The US economy is in the throes of a recession accompanied by a dwindling job market. While IT has traditionally been a demand field, it is now experiencing a significant drop in new job opportunities. Many companies have started to outsource jobs to low cost destinations where the cost of labor is cheap.



Companies that continue to hire on-site professionals are looking for employees that are not only qualified in the field but have certifications to confirm their qualifications.

Employers believe that certified employees are more productive on the job, have better customer relations, earn more customer trust and thereby improve the profit margin of the company. In addition, certified professionals can also command higher salaries.

There are well over 400 certifications available in the computer industry. A popular one however, is the Comp TIA A+ certificate. This has the advantage of being an international vendor neutral certification. Yet it is recognized by major hardware and software vendors as well as distributors and resellers.

The Comp TIA A+ certificate verifies that the technician and do such jobs as installation, configuration, diagnosing, preventive maintenance and basic networking.

The original exam consisted of two parts. One tested hardware technologies and concepts while the other covered operating systems and concepts. These two areas are considered to be the basic foundation of technical skills and knowledge required by entry-level workers.

Although the two tests of hardware and operating system concepts have been preserved, the exam has been updated to include additional areas such as security, safety, environmental issues and communications.

Once having passed the Comp TIA A+ exam, one can sit for the Comp TIA A+ 220-602. This confirms a technician's skill in installation, building, repairing, configuring, troubleshooting, optimizing, diagnosing and preventive maintenance in a field service or enterprise environment. It is highly recommended for those technicians who plan to work in a mobile or corporate environment.

The Comp TIA A+ is part of the certification track for corporations such as Hewlett Packard, Cisco, Novell and Microsoft.

It is also recommended that individuals who have received A+ certification pursue a Microsoft certification for Microsoft Windows since most desktop computers use this system.

There are also many certification opportunities open to entry-level technicians who are working with specific systems. For instance, Sun offers the "Sun Certified Associate for the Java Platform." This is recommended for entry-level programmers, for students studying to become Java programmers or for program managers working with Java technology.

Sun Java offers various certifications for people working with Java. These are categorized as basic, intermediate and advanced. An example of a basic certificate if the Sun Certified Java Programmer.

The Sun Certified Java Developer is an intermediate certificate for Java developers.

Cisco also has many certifications available, which cover Cisco products as well as Internet working technologies. Cisco certifications cover three levels of proficiency: associate, professional and expert. They have a campus in Silicon Valley.

These companies also offer considerable support to technicians who wish to acquire these certificates.

Sun has pre-assessments on their web site to help a technician determine which courses to enroll in and readiness for exams. In addition, Sun offers free proficiency assessments, practice exams and coaching programs in Java and Solaris.

With the vast amount of opportunities available, any technician who desires certification will have no trouble accomplishing that goal.