The Top 5 IT Certifications geospatial professionals need to consider
It is essential that geospatial professionals be aware of which available certifications are considered attractive to organizations, as they indicate trends related to current technology and knowledge. Cloud skills are critical for most organizations, especially as the Internet of Things expands and requires storage space for all that data.
The Global Knowledge 2019 IT Skills and Salary Report has released a list of this year’s highest paying certifications, which reveals a strong emphasis on cloud computing, cybersecurity, networking and project management. We’ve provided a snapshot of the top 5 certifications below.
1. Google Certified Professional Cloud Architect
This certification qualifies IT professionals to be cloud architects on the GCP platform. Users can design, develop, and manage a reliable cloud architecture using Google Cloud Platform technologies. In 2019 GCP Cloud Architect is one of the highest-paying certifications; generally, cloud jobs pay over $100,000 (US) and there are many open vacancies—making GCP an attractive edition to the CV of any developer. Certification exams must be taken in person at a Kryterion testing centre.
2. Project Management Professional (PMP)
Project Management Institute is responsible for administering the most important industry-recognized certification for project managers: Project Management Professional (PMP). PMP provides employers and users with the experience and knowledge to effectively plan and deliver projects, and its inclusion on a CV can be a key differential when it comes to being chosen to lead important organizational project initiatives. Getting a PMP certification will need 35 hours of PMP-related training, project management, an experience excellent exam score, and 60 professional development units every three years.
3. Certified ScrumMaster
If you want to prove that you understand Agile Scrum Methodology and can put scrum into practice, you should probably consider achieving a Certified ScrumMaster certificate.
Scrum is a framework within which people can address complex adaptive problems, while productively and creatively delivering products of the highest possible value.
A certified ScrumMaster leads teams and helps them understand the Scrum framework, all while maintaining top performance. A ScrumMaster also removes internal and external distractions, ensuring that goals are always met. The Scrum Alliance requires individuals to attend the two-day Certified ScrumMaster Workshop course; passing the exam will give you a two-year membership.
4. AWS Certified Solutions Architect, Associate Level
Passing the AWS Certified Solutions Architect, Associate Level exam demonstrates that an individual is an expert in designing scalable systems on AWS. Growing market need for AWS solutions architects—and expansion in the cloud—means that this certification has been on lists of top certifications for several years. Hands-on experience with AWS (six months or more) is necessary to be certified, as well as passing the exam that is offered at PSI testing centres. The exam will cover a range of subjects, including AWS design, services, costs, and data management.
5. AWS Certified Developer, Associate Level
Once again, this designation has been on lists of top certifications in years past. It confirms expertise in technical development and application maintenance on AWS and demonstrates a user’s ability to use AWS SDKs to interact with services from within applications and write code that optimizes AWS application performance. The swift growth of cloud-based applications and the Internet of Things has resulted in an explosion of popularity for the AWS Certified Developer certification. As with the Solutions Architect certification, hands-on experience is needed to achieve this designation; in this case, knowledge of one or more programming languages. The exam (also offered through PSI testing centres) covers AWS service use, the creation of code that optimizes performance, and coding security for access to AWS services.
