Despite the pandemic, employers across all sectors of the U.S. economy continue to hire workers for information technology (IT) positions, adding more than a quarter-million technology jobs this year, according to a recent market analysis by CompTIA’s research team,
If this positive trend is motivating you – or someone you know – to change careers and pursue jobs working with technology, tech training experts Adam Turner and Ben Rohling of CompTIA Tech Career Academy advise you to earn IT certifications.
“The folks who come out of our program, employers across the country, they love them, because they do have that certification,” Turner, who is CompTIA Tech’s chief academic officer, tells host R.C. “Bob” Dirkes in a recent episode of the award-winning Technologist Talk podcast.
Employers value IT certifications
After nearly a decade running the IT-Ready Technical Support program, Turner says CompTIA Tech has built a broad, deep national network of employers across the spectrum of U.S. business.
“Organizations could be public sector, private sector, big companies, small companies, mid-size,” Turner says. “They are able to validate with that certification-specific and unique skills through each of our IT-Ready cohorts.”
Rohling, who leads CompTIA Tech’s curriculum development, adds during the podcast that students completing the 16-week IT-Ready online course graduate prepared to take the CompTIA A+ certification exam, which can be an advantage when seeking IT jobs.
“A+ is going to tell a potential employer that you have the skills necessary to perform hardware and network troubleshooting,” Rohling explains. “That you can install and manage different systems. You have a basis of knowledge for how cloud computing works. You have security insights for each of those technologies because security in today's world is a huge focus. You have that foundation of knowledge to be able to tackle a wide variety of job roles within IT.”
Augment certifications with career services
CompTIA Tech augments the value of IT certifications, Turner says, with career services: “We have virtual job fairs to connect potential employees with potential employers.”
In addition, CompTIA Tech offers grants and scholarships to qualifying students, he says, to ensure applicants have financing options, “especially in such uncertain times.”
People with business backgrounds in hospitality, transportation, manufacturing and a variety of other fields have what Turner describes as a “good baseline” for transitioning to a successful career working with technology that improves their individual economic stability.
“IT is a great career path,” he elaborates. “I've seen folks come through our program and buy their first home. I see folks who've come through the program and buy their first car – their first brand new car – as a result of the job they landed coming out of IT-Ready.”
“So, when we talk about impactful and meaningful changes in someone's life, that's it. It's here in tech,” he continues. “All you have to do is take the chance, bring to the table what you have. We'll help you get to the next level.”
To hear the rest of the conversation with Turner and Rohling, click here: Episode 37 – Talking Tech Training: Why Now is the Time to Consider Launching a Tech Career
