Best online courses and certifications for IT professionals

Skilled IT professionals are continuously in demand in South Africa. Therefore, one must try harder to turn themselves into a lucrative commodity through continuous learning and certifications. Whether starting out in the field or looking for specialization, getting the right online courses and certifications can mean being considered for other positions, earning more salary, and having wider opportunities. Here is a look at some of the best options when it comes to South African IT professionals building and refining their expertise.

 

Entry-Level Certifications

 

The certifications for an entry-level provide the very basics of IT:

·      CompTIA A+: Covers very basic knowledge in areas such as hardware, networking, and basic troubleshooting.

·      Google IT Support Professional Certificate: An introductory course about IT support and customer service-related fundamentals.

·      Microsoft Azure Fundamentals: Introduces cloud services. Cloud is upcoming, and businesses are starting to implement more, so it is becoming required to be aware of the Cloud.

Specialised IT Certifications

 

To deepen knowledge in specific areas consider certificates that target key IT specialisations:

 

 Network and Security: Cisco CCNA, CompTIA Network+, CompTIA Security+ help a person gain a strong background in network infrastructure and basic cybersecurity training.

·      Cloud Computing: AWS Certified Solutions Architect, Google Cloud Associate, Azure Administrator give wide knowledge in high-in-demand cloud services.

·      Cybersecurity: Higher-level certifications in cybersecurity include the CEH and CISSP.

·      Data Science and Analytics: Classes such as Google Data Analytics and IBM Data Science introduce analytics techniques that support data-driven decisions.

 

Programming and Development Courses

 

Programming lies at the heart of IT, and courses are widely available for a range of popular languages:

Courses involving Python, Java, and JavaScript are available on Coursera, Udemy, and Codecademy.

Certification courses include Oracle Certified Java Programmer and AWS Certified Developer.

The aforementioned credentials serve to increase credibility in the corporate world as well.

 

Project Management and IT Service Management

 

Specialized knowledge is embodied in the areas of IT project management and IT service management, and the following certifications are held in particularly high regard:

·      ITIL Foundation: This focuses on best practice for IT service management.

·      Project Management Professional (PMP): Equips one with skills to manage projects, a leading capability across industries.

·      Scrum and Agile Certifications: Scrum.org and Agile Alliance offer these certifications for project management in agile environments.

 

Data and Business Intelligence

 

With data continuing to drive the strategy of IT, the skills accompanying business intelligence become highly sought after:

·      Power BI, Tableau, and SQL classes can be found on LinkedIn Learning and Udacity.

·      Certifications such as Microsoft Power BI Certification and Tableau Desktop Specialist help translate data into insights at work.

 

Continuous Learning Resources

 

The fast-changing nature of technology requires ever-continuing learning:

·      Subscriptions through such platforms as LinkedIn Learning, Pluralsight, and DataCamp keep providing new content regularly.

·      Online membership in networking sites like LinkedIn and Reddit for South African IT professionals helps people network and share ideas and catches up with what's going on.

 

In this fast-evolving field of IT, only upskilling can be the differentiator to be in the reckoning. The pursuit of a mix between foundational and specialized skills could also help South African IT professionals realize their career potential and meet evolving industry needs. Take the next step toward career growth by selecting certifications that go with your career goals—whether you are getting started or seek to reach the full depth of your expertise.

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