Suppose you are thinking about becoming a system administrator in your organization's information technology (IT) department. In that case, you need to have specific training and experience and get things done. To know if you are a good fit for a system administrator role, it's important to understand what it is, what you'll do in that role and the benefits of this career path.
Paul Ricketts
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Getting into information technology (IT) career is an exciting choice because of the numerous paths you can take and roles you can fulfill. Progressing in an IT career can take you to many different places, and your progression may not look like anyone else’s. If you are looking to advance in this industry, IT project management is an area you should consider.
Being an IT project manager requires that you have technical skills as well as traditional business acumen, a combination that allows you to keep critical IT initiatives on track. If this sounds intriguing to you, take a closer look at what an IT project manager is, what they do, and why it’s a solid career path, especially in the metropolitan Washington, DC area.
Security and risk management are huge concerns for most organizations, especially those in the government. The Risk Management Framework (RMF) is a set of criteria that directs how organizations’ IT systems must be built, protected, and monitored. RMF is the process that is used by all federal government departments, including the Intelligence Community (IC) and the Department of Defense (DoD). The RMF incorporates information security and risk management activities into early development stages to help avoid risk.
If you are in a job role that focuses on or around authorizing and maintaining information systems, or you would like to be, then earning the Certified Authorization Professional (CAP) certification is the best way to deepen your skills and advance your career. The CAP credential demonstrates that you have the skills and abilities to assess risk associated with IT security and your ability to implement security requirements and maintain documentation.
If you’re looking to build an IT career and are trying to decide whether a network engineering career path is right for you, one question you’re probably asking yourself is how much salary you will be able to make once you have your CCNA.
Let's outline what CCNA is and why it’s important, then break down the CCNA average salary both nationally and locally for the Washington DC region.
You’ll often see Cisco’s CCNA certification referred to as an entry-level accreditation, but closer examination of Cisco’s suggested prerequisites recommends that candidates have at least two years of network experience before taking the test. This can be confusing as the term 'entry-level' suggests that a candidate with limited experience can pass the exam in a relatively short period of time and get an entry-level IT job.
So, if Cisco is recommending candidates need years of experience, is CCNA entry-level?
Cisco Systems dominates the IT networking industry. Nearly 50% of the world’s Ethernet configurations run on Cisco equipment, which means, if you are interested in pursuing a career that involves computer networking and communication, at some point, you are likely to have to handle Cisco Systems. For this reason, the entry-level Cisco CCNA certification is an important one to have under your belt.
That is all well and good, but how hard is CCNA to pass?
If you are at the point where you’re asking, ‘is CEH hard to pass?’ chances are that you are familiar with what an ethical hacker does and how important the CEH certification can be to someone looking to become one. Right now, you are looking for some reassurance that any time and money invested in training and certification is worth it. So, while we can’t predict if you will pass, we can give you a sense of what you need to do to get your CEH accreditation and what to expect from the exam.
In recent years becoming a certified ethical hacker has become a much sought-after skill in the cybersecurity world. Seeded by small groups of early hackers who bucked the trend of hacking for financial gain or simple disruption, it took time for the practice to be accepted as a legitimate role in the business world.
But how do you become a certified ethical hacker?
It’s a question we hear a lot here at TrainACE – Can I get into IT without a degree?
In short, yes you can. An increasing percentage of successful IT professionals have built their careers on their experience, and by obtaining professional certifications, rather than taking a four-year degree. Professional IT certifications cover a wide range of topics in a focused way, and many can be obtained relatively quickly. Increasingly employers in Maryland are looking for people with specific skill sets and are relying on certifications to assess an individual’s skills and knowledge.
Let’s explore how you can get into IT without a degree.