New Horizons Blog and Resources

As an instructor and a user of Adobe products, I am always trying to find more efficient ways of working and navigating Adobe's programs. I have five shortcuts that I use on a daily basis:

 If you currently use Windows 7 or Windows 8, you have most likely seen the “Get Windows 10” icon in the system tray of your computer. "Why should I upgrade?" you might ask. Here are a few reasons you should consider.

IT jobs aren't just for people who grew up tinkering with computers. While the popular conception of IT workers is that these individuals are the "nerds" of the business world, the truth is that there are just as many social, gregarious, well-adjusted people in IT as there are in any other field. Those that are interested in moving into IT from their current jobs already may have skills at dealing with other co-workers that can be hugely useful in the modern era. What this means is that those who already have abilities in other fields - or contacts in other parts of business can be invaluable to modern IT.

The importance of reliable cybersecurity solutions has only been increasing in recent years, and with high-profile data breaches occurring so frequently, a growing number of companies are making greater security investments and pushing to hire the best IT security professionals available. According to the most recent IT Skills and Certifications Pay Index released by research and analysis firm Foote Partners, applicants with advanced IT certifications are not only looked upon more favorably than candidates without such achievements, but they can also expect to receive higher compensation. Pay for professionals with any of the more than 60 information security and cybersecurity certifications tracked by the ITSCPI has been steadily increasing since 2013, with an average 8 percent raise in market value over the last two years.

"It's been a long time coming, but 2015 will be a year when discretionary spending for security - that is, everything not related to compliance spending - will start to reflect the fact that … virtually every industry is formulating a cybersecurity strategy and searching for people with skills in this area," said David Foote, co-founder and chief analyst for Foote Partners. "There is ample evidence of a global gap in cybersecurity skills. But with a lack of consistency in jobs and career paths for security professionals, we can expect organizations to have difficulty attracting and retaining cybersecurity talent in the foreseeable future."

"Cybersecurity certifications have shown an average 8% raise in market value since 2013."
While there are a number of sought after IT certifications in the job market right now, below are the seven certifications that are most in demand based on increases in market value and premium pay

For the 5th year in a row, New Horizons Computer Learning Centers of Southern California (NHSoCal) was named as one of the Best Places to Work in Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego.