IT Insights Blog — TestOut Continuing Education

Everyone, at one point, has had a moment of frustration in which they said more or less the same thing Princess Leia does during the scene in the trash compactor in Star Wars. Han Solo has just finished bawling her out, and Leia snaps, "Could be worse." What happens next is the first indication of the trash monster, followed by Han glumly stating the obvious: "It's worse."

One of the main purposes of certification is to serve as a method of lifelong learning and professional development. In addition to helping you gain knowledge and skills in the first place, certification helps you keep your professional knowledge and skills current. You need the right skills and knowledge to get that first IT job, but continually refreshing those assets is what keeps you employed.

If you’re a sports fan and a stats geek, then you need to hop on a plane and get to the 12th annual MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference (SSAC) in Boston this weekend. The SSAC is the premier venue for discussing sports analytics, technical advances, statistical analysis and businesses. It’s also the largest student-run conference in the world, bringing together super-smart students from more than 170 different schools, as well as representatives from more than 80 professional sports teams in the MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, MLS, and Premier League.

Sometimes change is incremental and unpredictable, as illustrated in the following exchange from Season 6, Episode 12 of The West Wing, "365 Days:" "Of course we want to avert a disaster in South Dakota, but I can't take this to the president just yet." "Trouble in South Dakota?" "In about a thousand years. Mount Rushmore is on the move." "How far has it gone?" "About an inch."

The IT Insights blog is taking the day off, in honor of Presidents Day. We will be back on Wednesday, Feb. 21. We do have a "Hail to the chief!" kind of of holiday salute, however, to all of our friends and associates in IT certification. Check out this incredible deal: In honor of POTUSes past and present, you can get your first month's access to our massive Library Suite IT training portfolio for just $19!