IT Training In Tough Times: Project Management Certifications

Today on Tom's IT Pro: Top 5 Project Management Certifications, Top 5 Cloud-Related IT Certifications and The Microsoft MCSE, MCSA—and Even MCSD—Ride Again!

IT Training and certification expert Ed Tittel presents the most sought-after top-level credentials for Project Managers in his latest article for Tom's IT Pro. As Ed writes, "If there’s one set of soft skills that has remained high on the IT radar for the past five years and more, to the point where they’ve become almost as sought-after and every bit as valuable as other top-level credentials, that has to be project management."

A project management certification has become a very valuable “merit badge” credential for all types of  IT pros. Why? Because it enhances and expands on the value of just about any other type of technical credential

With the publication of Training Options for IT Pros, also by Ed, Tom’s IT Pro launched an important series of articles that tackle a subject close to the heart of information technology professionals, that of IT training and certification. Especially in the current economy, training and certification increase the marketability of IT pros, leading to greater job mobility and opportunities to do the most interesting work.

The article, which Ed updated this week for 2012, provides a comprehensive overview of what 35 IT training companies do and how well they do it. It includes several quick-read tables to assist busy IT pros looking to increase their knowledge and advance their careers. The tables grade and describe training providers that cover most subject areas as well as those that are vendor or niche specific, such as those that are focused on information security, forensics and more.

A recent article in the series, focuses on the growing importance of IT-related Cloud Computing certifications to IT professionals. After all, the Cloud has become a permanent fixture for companies and organizations around the world over the last five years. So it behooves the ambitious IT pro to, at the least, investigate the Cloud Computing credentials available to them.

Another article presents some essential certification options for IT trainers. Certified trainers provide materials and instruction that guarantee successful results for IT pros. These certifications  fall under  “trainer training” or “training certification,” as  these credentials seek to identify those capable of instructing IT certification candidates in a real or virtual classroom setting.

Recently, Ed also examined the Top 5 IT Certifications in Healthcare, Top Programming Certifications for IT Pros, Top Virtualization Certs for IT Pros and the Top 5 Computer Forensics Certifications, 

The first of these presents some essential certification options for health IT workers. As Ed explains, with the rising interest in Healthcare IT, there are numerous certifications targeted specifically at health IT workers. He adds, "it’s reasonable to expect this number to grow, both in terms of sponsoring organizations and in the number of credentials on offer, in the years ahead."

The last covers the often convoluted world of computer forensic and digital investigation programs and certifications, while in the previous article, Ed points out how virtualization skills and knowledge, and by extension virtualization certifications, are good for any IT professional who works with systems, networks or IT infrastructure or architecture to pursue and possess.

Additional articles delve more deeply into specific subject areas such as security, networking, system administration, programming, forensics, database, ERP and so on. There is also a sub-series that focuses on evergreen certifications, as well as articles covering DIY certification programs, online and classroom training, never-fail exam tune-ups, getting the best bang for your IT certification dollars, finding the best exam prep courses and, of course, how to plan a brilliant certification career.

Meanwhile. the latest article posted to Ed's Tom's IT Pro Making It in IT certification and training blog covers how Microsoft is rolling out new certifications that sound awfully familiar, recycling familiar abbreviations, for instance. In addition, Microsoft has added a new master-level credential that addresses its growing collection of cloud platforms, tools and technologies.

As Ed points out, "The so-called Private Cloud Certification is actually the platform for a reinvention of the old stalwart MCSE certification, which stands for Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert in its current incarnation."

Read the article to become familiar with these Microsoft credentials: the Private Cloud Certification, Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate, Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert, Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer, and Microsoft Certified Solutions Master.

James Alan Miller is Managing Editor of Tom's IT Pro. He is a veteran technology journalist with over seventeen years of experience creating and developing magazine and online content. Founding editor of numerous business and enterprise computing sites at the internet.com network, James headed up the After Hours section at PC Magazine, as well as hardware and software sections of various Windows publications.