IT Certifications That Are Best for Beginners

It can be very intimidating to find your footing in a new industry. There are so many resources and so much information out there about best practices that it’s hard to know where to start. Don’t let this overwhelm you! Your interest in the IT field can be cultivated into a very real set of skills and successes in the industry through the proper resources, training and credentials.

In this article, we have done some of the work for you by answering commonly asked questions about IT certifications for beginners, the benefits of IT certifications, and how to start your IT career.

How do I start a career in IT?

Earning relevant degrees and certifications is a great place to start your career in IT. Having an educational foundation creates a strong base for your career to build upon. It is important to have a general understanding of the IT industry, and then you can build your professional experience up through specializations that interest you.

IT certifications come in handy for such specializations, as they are a cost-effective method of studying a focus area that is less broad and time-consuming than an IT degree. If you are unable to commit to a two- or four-year formal education, IT certifications are a great alternative, especially if you are looking to transition your career and want to demonstrate your commitment to your new focus. If you have completed academic programs but have found that there are gaps in your knowledge, IT certifications are an effective supplement to fill in the areas where you want to know more.

Doing research will help you gain a better idea of what you might want to do or be equipped to do in the IT industry. There are many reputable resources available online to help build your knowledge of the latest trends and technologies. Publications like Computer Weekly and Infosecurity Magazine frequently post new articles and information about major security breaches, analyses of the IT job market, insights from industry experts, national and international regulation requirements, and cybersecurity budget planning. As the IT, digital trust and cybersecurity landscapes continue to evolve, it is helpful to have a list of trustworthy sources to reference regularly.

Additional resources include annual reports about the latest industry trends, like ISACA’s State of Cybersecurity, Privacy in Practice, and State of Digital Trust surveys. These survey reports cover current trends in the space, including the benefits of and top obstacles to achieving digital trust. Professionals who work in assurance, security, governance, risk and privacy contributed to these surveys to provide a broad overview of industry insights.

What does an IT certification do?

IT certifications validate your knowledge of particular subjects, increase your marketability to employers, enhance your credibility, increase your potential earning power and improve your reputation in the industry. Certification programs are created, updated and retired based on market analysis and diverse representation and insights in response to occupational needs. By preparing for the certification exam, either individually or through a training program, and passing the subsequent exams, you will demonstrate your competency in a certain aspect of information technology. The credentials you have earned serve as a signal to others in the industry, including potential employers and coworkers, of your competency in certain areas of IT.

In addition to validating your knowledge and skills, IT certifications can differentiate you from other applicants who are looking for the same job roles as you. Applying for your first job in a new industry can be daunting, so to have a competitive advantage that IT certifications provide on a resume or CV can provide additional confidence in the job search.

What are the benefits of an IT certification for a beginner?

If you are a beginner in the IT world, IT certifications can help create many opportunities for you in the industry. IT certifications for beginners demonstrate your dedication to your work and your eagerness to do well. Earning certifications proactively illustrates your enthusiasm to learn more about the industry and how you can not only improve your own work, but how you can contribute to the improvement of organizations and the industry as a whole.

IT certifications help you stand out to hiring managers when you are seeking a job, get ahead of the competition by building your professional credibility, create networking opportunities with others who share your credentials, boost your earning power and keep up with the latest trends and new technologies. You can feel more secure in this new industry by embracing the confidence and knowledge that certifications can provide you.

Which IT certifications are best for beginners?

There are a lot of IT certifications for beginners that are available right now, so it can be hard to know where you should start. Here are some of the leading IT credentials for beginners:

• Information Technology Certified Associate (ITCA)
  • ISACA’s ITCA certification is for those new to the IT profession, students, recent graduates and candidates with little or no experience looking to establish the fundamentals of these five major IT domains: computing, networks and infrastructure, cybersecurity, software development, and data science. This certification combines knowledge- and lab-based training to build a solid foundation in IT and to affirm your knowledge, skills and professional drive.
    
    As Nader Qaimari wrote, “We view it as a gateway certification that will be a stepping-stone to any technology field they want to pursue, beyond the IT helpdesk – cyber, software development, IT audit, infrastructure, risk, etc. Further, it’s a performance-based credential, meaning that students cannot simply memorize a study guide and answer questions, but rather, they must demonstrate their knowledge in hands-on, virtual labs, which are assessed and considered as the certification is awarded.”

• Certified in Emerging Technology (CET)
  • ISACA’s CET certification is for IT professionals who are interested in advancing their career at their own pace by earning four individual certificates focused on emerging technology that are valuable on their own and even more so stacked together. Knowledge of emerging technology is incredibly useful in the current business landscape because it enhances your ability to perform essential tasks across IT audit, risk, security, cybersecurity, governance and privacy roles. If you do not have any real-world experience quite yet, CET is the next best thing—through hands-on performance learning techniques, you will build vital skills that will enable you to leverage emerging technologies in your day-to-day work life. CET focuses on cloud fundamentals, blockchain fundamentals, IoT fundamentals and artificial intelligence fundamentals.

• Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA)
  • Cisco’s CCNA certification is for those IT beginners who have found their niche and taken an interest in network systems. This certification provides a foundation of networking fundamentals and a base for professionals who would like to further pursue roles focused on networking.

• Amazon Web Services Certified Cloud Practitioner (AWS)
  • Amazon’s AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner is for candidates who are new to the AWS Cloud from a range of backgrounds, including non-IT professionals and sales, marketing, business analyst roles. This certification establishes a basic understanding of IT services in relation to AWS Cloud and pricing models, security concepts, and potential business impacts.

As you consider a career in the IT field or look to move into new positions within it, dedicating time to earning certifications can set you on the right path. Whether you have a background in IT or not, there are IT certifications to introduce you to new concepts, skills and knowledge in many different specializations and areas. Committing to earning relevant credentials for your career path will not only prove to be beneficial for the work you do every day, but also for honing transferable skills that can be applied to wherever the future takes you.

Editor’s note: For additional resources for early-career professionals and newcomers to the IT field, learn about ISACA's Mentorship Program.