Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Does Training and Certification Increase Salary?

According to the 2010 IT Skills and Salary Report, published by Global Knowledge and TechRepublic, job performance was cited as the biggest driver to getting a raise and/or higher salary across all surveyed domains. Along with other factors, getting an IT certification boosted job performance for the simple fact of the learning and training required. An overwhelming majority of managers and non-managers who took part in the survey agreed that the rigorous preparation for certification enhanced individuals' on-the-job performance. But what does that translate to money in the pocket? “Overall, professionals who had earned an IT or project management certification during the last five years earned an average of $5,242 more than their counterparts,” states the Report.

Getting certified isn’t all about more money, but it sure helps. Certification creates opportunities, keeps you current, provides resources and connections for growth and, let’s not forget, a serious sense of accomplishment.


Here’s a look at the Report’s top 20 salaries by popular certifications:

Popular Certifications Salary

PMP® - Project Management Professional              $104,253

CCNA - Cisco Certified Network Associate            $79,695

MCP - MS Certified Professional                             $74,438

MCSE - MS Certified Systems Engineer                   $86,454

ITIL® v3 Foundation                                                $101,185

MCSA - MS Certified System Administrator             $76,337

ITIL v2 Foundation                                                   $102,128

CompTIA - Network+                                             $70,902

CompTIA - A+                                                        $68,631

CompTIA - Security+                                              $76,844

CISSP - Cert Info Sys Security Professional             $99,928

CCNP - Cisco Certified Network Professional         $89,864

Other Project Management Certificate                      $95,979

VMware Certified Professional                                 $91,271

Six Sigma                                                                $111,908

MCITP - MS Certified IT Professional                    $82,044

Other Business Process Certifications                       $94,383

CCDA - Cisco Certified Design Associate                $93,953

MCDST - MS Certified Desktop Support Technician $70,197

MCTS - Windows Vista, Configure                            $71,786

Thursday, April 15, 2010

India has a shortage of 70,000 networking pros

The world's leading networking equipment company, Cisco Systems, estimates that India is facing a shortage of 70,000 professionals in networking alone, as data centers mushroom and the Internet expands to help businesses and homes alike.


California-based Cisco, which started out with routers and expanded into a range of switches and end-user gear such as conferencing systems, says an increasing trend to outsource IT infrastructure management will only widen the shortfall in the months to come.

Quality networking professionals are a rare species at the global level too. Globally, the shortage is as high as one million.

Cisco officials see an opportunity for boosting jobs in the networking space, which could be seen as an orphan falling halfway between hardware and software but critical to linking various systems.

“It is high time India trains more number of networking professional to reap benefits, “Melinda Gurnard, director of global market development and training delivery at Cisco, told Hindustan Times.

Gurnard said young networking professional aspirants should consider specialized courses after acquiring experience for a couple of years to tap the emerging opportunity.

Apart from maintaining switches and routers, networking experts also take care of security and risk management in data centers and employ “virtualization“ under which a job done by a machine can now be executed through software, enabling easier network management from remote locations.

Gurnard added that in a survey conducted on CCIE (Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert) a certified individual says that these areas will be in hot demand over the next five years.

Network architecture, network design, unified communications and cloud computing would also be

the trends over the next five years.

 Source : http://epaper.hindustantimes.com/ArticleImage.aspx?article=25_03_2010_701_019&kword=&mode=1

Are IT Certifications Really Important?

Are IT Certifications Really Important?

There has always been a debate about how important IT certifications really are. Some believe certifications prove that an IT professional is knowledgeable but may not prove how well they can actually do the job. However, certifications provide the knowledge needed to gain experience and validate skills to potential/current employers. And in the current economy, certifications are an increasingly important tool for building skill levels, improved marketability and career opportunities.

A recent TechRepublic’s article entitled “10 Reasons IT Certification Will Be Important in 2009” , provided the following10 good reasons why IT certifications are more relevant than ever:

1. Job Retention – Lay-offs are the norm right now and the people who are not being laid off are the ones with the most skills and knowledge.

2. Salary Maintenance – Many companies, especially city and state governments, are asking employees to take salary cuts. With a certification, companies will be much more likely to pay you what you’re really worth. That way, if you’re forced to take a salary cut, you’ll be making what you should be making, so it’ll hurt a lot less.

3. Hiring and Promotion Eligibility – New and timely certifications are the key to standing out in a heap of resumes and having a leg up on the competition.

4. Career Improvement – Most IT professionals do their job and only their job. There aren’t many opportunities to gain more responsibilities, challenges and therefore more pay, unless you’re promoted. But how many times have you been promoted lately?

5. New-Generation Certs Increase Relevance – Everything in technology needs reworking. Certs are not an exception. As real-world needs evolve, so must certifications and so must you!

6. Organizations Will Become More Discriminating – Organizations are outsourcing their computer services and support to save money, but they need to be sure that the consultants they hire are competent. So show ’em your cert!

7. New Products Will Gain Momentum – Out with the old, in with the new! Who is going to have an upper-hand on new product upgrades? Well, as soon as you get certified…YOU!

8. Organizations Must Minimize Downtime – Downtime and repair of anything IT can cost a company a ton of money. Cert guys ensure a speedier recovery.

9. Organizations Need to Reduce Costs – A Kotler Marketing Group study published by CompTIA proved that certifications enable organizations to reduce expenses, identify knowledge gaps and improve productivity.

10. Confidence Proves Handy During Turbulent Times – You need this more than anything right now. Pick yourself up and get your certification.

So, all of this makes sense, and IT certifications provide numerous benefits, but which certifications provide the most value and benefit? There is much debate about the answer to this question, and many times the answer depends on experience and career goals.



In a recent Mile High Research study, new IT job listings on Dice from January 4-9, 2010 were searched for various IT certifications to determine which certifications are currently most in-demand. While #1 isn’t strictly an information technology certification, many times it is a required partner to other IT certifications. The Project Management Professional (PMP) credential was #1- certification selected in the IT field with 948 job listings mentioning this certification.

The results were as follows:

Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) – 630

Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) – 581

Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) – 485

Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) – 394

Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) – 293

CompTIA A+ – 267

Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator (MCSA) – 105

Cisco Certified Voice Professional (CCVP) – 101

CompTIA Security + – 96

Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP) – 78

Source : www.trainingindustry.com



Our Experience at RJP clearly indicates that certifications do provide a competitive career advantage, and in current economic times, are more critical than ever for developing technical skills. Cerifications like MCSE,CCNA,CCNP,CCVP and MCITP can be achieved by Joining RJP, where excellent hands- on training is given by well experienced Trainers . RJP is an authorized partner to Cisco and Microsoft.



For more details Contact : 99406-11305/306/309 or mail to training@rjpinoftek.com;learning@rjpinfotek.com