IT Certifications & Professional Development
What is the value of a certification? Some would say that a certification path in today’s technologically enhanced environment is just important as a college degree. A certification allows an individual the opportunity to prove to the world that they are competent in a specific area of expertise. Certifications are like trophies, and many IT and professional employees showcase them as such. Businesses are starting to realize this and allowing their employees to continue education via a certification path. For this reason, online learning has become a valuable way to learn new technologies and allow individuals to earn respectable certifications.
Because the IT industry is continuously growing and changing, the skills of the IT professional will need to evolve as well. Becoming certified shows an evolved skillset and businesses are seeing that these individuals who hold these skillsets are the ones who have more insightful problem-solving abilities, a better understanding of new technologies, and are less likely to leave their jobs.
The following are five reasons businesses should be seeking quality IT certification training:
1. IT Certifications Build Technical Perspective
On the job experience is not enough for an IT professional. Newbies have no baseline from which to judge situations and issues. For example, CompTIA A+ and Network+ certifications allows for someone to gauge their ability to perform tasks and solve problems. The knowledge gained from these certifications gives new IT professionals a level of confidence right from the start; rather than having to gain that comfort level purely from on the job training.
Many IT professionals will tell you that they have greater respect for the junior level tech support person who has demonstrated a willingness to study and pass these certifications, and that they can take direction and training from more experienced team mates.
2. IT Certifications Breed Career Commitment
As specialization and difficulty levels increase, so do determination and commitment. Professionals who invest the time and brainpower to attain certifications tend to become more dedicated to their chosen field and to the organizations that pay to train them.
3. IT Certifications are Great Selling Tools
Whether on a resume, company website or proposal, technical credentials show expertise and commitment. In today’s competitive marketplace, if you’re a technology professional or a technology firm, and you do not have the right certifications, you could lose out to the hundreds of competitors.
4. IT Certification Training Minimizes Downtime
Is there a company today that is not trying to do more with fewer resources? Many companies are forced to downsize and increase the workloads of remaining employees. It’s imperative that organizations fully utilize remaining staff, and one of the best ways to do this is to provide technology systems that increase efficiencies, productivity and collaboration.
IT certification programs give staff members the training and instruction they need to fulfill specific tech responsibilities that enable greater output. Employees who are better trained as the result of certification efforts are less likely to commit errors that lead to failure; and when outages do occur, their knowledge and training will prove helpful in speeding recovery.
5. IT Certifications Help Companies Stay Competitive
It used to be that Japan was the biggest threat to US technology. Now, the competition from India and the Eastern Bloc countries is considerable. If American companies expect to stay competitive, they must invest in the information technology training of their workforce, or businesses may go offshore for programmers, developers and systems architects.
Although certification paths are ideal and highly sought-after, the path to achieve these certifications are sometimes not optimal, as most employees have very busy work schedules. For this reason, New Horizons has created a solution to this problem. Our ONLINE LIVE certification path eliminates travel and allows the employee to train from anywhere they feel comfortable. Students are able to finish classes from work or their home office, and once the class is complete, they can continue with their workload.
New Horizons offers an extensive selection of vendor specific certifications such as: Microsoft, Cisco, CompTIA, VMware, Red Hat, Lean Six Sigma, PMI, and many more.
Click here to learn about our IT training.
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