Certifications and IT Careers

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Certifications and IT Careers

• Gretchen Koch
• Director, Skills Development Programs
• CompTIA

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Todays Agenda

• Who CompTIA is and what we do
• Why IT remains a good career choice, even in a
  struggling economy
• Where the entry level opportunities are in IT
• Where the growth opportunities are in IT
• Why Industry Certifications are key

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Who is CompTIA?

• A not-for-profit global trade association
  representing the IT Industry
• Inclusive of all IT industry segments Hardware
  Software Telecommunications IT Services
• Corporations and Not-for-profit organizations,
  Schools, Community Colleges and Universities
• Established in 1982, with corporate members in
  102 countries

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What Does CompTIA Do?

• Represents the interests of the IT Industry
• The largest developer of vendor-neutral IT
  certifications
• More than 1 million CompTIA certification holders
  worldwide
• Examples A, Network , Security
• Advances the interests of the IT industry through
  public policy initiatives by engaging government
  policy makers worldwide
• A leader of industry initiatives in IT Skill
  Standards and IT Workforce Development

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Why IT Remains a Good Career Choice

• IT is still a high growth industry
• There are still growing opportunities for entry
  level IT job functions
• Students can gain IT Industry certifications
  while in high school and collegehelping them
  find employment.

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Current State of Affairs in ITWhat the Research
Tells Us

• IT job market is strengthening in U.S.
• In Q1, 2008 IT employment up 12 YOY
• 376,000 IT jobs added for total of 3.8M employed
• As of July, 2008, U.S. High-Tech Industry
  employed 5.9Mhighest since 2002
• IT workforce growth is stagnant in U.S.
• lt2 from low points of 2003 and 2004
• Data U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

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Current State of Affairs in ITWhat the Research
Tells Us

• Wheres the U.S. IT job growth coming from?
• Computer support specialistsleapt 41 YOY
  adding 127,000 jobs
• Network and data communications analysts19
  growth YOY adding 68,000 new jobs
• Computer scientists and system analysts8 growth
  YOY adding 65,000 jobs
• Network/system administrators31 growth YOY
  adding 51,000 jobs
• IT management11 growth YOY adding 51,000 jobs
• Data U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

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Where Entry Level Opportunities are in IT

• Desktop Support Technicians
• Windows Administration
• Network Administration (LAN/WAN)
• Database Management
• Wireless Network Management
• Robert Half Technology Survey (Sept. 2008)

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Entry Level IT Jobs Salary Information

• Help Desk Support - 46.5K
• IT Technician - 49.3K
• Network Administrator - 58.7K
• Computer Security Specialist - 59.2K
• IT Administrator - 63.1K
• Systems Administrator - 65.2K
• IT Specialist - 65.2K
• IT Analyst - 67.7K
• Data 2009 IT Skills and Salary Report Global
  Knowledge TechRepublic
• Robert Half 2009 Salary Guide

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Where the Growth Opportunities are in IT

• IT is ubiquitousthe glue that ties many
  industries together, e.g. healthcare, finance,
  entertainment, transportation.
• Health IT, e.g. health records management,
  automated pharmaceutical orders, information
  security
• Green ITTechnology recycling, virtualization,
  green technology

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IT Salaries by Industry

• Education - 63.7K
• Healthcare - 78.1K
• Government - 77.5K
• Banking - 79.6K
• Manufacturing - 80.2K
• Computer Services - 83.4K
• Information Technology/Services - 85.1K
• Retail - 85.3K
• Insurance - 87.9K
• Telecommunications - 88.1K
• 2009 IT Skills and Salary Report Global
  Knowledge TechRepublic

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Why Industry Certifications are Important

• Competitive advantage in a job search
• Higher wage earning potential
• Help students pay for post-secondary education
• Become more productive on the job
• Many employers mandate certs
• College Military service credit
• Perkins Act funding

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IT Industry Certs JJC Students Can Attain

• Microsoft (MCP, MCSE, MCSA)
• MOSMicrosoft Office Specialist
• Cisco CCNA, CCNP
• Novell CNA, CNE)
• CompTIA A, Network, Security
• CIW - Webmaster

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IT Certifications Salaries

• MCDST - 63.5K
• CompTIA A - 68.1K
• CompTIA Network - 70.7K
• MOS - 71.2K
• MCSA on Windows Server 2003 - 74.4K
• CompTIA Security - 75.1K
• CCNA Routing Switching - 81.3K
• MCSE on Windows Server 2003 - 81.8K
• CCNA Security - 87.K
• 2009 IT Skills Salary Report Global
  Knowledge TechRepublic

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Importance of Continuing Education for IT
Professionals

• IT is dynamicits always changing
• Positively impacts
• Productivity
• Career opportunities
• Salary growth
• Benefits are visible in all stages of an IT
  career
• Key motivator is often to earn a certification or
  re-certify

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Contact Information

• Gretchen Koch
• gkoch_at_comptia.org
• [phone]
• (C) [phone]