Computer Certification: Overview
By Anne Martinez
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Available Certifications
Now that it's clear what does and doesn't qualify as a certification, you may be wondering, what actual certifications are there for computer professionals, and in what areas?
Many people are familiar with a few widely known titles, such as the Microsoft Certified System Engineer (MCSE) or CompTIA's A+ hardware technician certification. But there are many, many more. Over 500 at my last count. Offered by more than 120 different vendors.
Formal certification is available in virtually any area of IT: programming, system administration, database administration or development, project management, help desk/troubleshooting, hardware and software service and repair, system security, and expertise with specific applications such as ERP, software version control, and more.
With so many areas of certification, it helps to organize the options into groups. Generally certifications can be divided into two classes: vendor-specific or vendor-neutral.
Vendor-specific certifications are tied to a particular vendor's products - i.e. the Microsoft Windows Operating system or the Macromedia Flash development tools.
Vendor-neutral certification seeks to certify skills in a particular area of technology, independent of any particular product, for example system security or Web site development.
A few certification programs attempt to blend the two categories together- covering both topic specific expertise and throwing in a distinct component focusing on one or more related software/hardware products.
Here some examples of certifications in various areas and how they fall into these categories:
- Programming certifications: Microsoft Certified Solution Developer (MCSD), Sun Certified Java Programmer(both vendor-specific)
- System Administration certifications: Microsoft Certified System Administrator or Engineer (MCSA/MCSE), Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE), Sun Certified Solaris Administrator, LPI Certified, LPI is vendor neutral, the others vendor-specific.
- Security certifications: CISSP, Security+ (both vendor-neutral)
- Web Development: CIW (Certified Internet Webmaster) which is a hybrid
- Project Management certifications: Project Management Professional (PMP), IT Project+ (both vendor-neutral)
Certifications can also generally be divided into three skill levels: entry-level, intermediate, advanced.
