IT certification

Stay tuned for further “Career Assist” news from MS

Alas, the program details for the "Career Assist" program from Microsoft foretold to me last week have yet to materialize. The original launch date for this program was supposed to have been yesterday (February 4) and I waited on this blog to discuss them until the day had come and gone. Instead I...

Microsoft readies financial aid for IT pros

When I read on the MS learning center site last month that the company had plans to help cash-strapped IT professionals boost skills and knowledge, quite naturally I e-mailed their PR folks to ask what was up. At the time, they couldn't yet tell me anything but I have recently come into possession...

CompTIA Lets New Network+ Loose on the World

With the organization's decision to hew to ISO9000 requirements regarding training and certification, it looks like CompTIA will be refreshing and updating its credentials on a rather less leisurely schedule going forward. The latest Network+, released on January 9, is a good case in point. Though...

Foote Partners Pinpoints 10 Top IT Jobs for 2009

My old buddy David Foote at IT compensation specialist firm Foote Partners, recently shared with e-week the results of his latest compensation data in a slideshow named "

Out of an IT Job? Then what?

In some e-mail with a fellow certification market follower recently, my correspondent opined that those who find themselves out of work in IT can look for a silver lining in such dire circumstances. The sudden change of work status creates a fabulous opportunity for study, learning, training, or...

Microsoft’s Take on Planning a Career in IT

In my ceaseless trolling of the virtual byways and highways on the Internet, I keep digging up interesting sources of  IT career planning information. I can now cheerfully confess to needing a laugh rather badly today, having just elicited a few chuckles from this earnest and well-meaning...

When Certifications Retire, What Happens Next?

I recently ran across an interested article by Lynn Haber at ITCareerPlanet entitled "When IT Certifications Retire." It got me to thinking about what IT professionals can and should do to keep their knowledge, skills, and credentials...

The New Year Is Here, So Be It Resolved That…

A list of New Year's resolutions for those who work in IT, and are seeking to improve upon or build their careers might include the following:

• Identify at least two new tools or technologies relevant to your job, and start to learn more about them. If you can obtain trial versions or...

More on Entry-Level Certs from the Trenches

I play pool two nights a week on leagues that belong to the American Poolplayers Association (APA). My Thursday night 9-ball team is composed primarily of people who work in IT. Of the seven people on the team, one is a paralegal, another a hairdresser, and the other five work for Dell (1),...

Check Out GoCertify.com

My colleague and long-time certification industry expert, Anne Martinez, runs a very nice Web site called GoCertify.com. There's lots of interesting content there, not least of which is the information available through its