7 IT Certification Benefits You've Never Considered

When considering training and certification as part of a well-planned (or not) career path, we often consider a narrow scope. Training and certification is a means to an end — how we get to the next job, promotion, etc. The fact is that there are other IT certification benefits out there:

1. Differentiating. This is more than just comparing actual skill sets. Certification demonstrates your overall commitment to ongoing education, which is imperative for all IT professionals.
2. Networking. Training and certification opens you up to new communities giving you networking opportunities outside your general community. This is particularly important when adding to your skill set or working towards a career change.
3. Confidence building. Planning, working for and achieving a set goal is a confidence builder no matter what you are working on or for. However, IT certification gives you added confidence in your career and draws you one critical step closer to that next goal.
4. Skill building. Branching out into new areas through training and certification are excellent ways to build your skill set, giving you extra tools and skills to draw upon.
5. Experience. Even if you haven’t had a chance to show off the new skill set, the actual training and certification opens you up to new ways of thinking and problem solving, as well as exposure to new ideas and concepts.
6. Mentoring and leadership. Cumulative to the benefits above is the ability to effectively mentor and lead others by sharing, extrapolating and relating your experience to your team members. Additionally, the discipline used in training and certification places you in a better position to evaluate the skills of others. If you can honestly appraise your own skills and identify your areas of weakness, you will generally gain a broader understanding of the skills, talents, and weaknesses of others.
7. Fostering change. Otherwise known as “getting your feet wet”. Training and certification is an acknowledged path to changing specialties. If you’re in networking and really want to move to cloud, the skill building and proof of competence that comes from formal training and certification is key.

Why Should I Use uCertify? – A uCertify Training Review

With six 2015 SIIA CODiE awards in four categories and the overall award for Best Education Solution, it seems like a great time to share our uCertify review. Since the CODiE Awards are the only peer-recognized program, the market validation of these awards has special significance to the market.

UCertify offers over 400 titles from a broad range of vendors including, but not limited to:

• Microsoft (Certified Approved Courseware, Certified Technology Associate)
• Oracle
• Cisco
• CompTIA
• Linux
• Adobe
• VMware

uCertify’s fully integrated courses, labs and simulators are provided on uCertify’s award-winning, flexible platform. The content, mapped to current curriculum, is designed for easy integration into instructor-led training and self-study programs. A key component is the feature-rich, foundational learning tools that provide an interactive experience with -text, pre- and post-assessments, quizzes, exercises, tests and instructional videos—everything you need to reach your education and certification goal.

COURSES

Comprehensive uCertify courses have a user-friendly dashboard and adaptable interface that lets you freely toggle between the various learning tools and back to the particular topic you’re working on. The Study Planner feature lets you design a study plan in any of the three learning modes—Test, Learn, or Review—depending on your learning style.

• Device ready: online course access from any computer (PC or Mac) or tablet (Android, IOS)
• Easy to navigate dashboard
• Interactive eLearning elements
• Video tutorials
• Exercises, flash cards and quizzes 

LABS

Hands-on uCertify labs are online and created to give you quality study and practice with real-world scenarios in a safe environment. The video tutorial supplements demonstrate lab solutions, in addition to the explanation. As with the courses, the labs have the Study Planner feature.

SIMULATORS

uCertify's state-of-the-art, interactive network simulators provide effective hands-on skills enhancement without investing in expensive lab equipment. The simulators are designed specifically to help you prepare for practical questions—perform a task or solve a problem within a simulated IT environment—as a means of demonstrating specific knowledge or skills. uCertify simulators contain:

• Hundreds of hands-on practice labs, mapped to textbooks
• Scenario-based labs develop your problem-solving and critical thinking skills
• A bonus of 50 assessment labs that can be used for self-testing
• An open command environment that lets you explore configurations beyond the Lab
• Detailed grade reports that provide automatic scoring and comprehensive performance data

uCertify’s 2015 CODiE Awards

Best Education Solution

uCertify LEARN:

• Best Career & Workforce Readiness Solution
• Best Corporate Learning/Workforce Development Solution

uCertify LABS:

• Best Virtual Learning Solution

uCertify TEST:

• Best Student Assessment Solution

uCertify COURSE:

• Best Instructional Solution in Other Curriculum Areas
• Best Postsecondary Learning Solution

When is the Right Time to Get an IT Certification?

Like every other IT professional in the world, you've probably asked yourself, "When is the right time to get an IT certification?" IT development moves at a frenetic pace so it makes sense to wait for the opportune moment to make the investment in training and certification. After all, you want to be as current as possible, right? Well the problem with this strategy is that IT development moves at a frenetic pace. There is always something new on the horizon. The key is to pick a horizon. Actually, you need to pick three.

If you harken back to that age-old question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” and look at it from your current life situation. Which IT discipline appeals to you the most? This is your first horizon. Then think about your dream job. This might not be your next job and you may change your mind at any point. The goal is to set a goal. This is your second horizon. Your third horizon is industry. Maybe corporate culture is your thing and maybe you're a mad-scientist contractor. Maybe you have an entrepreneurial flair and your passion is start-ups. You may be into healthcare or music. You may even be into finance. The point is to find where your career interests and dream job intersects with the industry you really want to work in. Then start your research to figure out the details:

• What are the common positions and salary ranges?
• Will you have to move in order to find the opportunities you want?
• How close are you to being in a position to make a move?
• What training and certification do you need to get started?
• What experience do you need on your resume to move forward?

At the end of the day, the best time to start is now. Start your research, start planning your future, start taking steps to get there.

No matter the IT certification you plan to pursue, remember that mindhub.com offers a wide range of study materials to help you prepare for the all-important certification exam.

Microsoft Press Training Materials: Everything You Need to Pass Your Exam

Microsoft Press, the publishing arm of Microsoft, is the leading source of current information on Microsoft product and related technologies. Written by world-class authors and subject matter experts, there is a resource for every stage of learning—from beginner to expert—across the range of Microsoft technologies. With the flexibility for self-instructed learning, classroom experiences, and advanced professional applications, Microsoft titles allow the learner to construct their own program and learn at their own pace with the peace of mind that comes with Microsoft quality.

Lucky for you, we have compiled the Microsoft Press training materials you need to prepare for your next exam. Check out these titles to help you get started:

Exam Ref 70-410 Installing and Configuring Windows Server 2012 R2 (MCSA)

Prepare for Microsoft Exam 70-410 - and help demonstrate your real-world mastery of implementing and configuring core services in Windows Server 2012 R2.

MCSA 70-410 Cert Guide R2: Installing and Configuring Windows Server 2012

MCSA 70-410 Cert Guide: Installing and Configuring Windows Server 2012 R2 is a best-of-breed exam study guide. Best-selling authors and expert instructors Don Poulton and David Camardella share preparation hints and test-taking tips, helping you identify areas of weakness and improve both your conceptual knowledge and hands-on skills. The material is presented in a concise manner, focusing on increasing your understanding and retention of exam topics.

What are the Best IT Certifications for Advancing Your Career?

For the time, money and effort spent studying, taking tests, and maintaining certification status, one of the biggest considerations is “will it help?” Of course there is no definitive answer or process that guarantees results, but here are some factors to consider when determining which is the best IT certification for you. 

Not all certifications are created equally. The harder the certification is to earn, the more valuable it is. Consider the rigor—what is required of you to qualify as a candidate to earn the cert and what it takes to pass the exam. If it’s easy to get or everyone seems to have it, it’s likely less valuable, although it may be a requirement for more an advanced certification.

Which certifications are in demand? Whether you are looking to advance in your field or switch specialties, take a look around and see what employers demand. By “looking around, I mean that there are specific places you should haunt:

• Job listings
• LinkedIn company and industry groups
• Professional societies

You want to know what they require. Compare it against what you have and figure a path to get where you want to be. If you are seeing a request for a particular certification repeatedly, chances are that earning that certification is a safe bet for career advancement.

Start where you are—certifications that matter for your current career—and advance from there. As I mentioned, low-level certifications can be valuable—especially if they feed into the advanced certifications you’re eyeing. The value increases if they apply directly to your job description and they demonstrate your interest and willingness to continue your professional education. They are the foundation on which you build your career.

Certification may help you get a better job as long as you make your selections carefully. The bottom line is that the certifications you will start with are highly dependent on your career interests and the path you select to achieve your goal. There are financial and time commitment factors to consider. If you are happy with your company, talk to your manager to see if continuing education is part of your benefits package. It may be that your employer decides that it’s in their interest to pay for training to build or expand your skills. If you are looking for a change, training and certification become an out-of-pocket expense. Make sure that you invest wisely and are meeting job market demands so that you can convert the certification investment into a job opportunity.   

If you are new to the field, keep in mind that the plum jobs take a lot of time, effort and experience to work up to. Make a plan and keep one eye on the prize. Keep the other fixed squarely on the market, because saying that IT develops and changes “rapidly” is an understatement. The low-level certs you start out with will eventually take you to an exciting career, but that will take time. Don’t shy away from them—they can act as a differentiator, a steppingstone to greater things, and have the power to demonstrate your commitment to ongoing education and the field.