Top 10 Paying Certifications In 2020

As an IT professional, to stay on top of your game, you’ve got to keep up with certifications for technological upgrades. This has been the year of big data, cloud computing, cybersecurity, the Internet of Things(IoT) and many other forms of emerging technology. These technologies will continue to evolve in the year ahead and will change the way businesses function. Getting professionally certified in emerging technologies is an advantage on your CV and can help you demand a higher salary too. Here are the top 10 paying certifications in 2020.

• Certified Information Systems Security Professional® (CISSP)

If you want to be considered a specialist in security issues, you need to be a Certified Information Systems Security Professional. This certification focuses on risk management, mobile security, cloud computing and application development security amongst other issues. Given the speed at which the world is getting digitized, the number of positions in cybersecurity is increasing day by day. According to some estimates, there will be around 3.5 million open positions in cybersecurity by 2021.

• Big Data Certification

There are 3 Vs to Big Data- Velocity, Volume and Variety. A certification in big data assesses and equips you with the knowledge and skills of all 3 Vs. It validates your ability to systematically deal with large, complex data sets, analyze them and extract relevant information from them. Professionals with Big Data Certification have a number of opportunities available to them in the government sector as well as private sectors in the automobile, entertainment and other such industries.

• AWS Certified Solutions Architect

Today, it’s all about the cloud. So, an AWS Certified Solutions Architect is a great certification to have. This certification has been accredited by the Amazon Web Services. Architects with AWS certification make recommendations on deploying and implementing AWS applications. This certification appeals to organizations because of the cloud’s ability to scale up or down, have high resiliency, etc. some studies have estimated that by 2020, 83% of all businesses will utilize the cloud.

• Google Certified Professional Cloud Architect

Today, Google isn’t just a search engine, it’s a lot more. The Google Cloud Platform is a serious competitor to Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services. Thus, it would be a good idea to get certified as a Google Certified Professional Cloud Architect. With this certification, you can validate your ability to design, plan and manage cloud solution architecture, analyze technical processes and optimize them, ensure operational reliability and more.

• AWS Certified Developer – Associate

This AWS certification validates a developer’s expertise with respect to developing and maintaining AWS applications. It also tests your ability to write code to optimize AWS applications and use AWS SDKs efficiently to interact with intra-application services. Developers wanting to stay ahead of the competition can benefit greatly from this certification. The growing interest in this certification is directly related to the growing demand for Internet of Things and mobile development.

• Project Management Professional

When it comes to project management certification, the PMP is the gold standard. This certification is recognized by organizations across the world. It validates your knowledge, experience and ability to design, plan, manage and deliver projects. When it comes to making decisions about hiring project managers, this certification can be a key differentiator.

• Certified Information Security Manager(CISM)

The CISM certification focuses on professionals who want to build and manage the information security for an enterprise. It validates a professional’s ability to develop the best practices for international security. It is accredited by the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA). The CISM certification has 4 main domains-

• Information Security Governance.
• Information Risk Management.
• Information Security Program Development and Management.
• Information Security Incident Management.

 

• Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)

As data security becomes more and more important, the need for ethical hackers is higher than ever. The difference between hackers and ethical hackers is that the former steals information while the latter uses the same techniques to defend threats and attacks. This CEH certification validates an individual’s knowledge and ability with respect to reconnaissance, getting and maintaining access, enumeration and covering one’s tracks. This certification simulates real-time threats and eliminates threats through counter-defensive mechanisms.

• Certified Scrum Master (CSM)

This is an important certification for software developers. A Scrum Master certification validates your knowledge of Agile principles, the practices associated with it and the Scrum methodology. It puts you in a position where you can lead teams and help them perform optimally. It also eliminates internal and external distractions and gives the certificate holder a two-year membership to the Scrum Alliance.

• Data Science Certification

Data science is an emerging field that cannot be ignored. With this certification, you can extract insights from unstructured and structured data sets through a combination of algorithms, processes, scientific methods, and associated systems. The certification validates your knowledge of Python, SAS, Hadoop, Spark and R and your ability to put concepts such as visualization, data exploration, predictive analysis, and hypothesis testing into practice. The need for people with these certifications can be seen in the IT industry, aeronautics, healthcare, and commerce.

If you want to be at the top of your game and be eligible for the highest salary packages available, it’s time you look at getting more certifications in your CV. Which one will you start with?