Jon Baleva Feb 15, 2024
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Entrance Tips

10 Best Entry-level IT Certifications to Launch Your Career

Are you looking for the best entry-level IT certifications? Then this blog is for you. Getting a certification can increase the credibility of your resume and make it more marketable to hiring managers and recruiters. On a basic level, they are a great way to increase salaries and help to stand out from other candidates.

As your career progresses, you will need to consider obtaining more advanced certifications to continue your professional development. At that time, you will know which area of ​​expertise you will focus on and the skills required for the career path you want. However, at the entry level, it is recommended to stick to a more general certification.

Best IT Certifications for Beginners

Whether you just graduated or decided to change your career, here are the ten best IT certifications for beginners.

  • CompTIA IT Fundamentals (ITF+)
  • CompTIA Network+
  • Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)
  • CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP+)
  • Microsoft 365 Fundamentals
  • Microsoft technology associate (MTA)
  • Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)
  • Google IT Support Professional Certificate
  • CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst (CySA+)
  • Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) Routing and Switching

CompTIA IT Fundamentals (ITF+)

CompTIA IT Fundamentals + (ITF +) certification is intended for anyone interested in starting an IT career or wanting to change their career path. This exam aims to confirm your basic knowledge of IT and give you a better understanding of what it means to work in the IT field. It covers basic IT skills and expertise, including standard operating system features and characteristics, building network connectivity, security best practices, and classifying typical software applications.

The certification exam includes networking, IT concepts, infrastructure, terminology, applications, software, database foundations, security, and software development. If you want to continue your CompTIA certification, this is a good starting point but not a requirement for other certificates.

Learn More about CompTIA IT Fundamentals Training.

CompTIA Network+

CompTIA Network + is an entry-level certification covering networking concepts, operations, tools, security, troubleshooting, and IT infrastructure. This certification is for junior network administrators, junior system engineers, network field technicians, IS consultants, and network field engineers. We recommend that you have CompTIA A+ certification and at least 9-12 months of network experience before taking the exam, but this is not required.

This exam tests your knowledge of network equipment configuration, management and maintenance, network implementation and design, network troubleshooting, and network security. If you know that you want to work closely with your IT network, this is a well-known and valuable certification that sets you apart from other fresh candidates.

Acquire the necessary hands-on skills for your Network+ certification exam with CompTIA Network+ Course.

Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)

Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) is a cybersecurity certification that equips security professionals with the skills and knowledge they need to discover vulnerabilities. The purpose of CEH certification is to enable security engineers to acquire the same tools and skills as hackers. Through various techniques such as penetration testing, ethical hackers identify, evaluate and repair problems in existing systems. Ethical hackers deal with the tools of cybercriminals. The Certified Ethical Hacker exams are divided into three different levels: core, advanced and expert.

CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP+)

CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP+) certification is particularly suitable for technical professionals who want to focus on technology rather than strict management. CASP is a performance-based and practical network security certificate. A cybersecurity manager can help you determine the structures and policies that need to be implemented, but CASP+ certified professionals will find ways to implement solutions in these policies and systems. The CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner certification also verifies high-level capabilities in enterprise cybersecurity operations and architecture, risk management and integration.

Get the skills to become a CompTIA CASP+ certified with Edoxi's CompTIA CASP+ Certification Training.

Microsoft 365 Fundamentals

The Microsoft 365 Fundamentals certification comprises all the basics of Microsoft 365 products and suites of services. This certification demonstrates that you understand the options available in Microsoft 365 and the benefits of adopting a cloud service, SaaS cloud model and the implementation of Microsoft 365 cloud services.

This exam asks for explanations about cloud concepts, core Microsoft 365 services and concepts, Microsoft 365 security, compliance, privacy, and trust. It also tests your knowledge of Microsoft 365 products, services, structures, and pricing. This is among the best IT certifications for beginners.

Microsoft technology associate (MTA)

The MTA certification tests your core technical skills and is a certification for beginners expected to use Microsoft products. Many people invest in Microsoft technology.

You can take exams in many professional areas such as IT infrastructure, database, or development. Suppose you are looking for a widely applicable certification. In that case, the Windows Server Administration Fundamentals certification or Windows Operating System Fundamentals certification provides a solid foundation for your IT work with Microsoft.

Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)

Another standard cybersecurity certification is CISSP. The Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) is recognized by the International Information Systems Certification Consortium (ISC) and is extremely popular, demonstrating individual abilities to design, implement and manage some of the best cybersecurity programs.

With this CISSP certification program, users become proficient in various network security issues, including risk management, cloud computing, application development, and mobile security. Prerequisites for CISSP certification include at least five years of paid and related work experience in two or more CISSP Common Knowledge System (CBK) disciplines. If you do not meet these requirements, you can still take the certification exam. However, it can take up to 6 years to gain the required safety experience.

Google IT Support Professional Certificate

Google IT Support Professional Certification is developed by Google and hosted on Coursera. It is a course designed to provide students with a wide range of skills to succeed in an entry-level job. After the exam, you can get Google's professional certification, but it is not a certification itself. If you choose to continue to take the exam, you can pass this course to prepare for the CompTIA A+ exam.

Students will learn how to provide IT support activities such as wireless networking and computer assembly. After completion, you can share your resume with 20 project partners, including Bank of America, PNC Bank, Hulu, Intel, and of course, Google.

CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst (CySA+)

Like the CISSP certification program above, there are no prerequisites for the CySA + certification course. In other words, anyone can take this exam. However, it is recommended that those wishing to obtain it have approximately three years of practical experience in information security or have obtained the CompTIA Security + certificate.

Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) Routing and Switching

This CCNA certification is also ideal for beginner-level positions in networks and help desks. This certificate indicates that the user understands the operating model of the Cisco CLI and Cisco IOS software. CCNA Routing and Switching shows that you can identify Cisco routers and switch models, cabling, interfaces, and accessories.

Earn Cisco CCNA Certification and unlock your access to global recognition, better pay & greater acceptability

How to get an IT certification?

The certification process usually involves exams which is generally a combination of multiple-choice and performance-based questions. For CCNA Training, you can also find online and on-campus courses.

We recommend that you take training to prepare for the certification exam. If you are already in the IT field, you can do this through your work. If you are entirely new to this subject, you can sign up for lectures or self-study. You can find many courses for the certification you want to obtain.

Some of these may be certification programs like Coursera that can help you prepare for the exam. After completing the course, you can also get a certificate. If you want face-to-face instruction, community colleges usually offer accredited preparatory courses. You can read books, read e-books, watch videos, take practice exams, and learn by yourself.

We hope this blog about 10 best entry-level IT certifications will help you kick start your career.

SENIOR TRAINER: NETWORKING AND PROGRAMMING

Jon Baleva is an IT professional with 20 years of experience in programming and networking. He is an expert in Python & IT Security domains as well as in Operating Systems (OS). He has trained professionals and students in IT Programming courses, Microsoft Azure, Linux   & MAC OS. He is also a writer who writes on tech-related topics for various tech magazines in Philippine. He is now an IT Trainer with Edoxi Training Institute, Dubai.

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