Transitioning from Truck Driver to Tech Worker with CompTIA
Anecdotal evidence repeatedly affirms that you don't have to have a deep educational and employment background in information technology (IT) to forge a successful IT career. IT may not be everybody's first choice, but it seems clear that almost any person who has found success in almost any professional endeavor can replicate that success by switching to IT. This week the official blog of tech industry association CompTIA features an account of one Randolph Sexton, who transitioned from the U.S. Marine Corps to the United States Postal Service a decade ago, and now is preparing to transition from USPS to IT. Sexton discovered an off-ramp from his career of loading and driving tractor trailers for USPS in the form of CompTIA's A+ certification for hardware and software technicians. Since achieving certification, Sexton has begun learning the Python programming language from a tech-savvy nephew and hopes to soon leave USPS in the rearview mirror. If you've entertained the notion of pulling off such a switch yourself, then you'll almost certainly find his account inspiring.
Cisco: Eat the Certification Whale One Byte at a Time
Speaking of certification success stories, there's another engaging account at the Cisco Learning Blog from computer networking professional Stuart Clark, who uses his own transition to networking, beginning with Cisco's long-lived CCNA certification, to discuss how to maximize minimal learning opportunities. Wanting to give back to the Cisco community that helped him get his start, Clark got involved in creating short how-to videos to teach networking concepts in easily digestible chunks. Today, that type of content plays an ongoing role in helping both aspiring and active computer networking professionals beef up their knowledge and cement their skills. Cisco presents such short videos in a series titled Snack Minute Presented by Cisco U. If you're looking for professionally produced and reliably sourced content to help you keep pace or skill up, then these free videos are a good resource to keep tabs on.
Banker Shifts to Cybersecurity with Help from ISACA's ITCA
It's been quite a week for personal IT odysseys fueled by certification. Over at the ISACA Now Blog of cybersecurity and IT governance professional association ISACA, former investment banker Alex Townsend discusses diving into cybersecurity after spending 20 years in the world of high finance. "I went from being a derivatives expert," Townsend writes, "to building and maintaining several computers at home, as well as creating and securing home networks, all motivated by a deep fascination for technology." Helping to pave the path from hard cash to hard drives was the ISACA entry-level certification suite, ITCA (Information Technology Certified Associate). ITCA is a single credential, but it combines certificates in five core IT disciplines that can be earned individually and separately. Achieving ITCA certification, then, gives credential holders a solid footing in five potential IT spheres that could each become a potential career path. For Townsend, it was cybersecurity that stuck. What could ITCA certification do for you?
ISC2 Wants to Help You Start a Career in Security Operations
How much do you know about security operations? Would you like to know more? Cybersecurity professional association ISC2 has the solution. Among its portfolio of cybersecurity certifications, the Systems Security Certified Professional (SSCP) credential is especially for aspiring security operations specialists. A new post to the ISC blog fills in the details about both security operations and how to steer your cybersecurity career in that direction. Security operations professionals provide the first line of defense against cybercrime, so if you want to be right in the thick of the action, then security operations is the place to go.
That's all for this edition of Certification Watch. Please keep your certification news and tips coming to the GoCertify News Editor.
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