Top IT Certifications in 2014

Choosing an IT certification to pursue can be confusing. There are a lot available, many highly specialised and focusing on different skills and areas of knowledge. Often they require renewing or refreshing every few years, ensuring your skills and knowledge is kept fresh and up to date with new technological developments, and a certification is a sure-fire way to prove this to potential employers and clients. With some careful research and a small investment of your time and dedication however, you will find that certifications can really help boost your job prospects and career overall.

For example, the CompTIA A+ certificate is a well-established and highly respected hardware certification, and is accredited by both the International Organization for Standardisation and the American National Standards Institute, and is a mandatory requirement for working as a technician at many large companies such as Lenovo, Intel and Dell. Or, if you are especially keen on working with Apple products, ACMT (Apple Certified Macintosh Technician) is a highly in-demand certificate, focusing specifically on the maintenance and repair of Apple platforms.

Not only is this certification a job requirement, Apple requires an annual recertification to maintain the qualification, showing that you are truly dedicated to being at the forefront of technological advancement. If you are especially interested in voice and communications technologies, the Cisco CCNA Collaboration and CCNP Voice almost guarantee a salary hike just for possession of this highly specialised certification.

Gaining a certification known as the BICSI ITS Technician 1 or 2 certification will allow you to professionally display your knowledge of leading a team of technicians and advanced testing / troubleshooting techniques, as well as a wide range of knowledge of the hardware and communications involved in computer hardware management.

More advance qualifications from BSCSI also involve Optical Fibre, RCDD (Registered Communications Distribution Designer) and RTPM (Registered Telecommunications Project Manager). Another system specific certification is the CompTIA Linux+, which is partnered with the Linux Professional Institute to cover a wide range of topics such as system architecture, basic system services and user interface management amongst other things. When working in an environment specifically using Linux server environments a specialised certification such as this well-respected one can put you head and shoulders above other candidates.

This list is just an overview of the top selection out of a huge range of certifications available. Make sure to research carefully and weigh up the benefits of each one to decide which is the most beneficial to your professional and personal career development and IT knowledge.