To certify or not to certify?

Complicating matters is that IT professionals have a choice between vendor-specific and vendor-neutral certifications. In addition, a growing number of industry-specific certifications are available through professional associations. For example, the Association of Certified Public Accountants offers the Certified Information Technology Professional (CITP) designation for accounting and finance professionals, and the Health Information and Management Systems Society offers the Certified Professional in Healthcare Information and Management Systems (CPHIMS) credential for those in health care.

If you're interested in roles that focus on a particular technology, earning a vendor-specific certification is one of the best ways to highlight your specialized expertise. However, if you'd rather not be limited to one product or company, consider a vendor-neutral certification, such as those offered by CompTIA. It also may be wise to pursue a vendor-neutral certification if you're considering a career change, since you won't be tied to one technology and can point to your credential as proof of your broad range of knowledge. Industry-specific certifications are vendor-neutral but are targeted to professionals who have been in a certain field for some time, not those looking to break in.

A bachelor's or master's degree is a prerequisite for many IT positions. If you already hold a degree, you may wonder whether earning a certification improves your chances of landing the job you seek. Or is your degree enough? The answer to this question is yes ... and no. While it's unlikely that you'll be eliminated you from consideration solely because you lack a certification, sometimes employers value the added endorsement a certification confers. And they may move you to the top of the list of potential candidates if you've earned one.

While a certification won't guarantee you a new job or promotion, earning one can be a smart career move. For one thing, a recognized credential will provide a benchmark against which employers can compare you with other candidates, possibly leading to an interview. And, perhaps more important, pursuing a certification will allow you to earn new skills or bolster existing abilities in a structured environment, leading to personal satisfaction and personal growth.