As an IT professional or an aspiring IT professional, you must have tried to get a few IT certifications to improve your chances of getting a better job.
But when do you have enough certifications to actually stop?
When do you have enough IT certifications so that you can finally relax and feel secure in your capabilities ?
I don’t think it ever stops to be honest, IT is a fast growing field that is constantly evolving and to stay up to date with the latest technologies, you need to constantly educate yourself.
But there comes a stage in your career where your past experiences and accomplishments are more valuable than any IT certification.
This is the point in your career where your accomplishments would speak for themselves and your job application would be based on those experiences.
But until you get to that point in your career, how do you choose the right certifications to strengthen your job applications ?
Choosing the right IT certification for you
Getting numerous IT certifications in numerous topics can be detrimental to your resume because it might seem like you are a jack of all trades but master of none.
For example, an IT professional might have certifications such as Comptia A+, Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM), Entry Certificate in Business Analysis (ECBA), International Software Testing Qualification Board (ISTQB) Tester, Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) and ITIL.
But all their work experience is in IT service desk, so the only certifications that I would consider relevant to their job are ITIL and Comptia A+.
So while they might have the relevant certifications required to do the job, they don’t have the required experience and so they might not be considered for the position.
What should you consider when choosing an IT certification to get?
The most important thing that you have to consider when deciding on which IT certification to get is what direction you want your career to take.
If you want to transition from service desk to Quality Assurance (QA) testing then you should take QA certifications.
Once you have one or two of the required certifications, you should try to get a job in that field.
Even if it is a junior position, work experience is very important in the IT industry.
Once you have a couple of years experience in this field, you can apply for a mid level job in the same field if you don’t get promoted in your current job.
Over time, you can reevaluate to decide if you want to stay in this field or change fields to a different IT role such as Business Analysis, Project Management or Product Management.