What does it take to get to that next level of your IT career? What kinds of certifications will elevate you to the sr. level in the IT field? There are a few that I think will get you there, however these certifications are not for the faint of heart. You really have to bring your “A game.” These certifications take hours of preparation, years of hands-on experience and a lot of discipline. At this point in your career you can’t just chase down any random certification like you did when you were an IT newcomer. You probably are a subject matter expert now and have a more focused track on certifications. There are many great expert-level certifications to get in the IT industry today, but I’ve pointed out what I believe are the best and most desirable.
CCIE
Cisco Systems has probably the most difficult IT certification on the market, the Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert. The CCIE is no joke, as many of these networking experts can attest to. The CCIE was introduced by Cisco in 1993 to specifically distinguish the best of the best in networking in the world. Here’s what Cisco has to say about the CCIE:
The Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) certification is accepted worldwide as the most prestigious networking certification in the industry. Network Engineers holding an active Cisco CCIE certification are recognized for their expert network engineering skills and mastery of Cisco products and solutions. The CCIE community has established a reputation of leading the networking industry in deep technical networking knowledge and are deployed into the most technically challenging network assignments.
The program continually updates and revises its testing tools and methodologies to ensure unparalleled program quality, relevance and value. Through a rigorous written exam and a performance based lab, the CCIE program sets the standard for internetworking expertise.
There are several different specifications to keep in mind when seeking out the CCIE certification: CCIE Collaboration, CCIE Data Center, CCIE Routing & Switching (most common), CCIE Security, CCIE Service Provider, CCIE Service Provider Operations, CCIE Voice and CCIE Wireless. At first routing and switching was the only CCIE designation, but Cisco saw it fit to expand their expert-level certification, giving networking gurus the opportunity to have several CCIEs of different specifications.
To get the certification there are two requirements. First you have to pass the written exam, which consists of anywhere from 90 to 110 questions. Secondly, you have to take and pass a lab examination. You are given eight hours to troubleshoot some very difficult and complex networks. The exam is only authorized in a few different locations across the globe: Bangalore, Beijing, Brussels, Dubai, Hong Kong, Raleigh, San Jose, São Paulo, Sydney and Tokyo. The written exam costs $350, and the lab exam can cost $1500. The CCIE is an incredible certification to have, but it takes time, money and discipline to get there.
VCDX
VMware certifications have really heated up the market over the past five years as discussed in the earlier parts of this three part series. Certifications like the VCP5-DCV and VCAP-DCA/DCD are becoming highly desirable for many companies. However, the VMware Certified Design Expert is the king of all virtualization certifications and has become a highly sought after certification for senior level professionals.
It’s impossible to be a “paper VCDX;” you have to really know your stuff, not only with VMware products, but with the third party hardware/software that compliments it. It’s a design certification, meaning if you’re a VCDX, you can design a virtual infrastructure with VMware products and defend that design in front of a panel of VCDX certified professionals. VMware describes the VCDX pretty well here:
VMware Certified Design Expert (VCDX) is the highest level of VMware certification. This elite group is comprised of design architects highly-skilled in VMware enterprise deployments and the program is designed for veteran professionals who want to validate and demonstrate their expertise in VMware technology.
VCDX5-DCV certification is achieved through the unique design defense process, where all candidates must submit and successfully defend a production-ready VMware Solution before a panel of veteran VCDX-DCV holders. This process ensures that those who achieve VCDX status are peer-vetted and ready to join an elite group of world-class consulting architects.
The VCDX has evolved some over the years and now has several classifications: VCDX5-DCV, VCDX-Cloud, and coming soon, the VCDX-DT based on Horizon View VDI. In order to achieve the status of a VCDX you have to hold VCAP5-DCV and VCAP5-DCD certifications, and submit a VCDX5-DCV application. Once you’ve completed those requirements, you then must successfully present and defend a virtual infrastructure design and implementation plan. Once you’ve done that and been successful, you are a VCDX, one in just over a 100 across the world.
RHCA
The Red Hat Certified Architect certification is the highest cert you can get within the Linux world. Linux skills are in high demand in today’s IT industry and being a RHCA will pretty much land you the job you want without a question. Much like the CCIE, there are no “paper” or fake RHCAs. You have to actually pass five hands on lab exams, each taking up to eight hours to complete. RedHat describes the RHCA as follows:
The RHCA is the most senior system administration credential and is designed for technical leaders working in demanding enterprise environments.
A Red Hat® Certified Engineer (RHCE®) who earns an RHCA certification brings an exceptional breadth and depth of knowledge to the biggest IT challenges. RHCA certification incorporates the skills and knowledge of a Red Hat Certified Datacenter Specialist (RHCDS) plus advanced networking services security, system monitoring, and performance tuning.
As an RHCA you’ll possess skills such as installing and configuring Red Hat network satellite servers, creating base and child channels on a satellite, configuring iSCSI targets and initiators, configuring run time kernel parameters, and many other skills. Along with having to pass five lab exams you also have to be a current RHCE (Red Hat Certified Engineer), which is an equally difficult exam to pass. If you’re a Red Hat guru and feel like you can successfully fulfill the requirements to obtain the RHCA certification, go get it. People will take notice and you’ll become a sought after candidate for many companies.
Certification royalty
If you can get one or all of these highly advanced certifications listed in this article, then you can pretty much consider yourself certification royalty. The nice thing about these certifications is that you will cross paths with each of the technologies at some point in your career in IT. We’ve all dealt with networking, and if you haven’t got into VMware virtualization yet, you should soon. Red Hat has become a very popular option for many companies and many government agencies today. You are closing in on the peak of your career and having any of these certifications will cement your status as an expert in the field of information technology.
