CultusA certification can have a very good effect on your job prospects, but you probably know this already.
However, it is not about pursuing just any certification.
You want to choose the right program that has the maximum chances of being noticed by the recruiters. Here are listed the most in-demand certifications in 2013.
If you are facing severe time constraints and looking a quick-fire way of improving your job prospects certification is a good option. You do not have to spend years for completing them and the money required is also far less as compared to a regular degree program. The best thing about certificates is that they make you job ready within a very short duration of time. Certificated are pursued to prepare for a specific occupation and unlike degree programs, are far more targeted, industry-relevant and practical.
What you should know about certifications?
A wide variety of industries and careers offer professional certification. These are accepted in a range of professions, from technical jobs like programmer or mobile developer to non-technical ones like that of a photographer or social worker. In each case the certificate is earned by passing a rigorous examination that is accredited by a company or association that upholds the prescribed standards for the particular industry involved. There are some professions which compulsorily require the candidate to pass a particular exam such as that of CPA (Certified Public Accountant).
So, why should anyone care about getting certified?
There are plenty reasons why pursuing certifications is a wise decision to make. They enrich the candidates with career-specific skills and add value to the CV, helping them to get a job. In addition,and it has been observed that people equipped with a certification related to their work often earn a premium over their counterparts ( although a lot dependent on the particular industry they are employed in.) Whether you have majors in psychology or computer science, if you are interested to pursue a certification in information security, no one will ask a question about it.
There are no age restrictions and best of all career-hoppers can easily change their profession, powered by successful completion of a certification in that particular profession. The reason for this is the fact that a professional certification shows the employers you are competent, well-trained and committed to your profession. You will automatically become more valuable to your employer and will consequently qualify to enjoy better advancement opportunities.
How to find a certification for you?
There are hundreds of certificate programs available, enough to confuse a naive student who is still not sure about the road to take. To find out the perfect program, one must do a careful evaluation of his passion, ambitions, strengths and weaknesses, and accordingly make a choice. For example, you might want to use your life as a tool to serve the needy and make a difference to their lives, and if that is the case then a certification in social work, health care or education would make more sense than a mechanic certificate program. Similarly, those who want to become entrepreneurs in the tech industry, would want to hone their coding skills and therefore, should pursue a certification in any of the programming languages like C, Python or Ruby.
Other factors that matter are the available job opportunities, future growth prospects and of course, the remunerations. You can also check the latest job trends and find out professions that require a certificate program and compare them. The professions which have the maximum growth opportunities along with salaries should serve as a sample set to choose from. If you are without any preferences between roles, you can also consider factors like certification costs, and time duration.
The professional certifications in high demand
Here are the top in-demand professional certifications you might consider pursuing in the coming year:
• Professional Project Management: Just about every company or industry needs project managers. PMP certification is the most commonly pursued certificate program in the industry, a must for future project managers. The certification is provided by the Project Management Institute and has kick-started careers of many aspiring managerial candidates.
• MCP: When it comes to pursuing a technology related certification, MCP certification courses rules. Microsoft is one of the largest, if not the largest technology company in the world and it has got a range of programs, for budding IT professionals. Highly demanded and revered in the industry, these certifications are also one of the best paid.
• Hardware and Networking: Existing ever since the concept of certification came into limelight, certificate programs in hardware and networking such as CCNA, CCNP or Red Hat Linux is all that you require making your career in this industry. Most of these certifications are administered by large hardware companies such as Cisco.
• Web design and development: Nearly every business has an online presence and those who do not have, are rapidly moving towards it. Professionals who design, develop and maintain websites and web applications are in huge demand and therefore pursuing a short term course in one of the various web technologies like PHP, HTML5 and CSS is also a futuristic choice to make.
You have read the most significant certificates’ courses that I recommend. You can always check the ongoing trends in demand and decide for yourself. What is your comment on my selection?
Author’s Bio:
Saurabh Tyagi is a budding online blogger and social media enthusiast. He keeps an eye on the latest education trends and offers expert advice on various issues and topics pertaining to choosing the various courses and colleges in India.