Beginner's Guide To Choosing a Cereer in Information Technology

Started by certforumz, June 01, 2010, 03:10:06 AM

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certforumz

This article is aimed at all the candidates, specially freshers, who intend to make a career in Information Technology. Let us start by defining Information Technology. Information technology (IT) is "the study, design, development, implementation, and support of methods involved in the area of IT". Information technology is a general term that describes any technology that helps to produce, manipulate, store, communicate, and/or disseminate information.

The field IT encompasses:

1. Information management: Collection, storage, organization, and retrieval
2. Systems management: Managing hardware resources such as servers, clients, and peripherals. And management of software resources such as server/client operating systems, applications, and other resources.
3. Network management: Managing (includes design, installation, and maintenance) of network devices such as routers, switches, hubs, access points, firewalls, etc.
4. Infrastructure management: Managing infrastructure such as power cabling, network cabling, primary and backup power generation, UPS, and server room management.
5. Systems software development: Development of systems software such as mobile operating systems, server/client operating systems, network protocols development, security protocols development, etc. For example, Linux is an open source server operating system that comes under the category of systems software.
6. Software applications development: Development of desktop or server applications that are used for specific purpose. For example, Microsoft Word is a desktop application that is used most commonly.
7. Networking protocols development: This is another area of IT that represents development of software specific to protocols such as TCP/IP. Netwokr protocols can also be categorized under systems software. But, this has emerged as a dominant field, and inherited its own significance.

8. Web Technologies: This is a fast growing IT discipline. The areas of work include web design and development, search engine optimization (SEO), website administration (webmaster), etc. The technical competencies required for this area of work are typically proficiency in PHP, asp, .net, mySQL, MS SQL, CGI Perl, JSP, Java, etc.

9. Back-office services such as record maintenance, customer services also come under IT.

Apart from the above, certain types embedded systems software development may also be categorized under IT.

As can be seen above, the term IT represents a wide variety of specialties, and the opportunities are practically boundless.

How to choose a particular certification?
Before answering this question, we would like to give a brief view of different types of certifications available in the IT arena, and explain them briefly.

Microsoft Certifications: Microsoft certification may broadly be classified in to two categories, viz server administration and software development. Sever administration certifications primarily aim at administering different systems produced by Microsoft. These include Windows Servers (there are different servers for different end use), database servers, mail servers, etc. The list is almost endless. The administration of these servers is not a small task and requires a lot of skills and experience. The man power requirement is also huge. The other category is certification in the area of software development. This is another area where candidates will be tested for their fluency in various Microsoft-based software languages such as VB.NET, ASP.NEt, etc. There are several other specialty certifications in between which have not been discussed, such as security management

CompTIA Certification: CompTIA certifications are aimed at entry level candidates, typically having a 3-year diploma with one or two years of industry experience or fresh engineering or technology graduates. Different streams offered by CompTIA include A+ Certification, Network+ Certification, Security+ Certification, etc. Among these, A+ Certification is most widely recognized by the computer industry. The certification is a measure of a candidate's ability to configure, maintain, and troubleshoot computer hardware and software (particularly Microsoft Windows based). CompTIA is receommended for candidates who wish to pursue a career as a computer or networking technician. The jobs are plenty in this category. Typically, CompTIA certifications require 2 to 3 months of preparation. One needs to make sure that he/she has sufficient hands-on preparation before going to take the exam.

Cisco Certifications: Cisco certifications are most rewarding for right candidates who have aptitude to install, configure, and troubleshoot LANs/WANs in an enterprise environment. They have several levels of certifications, such as Associate, Professional, and Expert. If one is pursuing Cisco certs, it is highly recommended that she/he attain multiple certifications in a choosen stream. It would not only enhances the domain knowledge, but improves the chances of placement significantly. Cisco cert exams are considered to be tougher than CompTIA, and Microsoft exams and therefore requires higher level of preparation.
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Prosoft Certifications:

Prosoft is a leading provider of certification in web technologies. They offer CIW (Certified Internet Webmaster) certification that measures the skills of a candidate to design, develop, and promote a website. Various certifications offered by prosoft include the following:

# CIW Associate
# CIW Associate Design Specialist
# CIW Professional
# CIW Web Developer
# CIW Security Analyst
# CIW Security Essentials
# Master CIW Designer
# Master CIW Administrator
# Master CIW Web Site Manager
# Master CIW Enterprise Developer

Please visit the official website for more information.
http://www.ciwcertified.com/certifications/program.asp

Practice tests are offered at:
http://www.simulationexams.com/ciw_exams.htm