Certification and the IT Skills Gap

A recent research study released by CompTIA, the Computing Technology Industry Association, found skills gaps in several key IT areas.

When comparing reported proficiency in skills to the importance of those skills, the skill with the widest “gap” in proficiency is security/firewalls/data privacy.

The same study found that, according to respondents, the skill that is expected to grow most in importance over the next five years is RF mobile / wireless technology (39% say it will be important one year from now vs. 55% say it will be important five years from now).

More information on the CompTIA Skills Gap Study can be found at www.comptia.org/research.

What does this mean for IT professionals? Certification can fill the skills gap and prove to hiring managers that you have not only demonstrated a certain level of knowledge but have also taken the initiative to learn and get certified.

What certifications are right for you given these major skills gaps? It depends on your job function and role. If you are interested in IT Security consider the following: EC-Council Security5, CompTIA Security+, MCSE Security, MCSA Security and EC-Council CEH.

Interested in Mobile/ Wireless Technologies? Consider a certification like CWNA.