What are IT certifications?
IT certifications are skilled designations supplied by organizations and firms that can assist you show to employers your {qualifications} in particular expertise, instruments, and IT information areas. To achieve certifications, you’ll have to move an examination, together with another necessities set by the accrediting physique. Gaining the appropriate IT certifications on your position and {industry} might help you advance your profession.
Certifications provide the alternative to earn a credential in expertise you have already got or to develop your competencies by creating new expertise you’d like to make use of in your profession. No matter your motive for getting licensed, certifications are a good way to strengthen your resume, set your self other than different candidates in a job search, and enhance your wage.
The importance of IT certifications
IT certifications not solely assist solidify the abilities in your resume, however they’ll additionally provide schooling and hands-on expertise. Many certifications require finishing a course or coaching program, permitting you to study new expertise and hone current ones. This is usually a nice alternative for entry-level staff who have to bulk up their resumes or for extra seasoned IT execs to set themselves other than different candidates by validating their experience and expertise.
Whereas some certifications include solely an examination, many educate you new ideas, concepts, and develop your information previous to certifying your expertise and talents. This will provide the alternative to not solely acquire an industry-recognized designation but in addition enable you to acquire new expertise and experience on your resume.
10 in-demand certifications for 2026
In response to the 2026 Wage Information from Robert Half, these are a number of the most precious certifications IT professionals can maintain right now. Whether or not you’re simply beginning out and constructing your resume otherwise you’ve been within the {industry} for 20 years, there’s a certification that may assist enhance your wage and your profession:
- AWS Licensed Cloud Practitioner
- Licensed Cloud Safety Skilled (CCSP)
- Licensed Knowledge Skilled (CDP)
- Licensed Data Methods Auditor (CISA)
- CompTIA A+
- CompTIA Cloud+
- CompTIA Safety+
- Microsoft Licensed Azure Options Architect
- Challenge Administration Skilled (PMP)
- Amazon Internet Providers (AWS) certifications
AWS Licensed Cloud Practitioner
The AWS Licensed Cloud Practitioner certification covers the fundamentals of AWS cloud, together with its world infrastructure and architectural rules. You’ll be requested to outline and describe the AWS cloud worth proposition, key providers on the AWS platform and their widespread use instances, in addition to fundamental safety and compliance facets of the AWS platform and shared safety mannequin. It’s really useful that you’ve a fundamental understanding of IT providers and the way they work with AWS. You’ll additionally want not less than six months of expertise with AWS in any position, whether or not technical, managerial, gross sales, buying, or monetary. The foundational-level AWS certification examination is priced at $100.
The common wage for IT professionals with an AWS Cloud Practitioner certification is $85,866 per yr, based on knowledge from ZipRecruiter.
Supply: CompTIA
Licensed Cloud Safety Skilled (CCSP)
The Licensed Cloud Safety Skilled (CCSP) certification is obtainable by means of the Worldwide Data System Safety Certification Consortium (ISC)² and demonstrates your information and talents when designing, managing, and securing knowledge, functions, and infrastructure within the cloud. It’s designed for these working with cloud know-how, together with enterprise architects, safety directors, programs engineers, safety architects, programs architects, or consultants, engineers, or managers. The certification examination covers cloud ideas, structure, design, safety, and threat and compliance. Whereas not required, the (ISC)² recommends not less than 5 years of expertise in IT, with not less than three years in data safety and one yr in a number of of the six domains discovered within the CCSP CBOK. For extra, see “CCSP certification: Examination, price, necessities, coaching, wage.”
The common wage for IT professionals with a CCSP certification is $122,000 per yr, based on knowledge from Payscale.
Licensed Knowledge Skilled (CDP)
Obtainable from the Institute for Certification of Computing Professionals (ICCP), the Licensed Knowledge Skilled (CDP) certification presents a number of studying paths. CDP candidates can select from a spread of domains, together with enterprise analytics, knowledge analytics and design, knowledge governance, knowledge integration and interoperability, knowledge administration, knowledge warehousing, enterprise knowledge structure, data programs or IT administration, and extra. The CDP is obtainable at varied ranges beginning with Basis and shifting on to Affiliate, Mastery, Principal, and ending on the remaining degree of Government Administration.
The common wage for IT professionals with a CDP certification is $118,445 per yr, based on knowledge from ZipRecruiter.
Licensed Data Methods Auditor (CISA)
Provided by means of the ISACA, the Licensed Data Methods Auditor (CISA) certification is a globally acknowledged certification for IS audit management. It was established in 1978 and certifies your means to report on compliance procedures, how properly you possibly can assess vulnerabilities, and your information of each stage within the auditing course of. To qualify, you want not less than 5 years of expertise in IS auditing, management, or safety and should full one other entry-level examination by means of the ISACA certification scheme. The certification covers high-level subjects comparable to the data programs auditing course of, governance and administration of IT, operations and enterprise resilience, and IS acquisition, growth, and implementation.
The common wage for IT professionals with a CISA certification is $109,713 per yr, based on knowledge from ZipRecruiter.
CompTIA A+
CompTIA presents a number of certifications for IT execs at each stage of their IT careers, and the CompTIA A+ certification is its entry-level IT certification masking the foundations of {hardware}, technical help, and troubleshooting. The certification is designed for these all in favour of a profession as a service desk analyst, assist desk tech, technical help specialist, area service technician, assist desk technician, affiliate community engineer, knowledge help technician, desktop help administrator, or finish consumer computing technician. To earn your CompTIA A+ certification you’ll need to move two separate exams. The CompTIA A+ 220-1001 examination covers cell units, networking know-how, {hardware}, virtualization and cloud computing, and community troubleshooting. The CompTIA A+ 220-1002 examination covers putting in and configuring working programs, expanded safety, software program troubleshooting, and operational procedures. Whereas it’s an entry-level certification, it’s really useful to have not less than 9 to 12 months of hands-on expertise within the area.
The common wage for entry-level IT professionals with a CompTIA A+ certification is $41,659 per yr, based on knowledge from ZipRecruiter.
CompTIA Cloud+
The CompTIA Cloud+ certification is designed to validate that cloud professionals have the abilities mandatory to take care of and optimize cloud infrastructure providers. The examination is vendor-neutral and covers a number of related distributors so you possibly can acquire a bigger image of cloud infrastructure providers. You’ll study and be examined on configurations and deployment, administration of cloud assets, upkeep of programs, safety, and troubleshooting. It’s really useful to have not less than two to 3 years of expertise in system administration earlier than taking the examination.
The common wage for IT professionals with a CompTIA Cloud+ certification is $128,365 per yr, based on knowledge from ZipRecruiter.
CompTIA Safety+
The CompTIA Safety+ certification is finest suited to community, system, and safety directors; safety specialists; junior IT auditors; safety consultants; and safety engineers. Safety is a precedence for practically each enterprise — as know-how turns into a high driver of enterprise success, firms are on the lookout for certified IT execs who might help be certain that they’re protected against potential threats and dangers. The certification examination covers subjects comparable to threats, assaults, vulnerabilities, threat administration, structure and design, know-how and instruments, cryptography and PKI, and id and entry administration.
The common wage for IT professionals with a CompTIA Safety+ certification is $55,353 per yr, based on knowledge from ZipRecruiter.
Microsoft Licensed Azure Options Architect
The Microsoft Azure Options Architect certification validates your material experience in designing cloud and hybrid options on Azure, together with community, compute, monitoring, storage, and safety. It’s supplied on the affiliate degree, which exams your expertise with implementing, montoring, and managing a company’s Microsoft Azure setting. When you earn the affiliate degree designation, you possibly can take the take a look at to earn your professional degree certification. On the professional degree, you’ll want superior expertise and deep information of IT operations comprising networking, governance, catastrophe restoration, knowledge platforms, virtualization, enterprise continuity, id, and safety to move the examination.
The common wage for IT professionals with a the Microsoft Licensed Azure Options Architect professional degree certification is $146,601 per yr, based on knowledge from ZipRecruiter.
CompTIA
Challenge Administration Skilled (PMP)
The Challenge Administration Skilled certification supplied by PMI validates your venture management expertise and experience, and demonstrates your capabilities to assist organizations work extra effectively. The examination covers subjects comparable to managing battle, constructing and main efficient groups, coaching and empowering crew members and stakeholders, executing tasks to ship enterprise worth, assessing and managing dangers, and planning and managing budgets and assets, amongst others. For extra in regards to the PMP, and tips about the best way to move it, see PMP certification: The right way to ace the Challenge Administration Skilled examination.
The common wage for IT professionals with a PMP certification is $122,388 per yr, based on knowledge from ZipRecruiter.
Amazon Internet Providers (AWS) certifications
Amazon Internet Providers (AWS) is a broadly used platform throughout each {industry}, and Amazon presents a number of certifications that fall below the umbrella of AWS, with paths for IT roles comparable to options architect, software architect, cloud knowledge engineer, software program growth engineer, programs administrator, cloud engineer, take a look at engineer, cloud DevOps engineer, DevSecOps engineer, cloud safety engineer, cloud safety architect, community engineer, and machine studying engineer. It’s a vendor-specific certification that may profit anybody who’s tasked with working straight with AWS services and products or seeking to make good on the excessive demand for cloud expertise right now. The certifications vary in ability degree, with choices accessible for people who find themselves fully new to tech, choices for entry-level IT execs who’ve expertise, and certifications designed for seasoned veterans of the {industry}.
The common wage for IT professionals with AWS certifications is $122,422 per yr, based on knowledge from ZipRecruiter.
Extra on IT certifications:
- The 20 most precious IT certifications right now
- 17 finest entry-level IT certifications to launch your profession
- 10 hottest IT certifications
- 10 IT certifications paying the very best premiums right now
- 10 hottest IT certifications right now
- ITIL certification information: Prices, necessities, ranges, and paths
