projects in new technology areas
• Add value to the organization: Organizations with 25 percent or more of their staff certified have shown to deploy projects on time and within budget more often, rely less on external support, have less downtime, and have higher user satisfaction with their IT staff.

• Many certification vendors offer several perks to certified professionals including career and certification planning, access to private newsgroups that offer peer-to-peer discussions on topics of interest, announcements, events and more.

IT Certification Test Prep

You know what they say. Practice makes perfect. The same is true for certification exams. Be prepared to practice, practice, and then practice some more! We are not kidding.

Certification exams are challenging. Vendors want to know if you have all the skills expected of someone who they are going to certify as being an expert in their field. However, practice alone is not enough. You need to know what to learn first and then practice the skills to help you completely understand and retain what you learned. You will need frequent feedback on your progress. What should you focus on? What are your areas of strength and weakness? Don’t short change yourself. Invest the time to review your options and choose the one that best meets your needs. Then invest your time in practicing! Preparing for a certification may seem daunting, but there’s help. Download a free copy of any uCertify prepkit and experience the power of the prepkit for yourself. Or take a tour and see for yourself how our prepkits can make your certification journey that much simpler and surer.