There are mixed feelings about the value of IT certifications in the tech industry. While some pundits view them as a great way to boost earning potential and advance careers, others believe that the ability of an IT expert can only be demonstrated by the level of experience and number of projects worked on.
Within the past decade, there has been a slow but steady paradigm shift in the minds of the latter. The demand and value of certifications have skyrocketed and they are now considered by many to be a pinnacle of achievement in the tech industry.
A Global Knowledge survey shows that in the U.S., the average salary of IT professionals with at least one certification is seven percent higher than non-certified professionals. Also, certified IT professionals are more likely to be promoted than their non-certified counterparts. While these are awesome benefits, the value of IT certifications isn’t limited to career advancement and higher salaries.
The value of IT certification
Essentially, IT certifications increase your intrinsic value as a worker and makes you more invaluable to your team members and employers. 
This is because you learn new technical skills with every IT certification you acquire. This knowledge, coupled with experience and expertise in other fields of IT, drives innovation, facilitates multidisciplinary thinking and enables faster troubleshooting.
These abilities are becoming increasingly valuable as the skills gap continues to widen in today’s tech world. Let’s take a look at some more reasons why IT certifications are worth it.
Integrated learning
In today’s complex business landscape, IT professionals who understand multiple IT ecosystems are in high demand. Such professionals possess interdisciplinary knowledge that allows them to quickly troubleshoot and work their way through critical technical challenges. Rather than spend 4 years in a college for each IT field they want to master, savvy IT professionals go the route of IT certifications— a shorter and effective path to acquiring the skills they need in their preferred field.
Certificate courses provide specialized education about very specific knowledge areas. Even if you don’t plan to specialize in a particular area, the more broadly qualified you are to speak about the overlaps between these areas the better problem solver you’ll be.
Increased demand for skilled professionals in emergent fields of IT
The pace of tech is accelerating at unforeseen levels. As innovation continues to impact industries at every turn, IT departments need experts with diverse skill sets, particularly in the areas of cloud computing, data science, AI and cybersecurity.
While many businesses are hiring from within and upskilling, this takes time to achieve. As such, more and more organizations are turning to JiT experts and contractors to handle technical areas that are beyond the skill of their in-house talent. As a certified expert, you can jump in and solve specific problems and build solutions more rapidly.
Also, the rapid rate of advancement in IT is creating new roles that traditional IT professionals aren’t trained to fill. You can take advantage of the increased demand for talent in these areas by taking one or more professional certifications in your spare time.
Third-party validation
It’s important to most employers that the people they’re hiring for a job have been validated by third-party experts in that field. 
Having such professionals in their employ makes them more credible as a company. As such, you’re more valuable to your employer if you come in with a top-level certification in your field of expertise.
Also, maintaining a certificate credential across many years speaks very well to your dedication and expertise in that field as well as a thorough understanding of the underlying technology.
Wrapping Up
IT certifications are truly a win-win for all concerned. Not only are they instrumental in imparting new knowledge and skills to IT professionals but they also increase the overall value these professionals bring to their organizations and employers.
Due to the menace of cybersecurity breaches and the threat of competitors leveraging emergent technologies (such as data science and AI) to gain more market share, more and more organizations are on the hunt for qualified and certified IT professionals. Right now, supply has yet to catch up with the demand for talent. You can take advantage of the IT skills gap to chart your way to a more lucrative career by acquiring relevant certifications in the most in-demand skills.
What’s more — SkillUp Online’s learning platform is here to help you do just that. With our online resources, you can acquire the skills and knowledge to become proficient in your preferred IT field. Whether it’s Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, DevOps, Cloud or others, SkillUp Online can help make your dream of an IT career come true.
You can also check out our IT certifications road map for an overview of the best way to achieve your certification goals in next to no time.
