Top Paying IT Career Paths for 2015

Top Paying IT Career Paths for 2015

By Unknown   01:58   No comments:

In addition to education requirements and marketplace demand, salary is a key factor in choosing your ideal IT career. These tech jobs have the greatest earning potential in 2014.

Finding a job you love that also pays the bills can prove a challenge in today’s economy. Luckily, those of us in the rapidly evolving IT space have a range of challenging and lucrative career paths to choose from. Most of the top paying tech careers for 2014 require years of schooling, but the expense of education will pay dividends upon joining the workforce. Unsurprisingly, many of this year’s top paying positions are in the C-suite – in addition to training, these careers demand an experienced technologist with high business acumen and a proven record of success.

IT staffing firm, Robert Half Technology, recently published its 2014 Salary Guide, featuring salary and employment trends for this year’s hottest job roles. Here we take a deeper look at the top 10 highest paying IT careers for 2014:

1. Chief Information Officer (CIO) | Salary Range: $153,000 - $246,750 (+ 5.1% YoY)
   The CIO is responsible for the organization's technical direction, including budgeting, equipment, personnel, and other IT-related projects. As an increasing number of companies augment their IT infrastructure with third-party hosting, backup/recovery and other cloud-based services, it’s more important than ever before to employ a future-minded CIO who can capitalize on emerging trends to cut costs and drive big-picture goals. Check out this interesting infographic from Brocade to learn more about popular CIO archetypes: The Evolution of the CIO

2. Chief Technology Officer (CTO) | Salary Range: $132,250 - $205,750 (+ 5.3% YoY)

   Like the aforementioned CIO, successful Chief Technology Officers are effective leaders and strategists with a high acumen for business and technology. The major difference is that the CTO is primarily concerned with the impact of technology on the company’s external offerings, for example, product research and development, while the CIO is focused on the organization's internal IT infrastructure. In a small to mid-size business, one person may perform both roles, while larger companies and enterprises are likely to separate the positions. 

3. Vice President of Technology | Salary Range: $134,750 - $196,750 (+ 5.5% YoY)

   The Vice President of Technology serves as the vital link between C-suite officers and IT professionals “in the trenches.” These executives use their intimate knowledge of day-to-day IT operations and top-level business goals to ensure that technology initiatives are completed on time, to scope and under budget. Often playing the role of project manager, VPs break down interdepartmental technology plans into bite-size projects with milestones and key performance metrics they can use to track and optimize worker output.

4. Chief Security Officer (CSO) | Salary Range: $126,750 - $189,750 (+ 5.9% YoY)

   Chief Security Officers are charged with ensuring a company’s digital and physical security. As this is a list of the top paying IT careers, let's focus on the digital aspect, a.k.a. information security. Cyber attacks are rapidly increasing in frequency and sophistication, making information security and it’s chief decision maker evermore vital to success. Key CSO duties include developing information security policy, coordinating IT security efforts across departments, and keeping up with the latest threats to prevent an attack before it happens. Few things can be as devastating as a high profile breach, so smart enterprises will pay top-dollar for a proven CSO.

5. Network Architect | Salary Range: $109,250 - $156,500 (+ 6.8% YoY)

   Network Architects design and build computer networks and telecommunications systems, such as local (LAN) and wide (WAN) area networks, VoIP systems and intranets. Overall, demand and wages for network architects is on the rise, however this position is in an interesting state of flux: On one hand, network architect demand is soaring as organizations implement new mobile and wireless networks to cut costs and boost productivity, while on the other hand, demand for in-house architects is falling as more companies outsource networking duties to specialized firms. That said, network architecture is still a top-paying IT job with a bright outlook; just be mindful of these and other emerging trends when building your learning plan.

6. Data Warehouse Manager | Salary Range: $115,250 - $154,250 (+ 5.9% YoY)

   A data warehouse (DW) is a specialized collection of data – typically gathered from both internal and external sources – designed to help organizations analyze complex trends to make smarter business decisions. Data warehouse managers utilize a unique set of skills including database modeling, business intelligenceanalysis and project management to support data warehouse initiatives. Data analysis is red hot in 2014 and will continue to be a key objective for forward-thinking companies, ensuring top-tier salaries and increased job opportunities for skilled data warehouse managers for years to come.

7. Database Manager | Salary Range: $107,750 - $149,000 (+ 5.9% YoY)

   Database managers, a.k.a. database administrators, are responsible for organizing and managing the organization’s data. They are tasked with ensuring that the data is accurate, secure and readily accessible to the appropriate user groups. These professionals should be fluent in one or more of today’s leading database management systems (DBMS), i.e., Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle and IBM DB2. The database is the heart of key business systems that drive payroll, sales and manufacturing, so skilled database managers command top dollar for playing a vital role in the company’s success.

8. Applications Architect | Salary Range: $109,750 - $148,750 (+ 5.8% YoY)

   Not to be confused with software developers and engineers (which are hotly sought-after, top paying tech jobs in their own right), applications architects wield a broad view of an enterprise’s software footing along with project management and software development expertise to direct the design of applications from concept through completion, all while ensuring adherence to the company’s software development methodology. Dave Van De Voort, principal at Mercer Human Resource Consulting, aptly says, “they act both as consultants to developers and as architecture cops.” True applications architects are very hard to find, driving wages for this career path to all-time high in 2014.

9. Mobile Applications Developer | Salary Range: $100,000 - $144,000 (+ 7.8% YoY)

   Continued exponential growth in the mobile arena has created one of the largest talent gaps ever seen in the modern workforce; there are simply more mobile development vacancies than qualified developers to fill them. Already the fastest growing tech career three years running, demand and pay for talented mobile application developers will continue to rise in 2014, as it becomes increasingly attractive (or even vital) for public and private organizations alike to bring their products and services to the rapidly expanding mobile marketplace. Apple iOS development talent is in the greatest demand, followed closely by Android application developers – combined, these two operating systems account for over 90% of all mobile devices in U.S. circulation.

10. Business Intelligence Analyst | Salary Range: $101,250 - $142,250 (+ 7.4% YoY)

    Business intelligence analysts collect, analyze and report on internal and external business data to support smarter decision-making. Their mission is to identify actionable trends and translate them into reports that C-suite officers, marketing executives, and other non-technical business units can use to cut costs, increase productivity or otherwise gain a competitive advantage. Modern enterprises recognize the huge potential in their findings, so top-notch business intelligence analysts are rewarded in six-figure kind.

More Red-Hot Tech Careers

Beyond the top ten entries, here are some high-paying computer jobs you should keep an eye on. These five roles are poised to explode in both salary and workforce demand through 2015 and beyond:

• Data Security Analyst | $100,500 - $137,250 (+ 5.8% YoY)
• Software Engineer | $89,750 - $137,250 (+ 7.5% YoY)
• IT Project Manager | $94,500 - $135,500 (YoY + 6.1% YoY)
• Database Developer | $92,000 - $134,500 (+ 6.5% YoY)
• Senior Web Developer | $97,750 - $132,250 (+ 6.3% YoY)

Notes: Year over year (YoY) salary growth percentage is measured from 2013 to 2014.

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Android Cool Tricks

Android Cool Tricks

By Unknown   20:18   No comments:

Android is pretty cool. There are things you can do with an Android phone that iOS and Windows Phone users can only dream about. With a little imagination the possibilities are nearly infinite. Since there are so many different things you can do with an Android phone it’s inevitable to be unaware of some basic tricks. We’ve compiled a list of seven cool tricks that every Android user should know.

1. Do a Google search from anywhere

One of the best things about having an Android device is the tight integration of Google services. In the latest versions of the Google Search app for Android they have enabled users to do searches from anywhere. All you have to do is turn on your phone and say “Ok, Google.” It’s fast and super handy when you want to quickly find something. Here’s how to do it.

1. Open the Google Search app
2. Go to Settings > Voice
3. Go to “Ok Google Detection”
4. Enable “From any screen”
5. Train the app to recognize your voice

2. Make your phone snappy with faster animations

One of the most common complaints about Android is “lagginess.” For whatever reason Google has never been able to get Android on the same buttery smooth level as iOS or even Windows Phone. In the last few versions they have made some serious improvements, but if you still feel like your phone is a little laggy there is a trick for speeding things up. Google has hidden some secret developer options inside the Settings. Inside the secret developer options is settings for animation and transition speed. Here’s how to speed things up.

1. Open Settings > About phone
2. Scroll down and tap on “Build number” 7 times
3. Now go back to Settings and you should see new “Developer options”
4. Adjust the window and transition animation scales to .5x or turn them off completely

3. Locate and wipe your lost phone

Losing your phone is one of the worst things that can happen. These devices contain sensitive information and private data. If your phone falls into the wrong hands it could put you in a world of trouble. There are apps you can download to help in the event of a lost phone, but in order for them to work you need to have them installed before something bad happens. Luckily there is a built-in way to find your lost phone and even wipe all of your personal data.

1. Double-check to make sure Android Device Manager is installed
2. Go to google.com/android/devicemanager
3. Select your phone from the menu
4. Now you can see the location, ring it, lock it, or erase it

4. Scrub through songs on lockscreen

When you’re playing music on your phone the lockscreen gets taken over with beautiful album art and media controls. These controls allow you to go back, play/pause, or skip to the next song without having to fully unlock the device. However, that’s not all you can do with those buttons. A little known feature is the ability to scrub through a song from the lockscreen. It’s stupidly easy to do, but not an obvious feature.

1. With music playing, long-press on the media control buttons
2. Scrub through the song with the newly present bar

5. Put widgets on the lockscreen

Widgets have long been a selling point of Android, and remain to be a unique feature of the OS. Most people love to deck out their homescreen with widgets, but you don’t have to stop there. Ever since Android 4.—— the lockscreen can also be a place for widgets. This gives users quick access to pertinent information without even unlocking the device. Lockscreen widgets are not turned on by default. Here’s how to do it.

1. Go to Settings > Security
2. Tap “Enable widgets”
3. Go to the lockscreen and swipe to the left screen
4. Tap the [+] button and choose a widget

6. Save battery in the GPS settings

If you don’t rely on location data a lot you could be saving some precious battery life. Android has a built-in setting that allows you to determine how you want your phone to find your location. There are three different modes: high accuracy, battery saving, and device only. This trick isn’t for everyone, but if you don’t care about location it’s a nice way to save some juice.

1. Go to Settings > Location
2. Tap on “Mode”
3. Select your desired location mode

7. Change what app launches with the home button shortcut

On devices with software buttons you can launch Google Search by swiping up on the home button. Some devices with hardware buttons allow you to do this with a long-press on the home button. An app called Home Button Launcher allows you to use this gesture to launch any app you would like. This gives you quick access to your favorite apps from anywhere on the phone. Here’s how to do it.

1. Download Home Button Launcher from Google Play
2. Swipe up or long press the home button
3. Tap Home Button Launcher and make it default
4. Tap the menu icon and select “Add”
5. Choose all the app you wish to appear in the shortcut

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Whatsapp PLUS, a better whatsapp platform for android

Whatsapp PLUS, a better whatsapp platform for android

By Unknown   08:19   No comments:

Hey Guyss...

As we all know Whatsapp has now-a-days become one of the most prominent messaging app arounf the world. But there has always been some limitations in whatsapp some of which are.....

1. If your last seen is off you also cannot see any other person`s last seen.
2. The interface and themes cant be changed.
3. The background color is mostly blue or in some cases green. It cant be changed according to ones personal interests.
and many more..............

But now you don`t have to worry because we are telling you about one awesome app called whatsapp plus.

SPECIAL FEATURES OF WHATSAPP+

Some of the main features of WhatsApp+ are :

-> More Colors
-> More Emotions
-> Hide Last Seen
-> Send File size of Large Size
->  Group member limit increased
-> Changed and modified interface

HOW TO DOWNLOAD AND INSTALL WHATSAPP PLUS V6.13

• First Download WhatsApp Plus v6.13 APK file and save it in your PC or Phone
• Back Up all your old chats : Go to WhatsApp > Menu Button > Settings > Chat Settings. Tap Backup Conversations.
• Delete or Uninstall the WhatsApp which is already installed in your Device.
• Open the APK file and install the same in your Android smartphone or tablet.
• Now follow the screen instruction. Accept the installation with the “Accept” button.
• Congratulation, now you successfully installed the WhatsApp PLUS in your device.
• If you face any error while verifying your number : Check This Out.

Note : Also remember to enable the option to install the third party apps apps.

The Final Verdict

One major problem with WhatsApp Plus is that it needs uninstalling of WhatsApp. There are a few users who had problems in using WhatsApp plus initially. You should check out the details prior to making a final call.WhatsApp Plus is basically meant for those who are very particular of the interface and are looking for more design and colors to play with.

While the functionality is nearly the same for both the apps, it is WhatsApp Plus that will really add the right touch of colors. You will be able to do a lot more with WhatsApp Plus. There is no harm trying it out once; however, if you do not want any additional hassles, WhatsApp might be the smarter choice for you.

Thank You

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Bluetooth Technology explained

Bluetooth Technology explained

By Unknown   01:51   No comments:

Bluetooth wireless technology (IEEE 802.15.1) is a short-range communications technology originally intended to replace the cables connecting portable and/or fixed devices while maintaining high levels of security. The key features of Bluetooth technology are threefold: robustness, low power, and low cost. Bluetooth has been designed in a uniform way. This way it enables a wide range of devices to connect and communicate with each other by using the Bluetooth wireless communication protocol. The Bluetooth technology has achieved global acceptance in such a way that any Bluetooth-enabled electronic device, almost everywhere in the world, is able to connect to other Bluetooth-enabled devices in its proximity. Bluetooth-enabled electronic devices connect and communicate wirelessly through short-range, ad hoc networks known as piconets. Each device can simultaneously communicate with up to seven other devices within a single piconet. Each device can also belong to several piconets simultaneously. Piconets are established dynamically and automatically as Bluetooth-enabled devices enter and leave radio proximity. One of the main strengths of the Bluetooth wireless technology is the ability to handle data and voice transmissions simultaneously. This enables users to use a hands-free headset for voice calls, printing, fax capabilities, synchronizing PDA’s, laptops, and mobile phone applications to name a few.
An important aspect of this thesis is about the scalability of Bluetooth broadcasting. Since scalability can sometimes be a rather vague concept, we give a short explanation of the term. An important aspect of software products is how they are able to cope with growth. For example, how does the system handle an increase in users or data traffic? This property of a software system is usually referred to as scalability. A more detailed specification of the concept is given by André Bondi, who defines it as follows: ‘Scalability is a desirable attribute of a network, system, or process. The concept connotes the ability of a system to accommodate an increasing number of elements or objects, to process growing volumes of work gracefully, and/or to be susceptible to enlargement.’ Whenever a system meets these requirements we can say that thesystem scales. In this thesis scalability comes down to the question if the system is capable of dealing with large groups of users equipped with Bluetooth enabled devices capable of receiving simple text messages.

Passive Broadcasting

The first type of business deals with broadcasting from a central location, which we will call passive broadcasting. Most of these companies sell both the hardware and software to enable this. For example, BlueCasting by Filter WorldWide, one of the major players in the market which made the news in August 2005 when they distributed merchandise for the British pop band Coldplay, offers a product family divided into four types of systems. They offer solutions for small retail shops, one-off events such as music festivals, and even larger areas such as airports and train stations. The latest descendant in the family is a system that provides an interactive touchscreen allowing users to interact directly with the system. BlueCasting is an example of a product that comes with both hardware (one or more BlueCast Servers) and software (BlueCast Campaign Management System) which is used to provide remote setup, maintenance and reporting.
Besides this type of companies, i.e. the ones that are selling the total package, other companies have dedicated themselves to providing just the hardware. An example is BlueGiga. According to their website their BlueGiga Access Servers are used by more than 350 Bluetooth Marketing companies in more than 65 countries. They sell two lines of products: Bluetooth Modules and Bluetooth Access Servers. The modules are described as ‘completely integrated, certified, high-performance Radio Frequency products including all needed Bluetooth profiles’. Access Servers are sold in the form of Access Points (up to 7 connections) and Access Servers (up to 21 connections). Besides this they also sell the BlueGiga Solution Manager (BSM). This is a web-based remote management and monitoring platform for BlueGiga Access Servers that can be used to simultaneously upgrade, monitor and configure a large number of BlueGiga Access Servers, instead of configuring each device one-by-one.

Bluetooth Core System Architecture :

The transceiver operates in the globally unlicensed ISM band at 2.4 GHz. The bit rateis 1 Megabit per second and can be boosted to 2 or 3 Mb/s with Enhanced Data Rate[EDR]. The 79 channels in the band are ordered from channel number 0-78 and arespaced 1 MHz beginning at 2402 GHz. Bluetooth-enabled devices that arecommunicating share a radio channel and are synchronized to a common clock andfrequency hopping pattern. Frequency hopping is used to make the protocol morerobust to interference from other devices operating in the same band. The physicalchannel is sub-divided into time units known as slots. Data is transmitted betweenBluetooth-enabled devices in packets. These packets are situated in the slots. Packetscan fill one or more consecutive slots, allowing larger data chunks to be transmitted ifthe circumstances admit this. Bluetooth is primarily designed for low power consumption and affordability and hasa relatively short range (1, 10 or 100 meters). It makes use of low-cost transceivermicrochips that are embedded in each device.

The Bluetooth Baseband is the part of the Bluetooth system that specifies or implements the medium access and physical layer procedures between Bluetooth devices. Several devices can be joined together in what is called a piconet. One device owns the clock and the frequency hopping pattern and is called the master. Two or more piconets can be joined in what is called a scatternet. To form a scatternet, some units, called gateways, belong to different piconets. Such a unit can be a slave unit in more than one piconet but can act as a master in only one. Besides this, it can transmit and receive data in only one piconet at a time. To visualize this, imagine the following. You are on the phone with a friend, using your Bluetooth headset, while at the same time you are uploading pictures from your computer to your phone. Your phone now acts as a gateway, being the master in the piconet with your headset and slave in the one with your computer.

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Make Your PC FASTER,,,, Guaranteed..!!!

Make Your PC FASTER,,,, Guaranteed..!!!

By Unknown   01:49   No comments:

1. First, run a scandisk or checkdisk. Let Windows fix any errors.

2. Run a disk cleanup utility...this will flush your temporary internet folder, trash can, temp system files, etc.

3. Delete any garbage files or data...if possible, run a Duplicate File Finder program.

4. Run Defrag on all partitions (NOTE: run this after you have deleted all trash and excess files!)

5. Run a registry cleaner utility and delete or get rid of any orphaned entries in that registry.

6. Check your existing swap file for it's size and location (*will explain location later in the post). If you have a lot of ram (i.e. 1 gig and over) set this swap file to something small, like 250 mb. The reason is that this will force Windows to load more into memory, resulting in faster performance (note: some games and applications actually require a certain sized swap file so check your applications performance after making a size adjustment for any error messages.)

7. Under XP, you can tell Windows to use Classic Style on your desktop, - this will remove the neat single click and internet-style desktop but for lower end systems this will improve performance in other areas, such as gaming and multi-tasking.

8. Run msconfig and under start up and only keep the programs that are essential to load in the tray icon (and hence stay resident in memory). Unchecked anything else non-essential, like an ATI or Nvidia control panel, QuickTime utility, Real Audio, etc.

9. Upgrade drivers! Check for the latest BIOS, video, motherboard, sound, etc drivers from the manufacturers. Alot of my friends had chipsets on their motherboard that had advanced disk management capabilities or AGP port settings but the drivers weren't loaded for them so they were never being used. A simple upgrade realized a noticeable difference. For instance, they didn't have the latest driver for their AGP port so it was set to 1x, instead of being used at 4x!

10. (OK, so this won't speed up your PC but it could save you alot of time and trouble later on!) After making all these improvements, make a working backup! I use Ghost, but for XP users you can also use System Restore...

-FOR ADVANCED USERS-

1. Take a look under the hood (for IDE owners). How are your IDE devices configured? If you have more than 1 hard drive, put the master hard drive on the primary IDE channel and the secondary hard drive on the secondary IDE channel (most motherboards have two IDE channels).

2. Place all CDROM drives, DVD readers etc. on the secondary IDE channel (or SCSI bus, etc). This will reduce I/O contention with your master hard drive which should have your OS and apps installed...

3. Remember when I mentioned the location of the swap file? OK, if you have 2 hard drives and you have one on the primary IDE channel and the other on the secondary IDE channel, move the swap file to a partition ON THE SECOND hard drive (on the secondary IDE channel). This will greatly improve system performance as the PC can write to the swap file while loading and running OS and system commands without I/O contention on the primary IDE channel!

4. Take a look under the hood (for SCSI owners) What kind of SCSI do you have? If it's the newer Ultra 160/320 etc cards then guess what? Any devices placed on the same bus will automatically default to the slowest drive on the chain...this means that if you have say, an Ultra 160 SCSI card, and it has an Ultra 160 drive (capable of transferring 160 mb/sec) on the same chain as a SCSI cdrom drive (capable of only 40 mb/sec) then the whole bus slows down to the 40 mb/sec speed...use different chains for the slower devices and maximize those hard drives!

5. Run a utility like WCPUID and check the settings...is your CPU/front speed bus/AGP port running as fast as they should be? If not, check your drivers and BIOS configuration options. Also, are all of your chip set features enabled? If not, then enable them! (usually done in your BIOS!)

6. Dig in to the BIOS...check settings like boot order, for example...is it checking the floppy first? Change this! Select your order to reflect the hard drive first, then CD, then floppy for a noticeable boot time improvement. Also disable any non-used on board peripherals...for instance, - does your motherboard come with an on-board NIC card? Guess what, if you don't use that NIC card and it is enabled it will eat up valuable CPU cycles and can be detrimental to your systems' performance. DISABLE THAT MUTHA! Also, see if you can play with memory timing and CPU clock frequencies (NOTE! This is for expert users only!) Set these timings to "Aggressive" and see what happens in your games and apps...Also, check to see what your video aperture is set to. If you have a video card with 128 megs of on-board memory, your aperture should be set to this amount too. Read the BIOS owner manual for further non-general performance tricks or improvements! Do you have the latest BIOS firmware version?

7. Under hardware properties, check to see that everything is working properly, and fix any hardware contention issues. You'll see the dreaded yellow exclamation point (!) beside any hardware component that is not working correctly.

8. Evaluate the potential for system/hardware upgrades...usually, the best bang for the buck is adding memory so buy all that you can afford (don't go much above 512 megs for Win 98 or ME). If you have a motherboard with an 8x - capable AGP port but you are using an older 4x video card, consider upgrading to an 8x card. You get the idea here...

9. Quit using software pigs like Norton system utilities, etc. These place files everywhere and can be a real system resource hog on lower end PCs.

10. Did I mention to make a good backup? Do it now! Also, while you're at it, run a good virus program with the latest definitions.

There are more options to make your system faster, such as overclocking, etc. but (just about) everything I've mentioned in this tech post costs you nothing and will result in faster system performance! Good luck and if you have any questions on how to do anything mentioned here, ask a knowledgeable friend or consult a book, - don't mess up something trying to do something you are not sure of!

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Career Oppurtunities in Computer Networking

Career Oppurtunities in Computer Networking

By Unknown   01:04   No comments:

Computer technology is growing day by day. So is the scope of job opportunities in this field.Many view computer networking as one of the best and "hottest" career fields available today. Some claim that a serious shortage of qualified people to fill these networking jobs exists, and these claims may lure some people into the fray hoping for an easy position with a fast-growing company.

Several types of positions exist in networking, each with different average salaries and long-term potential, and one should possess a clear understanding of these. Unfortunately, job titles in networking, and in Information Technology (IT) generally, often lead to confusion among beginners and experienced folks alike. Bland, vague or overly bombastic titles often fail to describe the actual work assignments of a person in this field.

The main and topmost priority of a networking engineer is to manage the networks, inside and outside communication of their organisations to be properly active. the job titles may vary depending upon th human resources hired by the officials.

The basic job titles one sees for computer networking and networking-related positions include

• Network Administrator
• Network (Systems) Engineer
• Network (Service) Technician
• Network Programmer/Analyst
• Network/Information Systems Manager

Those interested in networking careers can benefit greatly from earning a college degree. Most university programs don't offer a degree in Computer Networking per se, and the precise name of the degree varies significantly from institution to institution. Four-year degree programs suitable for the computer networking field usually involve a variation on one of the following:

• Computer Science
• Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Information Systems
• Communications Science
• Telecommunications, Telecommunications Management
• Telecomputing

Certifications

Network adminstrators and managers in particular have grown fond of networking-based certifications like Microsoft MCSE and Cisco CCNA. In general, to gain and keep a certification one must pass a lengthy (usually multiple-choice question) paper exam, then pass recertification exams at periodic intervals (usually every two or three years). A person has the choice of preparing for the exam through self-study or by enrolling in a certification course or "program" run by a training organization (sometimes within high-tech companies themselves). Taking any certification exam involves paying a test "sitting" fee (usually in the range of $100 to $300 USD), and employers sometimes reimburse their employees for this cost.

Certifications are designed to accredit someone for a certain amount of industry experience that they've already gained. Some of the programs will even make recommendations to this effect, typically one to two years of prior background for the entry-level certifications. However, experience is not strictly required. Some have criticized the entry-level exams for being too "bookish" in this respect, too easy to pass without prior hands-on experience.

Which certification is best? MCSE? CCNA? Something else? Again, the answer depends on the individual's interests and also the preferences of hiring companies. Some ambitious students of networking avoid this problem by acquiring multiple certifications... sometimes as many as five or more! Be aware, though, that certifications are an incomplete substitute for formal education and industry experience. Ideally, one will acquire a few certifications as part of a balanced overall mix of education and career experience.

IMPORTANT LINKS :

https://www.microsoft.com/learning/en-in/mcse-certification.aspx

http://www.cisco.com/web/learning/certifications/associate/ccna/index.html

Thanks.

You can also see... WHAT IS A COMPUTER NETWORK

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