Where will your career take you in 2024? Perhaps you’re looking to break into the technology industry. Or maybe you’ve put in a few years and are ready to take your career to the next level and specialize in an area of interest. Are tech certifications part of your plan?
When answering that question, it’s helpful to conduct your own return on investment (ROI) analysis. Will the money (and time) you put into certifications help you get where you want to go? Will having a third-party credential that validates your skills help you get noticed by employers? Will multiple certifications help you increase your earning potential? While it would be helpful to be able to predict the future – it’s just not possible. But we can forecast what jobs are in demand and pay well. And we can predict how the most popular tech certifications will help you launch and advance your tech career.
Check out these top IT certifications, partially informed by Robert Half’s 2024 Salary Guide, as you decide what you want to achieve and how you want to achieve it in 2024.
Most Valuable IT Support Certifications for 2024
With many organizations looking to automate routine support tasks, there is still plenty of opportunity in IT support roles to drive productivity and handle more complex end-user issues. Tech jobs like IT support specialist, field service technician and help desk technician are all considered in-demand roles.
CompTIA’s analysis of data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and Lightcast shows that the need for IT support specialists will continue to grow – reaching about 789,000 by 2033. The 10-year projected growth rate for support roles is 21% above the national rate for all occupations. These certifications can help you begin a career in IT support.
CompTIA A+
CompTIA A+ is the industry standard for launching IT careers. Getting this vendor-neutral certification shows employers you have the skills to support core technologies, from security to networking to virtualization across all operating systems.
The details:
- Two exams – Core 1 (220-1101) and Core 2 (220-1102)
- $253 per exam voucher (as of February 1, 2024)
- Recommended 9-12 months of hands-on experience in the lab or field
- Maximum of 90 questions per exam featuring multiple choice, drag and drops and performance-based questions
- Core 1 exam: 675/900 passing score
- Core 2 exam: 700/900 passing score
- 90 minutes per exam
HDI Support Certifications
HDI offers various IT support certifications, including support center analyst, support center manager and support center director. These certifications are 12-week courses that culminate with the exam.
The details:
- Analyst training and exam: $799
- Manager training and exam: $1,999
- Director training and exam: $2,899
- No pre-requisites
- 65 multiple-choice questions
- 80% passing score
- 75 minutes per exam
ITIL 4 Foundation IT Service Management Certification
The ITIL 4 Foundation course includes how modern IT and digital service organizations operate, how value streams increase speed and efficiency, how cultural principles guide work and commonly-used service management terms and concepts.
The details:
- $680 if booked directly through PeopleCert
- No pre-requisites
- 40 multiple-choice questions
- 65% passing score
- 60 minutes to complete the exam
Most Valuable Infrastructure Certifications for 2024
The technology industry is all about innovation. And while we work on creating the next best thing, it still needs to run on hardware – real or virtualized. Qualified infrastructure professionals like network administrators, systems administrators and cloud engineers are needed to stay on top of the latest trends in cloud computing and architecture optimization.
CompTIA’s analysis of data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and Lightcast shows that the need for network administrators will continue to grow – reaching about 360,000 by 2033. Furthermore, the median annual salary for network administrators in the United States is $90,520. This is 95% higher than the median national wage for all occupations. These certifications can help you advance your career in infrastructure.
CompTIA Cloud+
CompTIA Cloud+ shows employers you have the technical skills needed to apply cloud security concepts and infrastructure services in the context of broader IT systems. Getting this vendor-neutral certification validates your knowledge across any, or even multiple, cloud environments.
The details:
- $369 per exam voucher (as of February 1, 2024)
- Recommended five years of experience, including 2-3 years of networking or systems administration experience
- Maximum of 90 questions featuring multiple choice and performance-based questions
- 750/900 passing score
- 90 minutes to complete the exam
Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA)
Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) covers basic concepts like switching and routing fundamentals. Once you are CCNA-certified, you can move on to Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP). This is more advanced and requires a deeper understanding of WANs and LANs and how they work together.
The details:
- Exam cost is $300
- No pre-requisites
- Approximately 100 questions
- Passing score is not published, but a general rule of thumb is 80%
- 120 minutes to complete the exam
AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional
Amazon is the largest provider of cloud computing services, so it only makes sense that this vendor-specific certification is popular. AWS Certified Solutions Architect validates your ability to design and deploy cloud environments using Amazon Web Services.
The details:
- Exam cost is $300
- Recommended two years of hands-on experience designing and deploying cloud architecture on AWS
- 65 multiple-choice and multiple-response questions
- 750/1,000 passing score
- 180 minutes to complete the exam
Most Valuable Cybersecurity Certifications for 2024
The more digital our world becomes, the more opportunity there is for cybercriminals to profit. This directly corresponds to the need for more and better-qualified or specialized cybersecurity professionals. Job roles like cybersecurity specialist, cybersecurity engineer, cybersecurity analyst and security manager continue to top the charts in terms of exceptional growth and outlook.
CompTIA’s analysis of data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and Lightcast shows that the need for cybersecurity specialists, including job roles such as cybersecurity analyst and penetration tester, will continue to grow – reaching about 234,000 by 2033. The 10-year projected growth rate for cybersecurity specialists is 242% above the national rate for all occupations. These are considered some of the best tech certifications to help you grow your security career.
CompTIA Security+
CompTIA Security+ is a vendor-neutral certification that covers the most recent advancements in cybersecurity technology, terms, techniques and tools. Prove your knowledge in automation, zero trust, risk analysis, operational technology and IoT in the ever-evolving cybersecurity landscape.
The details:
- $404 per exam voucher (as of February 1, 2024)
- Recommended CompTIA Network+ and two years of experience with a security focus
- Maximum of 90 questions featuring multiple choice and performance-based questions
- 750/900 passing score
- 90 minutes to complete the exam
Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)
IT pros with CEH certification specialize in penetration testing by learning the latest commercial-grade hacking tools, techniques and methodologies used by hackers and information security professionals.
The details:
- $2,199 to $3,499, depending on the learning path
- No pre-requisites
- 125 multiple-choice questions
- 75/125 passing score
- Four hours to complete the exam
Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)
The IC2 CISSP certification is designed for experienced IT pros and teaches the vulnerabilities in networked systems and how to create policies to safeguard those systems and minimize risk. You can take the CISSP CAT (computerized adaptive test) or the CISSP CBT, which is a more standard linear exam.
The details:
- Exam cost is $749
- Minimum of five years in two or more of the eight domains of the current CISSP exam outline
- CISSP CAT: Maximum of 175 multiple-choice questions
- CISSP CBT: Maximum of 250 multiple-choice questions
- 700/1,000 passing score
- CISSP CAT: Four hours to complete the exam
- CISSP CBT: Six hours to complete the exam
Most Valuable Data Certifications for 2024
While organizations across industry sectors have been collecting data for decades, the focal point for competitive differentiation is quickly becoming how you can effectively manage and analyze that data to inform business decisions. That’s why we’re seeing more data-specific job titles like data analyst, business intelligence analyst and data scientist.
CompTIA Data+
CompTIA Data+ is an early-career data analytics certification for professionals tasked with developing and promoting data-driven business decision-making. This vendor-neutral certification validates your ability to analyze and interpret data.
The details:
- $253 per exam voucher (as of February 1, 2024)
- Recommended 18-24 months in a report/business analyst job role
- Maximum of 90 questions featuring multiple choice and performance-based questions
- 675/900 passing score
- 90 minutes to complete the exam
CompTIA DataSys+
CompTIA DataSys+ is a foundational certification that focuses on the logistics of data administration and security. This vendor-neutral certification proves your competency to build, support and secure growing data systems.
The details:
- $369 per exam voucher (as of February 1, 2024)
- Recommended two to three years in a database administrator role
- Maximum of 90 questions featuring multiple choice and performance-based questions
- 700/900 passing score
- 90 minutes to complete the exam
CCIE Data Center Certification
This Cisco certification demonstrates expert-level skills required to plan, prepare, operate, monitor and troubleshoot complex data center networks. There is a qualifying exam that you must first pass before taking the lab exam. To achieve CCIE certification, you must take and pass the lab exam within three years of passing the qualifying core exam.
The details:
- $1,600 to $1,900, depending on delivery
- No pre-requisites
- Module 1: Design (three hours)
- Module 2: Deploy, Operate and Optimize (five hours)
- Passing score is not published, but a general rule of thumb is 80%
- Eight hours to complete the lab exam
How To Get CompTIA Certified
CompTIA certifications have a long-standing history of being the industry credentials you need to show employers you have the IT skills they are looking for. Furthermore, our variety of resources not only helps you train and pass your CompTIA certification exams, but they can also help you market yourself, ace your interview and land the job of your dreams. If you’re looking to get certified for the first time – or the sixth – check out how + Means IT Careers.
Ready to start studying? Writing out your plan will set you up for success. Download our free training plan worksheet to help you get organized and make your dream a reality.
