About six months ago I wrote an article on the most in-demand certifications in the industry. I thought I would take the time to reflect on what’s changed since then and update the list. I will once again preface this by specifying that I’m reporting on what I see in demand in my industry and region. Demand in other regions may be different. That being said, I still believe obtaining any of these certifications will benefit people’s careers.
Here is the old list:
(Note: Read our previous article if you want to know why these made the cut in the first place.)
- VCP (or better VCAP) – VMware Certified Professional/VMware Certified Advanced Professional
- MCSE: Private Cloud– Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert: Private Cloud
- CISSP – Certified Information Systems Security Professional
- CCNA (or better CCNP) – Cisco Certified Network Associate/Cisco Certified Network Professional
- MCSE: Server Infrastructure – Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert: Server Infrastructure
Honorable mention – Converged infrastructure
The current list:
- MCSE: Private Cloud – Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert: Private Cloud
- VCP (or better VCAP) – VMware Certified Professional/VMware Certified Advanced Professional
- CISSP – Certified Information Systems Security Professional
- CCNA (or better CCNP) – Cisco Certified Network Associate/Cisco Certified Network Professional
- All security certs – Anything from Cisco security certifications to CompTIA Security+
Honorable mention – Converged infrastructure
Why do these rise to the top?
As you can see, there are a couple changes, notably that I’ve moved MCSE: Private Cloud to the top of the list and added more security certifications. As predicted, we are seeing a demand in Hyper-V skills, even though it’s still hard to find someone certified in it. Security is coming more and more to forefront, and it’s not hard to figure out why. Everyday there’s another report of vulnerabilities or security breaches.
Every certification listed here will assist you in obtaining an IT career or furthering your own. The only caveat I’ll add is do what interests you. Don’t get an MCSE: Cloud if you hate Hyper-V or your interest is in storage. While it might help in the short term, it’s just not a great idea. Find your passion, figure out the certifications that demonstrate that and go for it. If you like a little bit of everything, then go for each one on this list!
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Your trial includes access to our course on VMware vSphere Optimize and Scale (VCAP5-DCA)!
