IT Insights Blog — certification

Scrolling through online forums about certification has told me a lot about what is on the minds of people wanting to certify. Those starting down the certification path usually have the question of what certification will best help them achieve their career goals. In that vein of thinking, I’m going to tell you how to choose between the CompTIA Network+ certification and Cisco's CCNA certification.

A few weeks ago I was driving on the freeway to one of my favorite restaurants. The closest location is about 25 minutes away, and my friend and I were whizzing along at a great pace, radio blasting and stomachs hungry for the delicious food we would soon be eating.

We don't always think through the full implications of what we say or how we act. This can be damaging in many spheres, but is particularly problematic in the social media realm. Often the public profile (or at least a strong and highly visible element thereof) of an entire organization is in the hands of a single individual. You don't even have to fall flat on your face — a minor misstep can blow up into a major embarrassment.

When thinking about successful people in a given career, you’ll notice that they all have their specialties. Johnny Depp, an amazing actor, specializes in character acting. Steph Curry, former NBA MVP, specializes in ball handling and shooting. Elon Musk, a world famous engineer and investor, specializes in certain transportation advancements specifically with his work on Tesla, HyperLoop and SpaceX.

During the early days of my college career, my personal motto when it came to my studies was, “If you wait 'til the last minute, it only takes a minute!” I lived by this motto for a couple of years, and loved it. I would procrastinate until there was no other option but to pull an “all nighter” to finish a project. That seemed to be a small price to pay for the fun I had while putting aside my school work.