10 IT Certifications That Are Worth Its Value

As the IT companies are moving at a fast pace to improve the digital literacy among the candidates, some of them have started witnessing a new challenge that there are more digital projects and less talented employees. This imbalance has resulted into the introduction of new courses that are worth its value. Here, we mention the list of the certifications that can recoup the invested money of the candidate.

1. Project Management Professional (PMP): Do you want to boost up your career? Well, the PMI PMP certification is the right choice for you. This certificate is intended for the IT professionals who want to direct the team in different aspects of project delivery, including leading and directing. Clearing the certification exam can be a bit challenging task because the students need to spend at least 35 hours in preparing for it.

• Eligibility requirements: The candidates have to pass a secondary degree exam with 7500 hours leading and directing the projects and 35 hours of project management education, or four-year degree with 4500 hours in leading the projects and 35 hours of project management education.

• Why is this exam tough? Unlike conventional courses, in this exam, the students need to have a practical hands-on training on various projects. This is the reason why this exam is highly valued in the market.

• Salary: The average salary that a candidate can fetch is $76,279.

2. VMware Certified Professional 5 – Data Center Virtualization (VCP5-DCV): With the arrival of virtual technologies, the VMware exams have become a hot trend. Hence, if a candidate wants to distinguish himself in a highly competitive environment, it is important to pass this test and prove the technical capabilities. It comprises of three certification levels: VMware Certified Professional, VMware Certified Advanced Professional and VMware Certified Design Expert. The course validates the candidate’s abilities in managing, implementing, and troubleshooting the concerns arising from the vSphere infrastructure.

• Eligibility requirements: The candidates need to have a valid VCP5-DCV certification in hand or 6 months of experience with VSphere environment.

• Salary: It can range from $87,000 to $99,000, depending on the certification level.

3. Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE): The course content is designed for the network engineers, professionals, senior network managers, and architects who are responsible to manage the complex converged networks in an enterprise.

• Eligibility requirements: There is no such formal degree required to qualify for this course. The only prerequisite for attaining this Cisco certificate is a valid CCNA credential and the CCIE written exam.

• Why is this exam difficult? The certification exam is difficult because it requires the candidate to have a strong knowledge and experience in the field of network infrastructure technologies. This student needs to demonstrate the expertise in implementing and troubleshooting the complex network issues to increase the business productivity.

• Salary: The mean salary that a CCIE professional command is $110,500-$145,250 per annum.

4. ITIL Certifications: The IT industry is growing at a rapid pace hence in order to monitor and implement the best international practices, ITIL has launched a course wherein the students can learn about the ITIL terminology, process, and new innovations made.

• Eligibility requirements: There is no particular prerequisite required for this certification. It is best suited for the candidates who wish to gain a basic knowledge of ITIL framework. It is recommended for the IT professionals who work in an organization where ITIL is mandatory. The applicant needs to hold 2 credits from the ITIL Foundation certification exam in order to go for the intermediary course along with 21 contact hours of instruction and working experience.

• Why is this exam tough? The aspirants have expressed that clearing this exam is not too tough. Some candidates can pass the certification test at the first attempt with 2-3 days of study. However, the students need not to panic or stress themselves because it could hamper down their performance level. There is one mock exam available on the ITIL website which is a replica of how difficult the test could be.

• Salary: The average salary that a candidate can draw is $83,000 and it can jump to $96,000 depending on the professional abridgement.

5. Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE): Private Cloud: The enrolled professionals will get a comprehensive exposure towards the cloud platform, data management, mobility, business applications, and other tools that can help them to climb up the designation hierarchy.

• Eligibility requirements: The candidate should have at least 2 years of working experience in the desired MCSE platform. The skills necessary to clear the certification exam are data center management, identity management, virtualization, networking, storing, and system management.

• Why is this exam difficult? After several reports of cheating, Microsoft has raised its bar by replacing the multiple-choice questions with performance-based ones that test the deep-rooted intelligence of the candidates and have increased the number of exams (installing and configuring Windows Server 2012, administering Windows Server 2012, configuring advanced Windows Series, monitoring and operating a private cloud, configuring and deploying the private cloud with System Center 2012) to 5 that needs to be re-certified after 3 year.

• Salary: The mean salary that a candidate may draw is $120,000 per year.

6. VMware Certified Professional – Cloud (VCP Cloud): It is one of the highly regarded IT certifications. Crafted for working professionals, this course offers an insight on the topics like cloud management, automation, vCloud Hybrid service, Cloud Connector, site recovery manager, etc.

• Eligibility requirements: In order to hold the VCP certification, the candidate need to gain experience in the vSphere environment, attend the training courses, pass the foundation test, and clear the VMware Certified Professional – Cloud exam. Earning this badge would be quite beneficial for your career because employers can instantly verify your skills.

• Why is this exam tough? The certification exam is tough because it tests the knowledge of the candidate in various areas like cloud technologies, hybrid cloud, and advanced technology for architects, sysadmins and engineers.

• Salary: The average salary that a candidate can draw is $92,000 and it can be raised to $148,406, depending on the skills acquired or advanced.

7. PMI Risk Management Professional (PMI-RMP): This certification helps the candidate to acquire risk management skills to execute the project in a global environment.

• Eligibility requirements: The candidates need to have the rudimentary knowledge of project management and risk management. If your job requires managing the risk, then this certificate can help you climb the ladder of success. To get the most out of this credential, follow the steps mentioned above. This course is adequate for project managers, risk managers and professionals preparing for the higher level PMI exams. Even the beginners can apply it.

• Why is this exam difficult? This certification exam is difficult because it tests the learner’s capability in various areas like how to detect the risk, steps that can be adopted to mitigate the risk, and thus making the most of the opportunities.

• Salary: The average salary that an individual can demand is $100,700 (a subject to further revisions).

8. Certified Information Security Manager (CISM): The certification is meant for the security professionals who want to achieve a strong growth in their career.

• Eligibility requirements: 1) The students need to have a minimum of five years of experience in security and three years of experience in information security management. The work experience can be achieved within 10 years preceding the application form or within 5 years of passing the exam. Or, 2) If an individual doesn’t have working experience in this field, he/she should have a certification in the following fields, such as 2 years of experience in Certified Information System Auditor (CISA) with good track records, 2 years of experience as a Certified Information System Security Professional with a good standing, or a post- graduate degree in the security field. Or, 3) An applicant should have one year of information system management experience, general security management experience, or the Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer certificate, or a CompTIA credential, or completion of a program from an institute that aligns with the similar curriculum.

• Why is this exam tough? The exam is difficult because the candidate can get it only three times in a year. Also, it is a lengthy test that could be quite tiresome.

• Salary: The average salary that a candidate can fetch is $52,402-$243,610 per annum.

9. RedHat Certified Architect (RHCA): The rise of the Linux programming language has resulted into the popularity of this certification. The course is designed for the senior RedHat professionals who want to demonstrate their knowledge in RedHat Enterprise Linux and other RedHat related products.

• Eligibility requirements: To obtain the badge, the candidate needs to pass any of the 5 relevant exams.

• Why is this exam difficult? For the beginners, this certification test is really tough, but it all depends on your background and preparation level.

• Salary: The average salary of a RedHat certified professional is $90,000 per year.

10. AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate: This AWS credential helps the candidates become familiar with the AWS platform and allows them to design the scalable websites. Through this course, the students can explore various other concepts, such as EC2, EMR, S3, VPC, Route53, Autoscaling, Cloud Front, DynamoDB, Load Balancing, etc.

• Eligibility requirements: This certificate can offer the candidate torch-bearer experience in the IT field. No prior AWS experience is needed for this course. Existing solution architects, programmers, and web developers can pursue this certification.

• Why is this exam tough? The exam requires the candidates to go through a lot of practice questions. The rigorous study is required to attain the badge.

• Salary: A candidate can earn from $121,510 to $162,560 per annum.

Technology has enslaved people, and these courses empower the candidates to climb high in their career.