We’re entering uncharted territory. Customers are increasingly spread out and delivering an exceptional experience to them is driving unprecedented IT investments. Executives are prioritizing cloud migration and application modernization projects as a way of responding more quickly to new customer demands.[i] Companies must invest in people well-versed in containers, microservices, cloud management and related technologies to lead them into this new era. Opportunity beckons for professionals with appropriate skill sets, and IT certifications light the way for those who want to demonstrate their technology acumen.
Professionals with IT certifications are attractive to companies navigating digital transformations. Certificate holders also tend to realize additional benefits once hired. “Why Get Certified? The Value of an IT Certification,” a whitepaper by the IT Certification Council (ITCC), expounds upon these benefits. Those who complete a certification program can expect to enjoy higher salaries, increased self-confidence and career stability.
Certificate holders enjoy higher salaries, bigger bonuses
Technology, such as containers and architectures, including microservices, have transformed the way companies build and manage applications. The continued adoption of containers illustrates the great promise of these tools. The increased volume of alerts and intermingled systems highlights the challenges of these innovations. Individuals tasked with application modernization must learn new information technology skills to successfully oversee these transformations.
It’s no wonder that organizations are willing to pay well for those who come equipped with modern tool kits. IT certifications provide credentialed individuals with five-figure salary increases and even help close the gender pay gap. Research in the ITCC whitepaper shows:
- New certificate holders saw $13,000 salary increases.
- Salaries for female IT certification holders were 9% higher than men in 2020.
The pay increases don’t stop after signing initial contracts, either. Of those who earned an IT certification within the first five years working for a company, 61.9% earned a raise, and 47.8% received a bonus or incentive pay. Companies are transforming their applications and infrastructure technology. Those who master the skills needed to understand and implement that technology stand to reap the benefits.
Knowledge from certifications leads to boosted confidence and job performance
The phrase, “fake it ‘til you make it” exists because those who proceed confidently tend to receive fewer skeptical glances as they learn on the go. With IT certifications, professionals can boost their own self-confidence without faking anything.
ITCC’s whitepaper demonstrates this phenomenon with research citing certificate holders’ attitudes. More than two-thirds of those who complete a certification program report enjoying greater self-confidence in their abilities. Almost 40% notice increased credibility among coworkers. It appears this confidence comes from improved performance. Thirty-seven percent of respondents to a cited survey say that performance in their current job led to a salary increase. Others noted the skills they developed provided added value to their company.
It’s clear professionals who have mastered a specific technology are putting their certificates to work. Additional research found that two-thirds of respondents realized increased workplace productivity after receiving their IT certifications, and even more agree that technology certifications increased their problem-solving ability.
When a company moves a customer-facing part of its application to the public cloud, it must do so while ensuring the security of the app’s data. Professionals who undergo the appropriate security training can confidently address that company’s concerns. In the process, they earn confidence in their abilities and congratulations in the form of raises and bonuses.
Certifications help holders keep pace with changing technology, stabilize careers
The rapid pace of technological change at companies has led to current information technology skills gaps. This dynamism may intimidate many who worry that their skills may soon become outdated. But available research suggests IT certifications can introduce career stability to certificate holders because they can fill those gaps, even in changing environments.
Importantly, a majority of certified professionals say the knowledge they earned through certification programs has transferred to real-world work situations. Many also believe that technology certifications increase self-reliance and improve troubleshooting capabilities. No matter what the technology du jour is, those abilities help people effectively adapt to new challenges.
A knowledge foundation leads to sustained career success precisely because it enables certificate holders to change with the times. Nearly half of certified individuals have been employed in job roles that leverage their skill set for more than 10 years. Almost two-thirds who earned an information technology certification in their first five years have stayed in their job. Times, they are a’ changing. And they will continue to change. Certification holders buttress their own skill sets against the changing times by learning adaptability.
Those who earn new knowledge are eager to share it with others
Not only are IT certifications helpful for career growth, but they also beget more knowledge. Forty percent of information technology professionals in one global survey report that they are already pursuing their next certification. Enterprising individuals who have completed a program recommend IT certifications to others, almost unanimously.
The network of certified individuals is growing. Join their ranks today by enrolling in a VMware certification course. For more information about the research presented by the ITCC, download the entire whitepaper.
[i] Forrester Research, “To Recover From The Pandemic, Automate Operations To Free Budget For Innovation,” September 2020. https://www.vmware.com/content/dam/digitalmarketing/vmware/en/pdf/vmware-forrester-covid-spotlight-automate-operations.pdf
