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Your Guide to IT Certifications
IT certifications are professional credentials that validate your expertise in specific technologies, platforms, and domains. Whether you are targeting cloud platforms like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, networking credentials like Cisco CCNA and CCNP, or security certifications like CompTIA Security+ and CISSP, the right certification can accelerate your career and increase your earning potential significantly.
This collection covers the full spectrum of IT certifications: entry-level credentials for those just starting out, associate and professional level exams for experienced practitioners, and expert-level certifications for senior specialists. Each guide is written by practitioners who have sat and passed these exams.
What you will find: In-depth exam breakdowns, study roadmaps, recommended resources, practice question strategies, and tips from certified professionals on what actually matters on exam day.
Browse by Topic
AWS Certifications
AWS cloud certifications from Cloud Practitioner to Specialty tracks
23 articlesAzure Certifications
Microsoft Azure certifications from AZ-900 to AZ-305 and beyond
20 articlesCisco Certifications
Cisco networking certifications from CCNA to CCIE
10 articlesCitrix Certifications
Citrix certifications including XenDesktop, XenApp, NetScaler and the current Virtual Apps and Desktops tracks
3 articlesCompTIA Certifications
Vendor-neutral CompTIA certifications including A+, Network+, Security+, and more
23 articlesCybersecurity Certifications
Security certifications including CISSP, CEH, OSCP, and CISM
23 articlesDevOps and Kubernetes
CKA, CKAD, CKS, and vendor DevOps certifications
15 articlesGeneral Cert Tips
Proven strategies for passing any IT certification exam
45 articlesGoogle Cloud Certifications
GCP certifications from Associate Cloud Engineer to Professional tracks
12 articlesHP and HPE Certifications
HP ExpertONE and HPE certifications including retired ASE, ATP, and sales credentials
10 articlesIBM Certifications
IBM certifications including Power Systems, PureFlex, storage, DataStage, Maximo and Tivoli credentials
12 articlesITIL and ITSM
ITIL 4 Foundation and IT service management certifications
10 articlesMicrosoft Certifications
Microsoft certifications across Azure, Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, and Power Platform
10 articlesOracle Certifications
Oracle certifications including WebLogic, Oracle Linux, Java, and business intelligence credentials
5 articlesPMP and Project Management
PMP, CAPM, PMI-ACP, and other PMI project management certifications
11 articlesSAP Certifications
SAP certifications including ABAP, Financial Accounting and Procurement credentials, and the move to SAP S/4HANA
3 articlesNetApp Certifications
NetApp certifications including NCDA, Data ONTAP 7-Mode and Clustered ONTAP credentials
2 articlesSalesforce Certifications
Salesforce Administrator, Developer, Architect, and Consultant credentials
10 articlesLegacy Vendor Certifications
Retired certifications from CIW, SAS, EMC, Riverbed and other vendors whose programmes were renamed, acquired or discontinued
6 articlesVMware Certifications
VMware and Broadcom certifications including VCP, Cloud Foundation, and retired vSphere credentials
4 articlesAll Guides
vendor-legacyE20-002: The EMC Information Storage Associate Family
E20-002 was an exam in EMC's Information Storage Associate family. Why the vendor-neutral ISM curriculum aged unusually well.
vendor-legacyA00-211: SAS Base Programming for SAS 9, Retired
A00-211 was SAS Base Programming for SAS 9, superseded by the performance-based A00-231 where candidates write and run actual code.
vendor-legacy201-01: The Riverbed RCSP Certification Family
201-01 was an exam in Riverbed's professional-tier RCSP family. Riverbed's original certification pages are gone.
vendor-legacy1D0-635: CIW JavaScript Specialist, and the Version That Replaced It
1D0-635 was CIW's JavaScript Specialist exam, superseded by 1D0-735 JavaScript Specialist v3.
vendor-legacy1D0-61A: CIW Internet Business Associate, Still a Current Exam
Unlike most codes in this series, 1D0-61A is not retired. Per CIW's own site it is 30 questions, 30 minutes, 66.66 percent to pass, valid three years.
vendor-legacy199-01: Riverbed Certified Solutions Professional, WAN Optimization
199-01 was the RCSP-W exam covering Riverbed SteelHead WAN optimization. The real story is the category: cheap bandwidth.
ibmC2010-590: IBM Tivoli Storage Manager V6.3, Now IBM Storage Protect
C2010-590 was IBM Tivoli Storage Manager V6.3 Implementation: 105 minutes, 65 questions, 64 percent to pass.
ibmC2010-570: IBM Maximo Asset Management V7.5 Implementation
C2010-570 was IBM Maximo Asset Management V7.5 Implementation: 105 minutes, 66 questions, 69 percent to pass.
ibmC2010-501: IBM Maximo Asset Management V7.5
C2010-501 was the Maximo infrastructure exam: 90 minutes, 57 questions, and a 71 percent passing score, the highest of the Maximo family.
netappNS0-156: Clustered Data ONTAP Administrator (NCDA)
NS0-156 was the first NCDA exam for Clustered Data ONTAP, released in 2013. Why the clustered architecture beat 7-Mode.
netappNS0-155: Data ONTAP 7-Mode Administrator (NCDA), Retired
NS0-155 was the last NCDA exam for Data ONTAP 7-Mode, an architecture NetApp subsequently end-of-lifed.
sapC_TSCM52_66: SAP Procurement with ERP 6.0 EhP6
C_TSCM52_66 was SAP's Certified Application Associate exam for Procurement with SAP ERP 6.0 EhP6, covering the Materials Management module.
sapC_TFIN52_65: SAP Financial Accounting with ERP 6.0 EhP5
C_TFIN52_65 was SAP's Certified Application Associate exam for Financial Accounting with SAP ERP 6.0 EhP5.
sapC_TAW12_731: SAP ABAP with NetWeaver 7.31, Retired
C_TAW12_731 was SAP's Certified Development Associate exam for ABAP with NetWeaver 7.31.
citrix1Y0-350: Citrix NetScaler 10 Essentials and Networking
1Y0-350 covered NetScaler as a general-purpose application delivery controller: load balancing, SSL offload, content switching and traffic management.
citrix1Y0-250: Implementing Citrix NetScaler 10
1Y0-250 covered NetScaler in its role supporting XenApp and XenDesktop, focused on secure remote access through NetScaler Gateway.
citrix1Y0-200: Managing Citrix XenDesktop 7 Solutions and the CCA-V Track
1Y0-200 was the associate-level Citrix virtualization exam leading to CCA-V. Citrix credentials carried a three-year validity.
oracle1Z0-899: Java EE 6 Web Component Developer
1Z0-899 was Oracle's Java EE 6 Web Component Developer exam, covering servlets, JSP and the server-side web tier.
oracle1Z0-804: Java SE 7 Programmer II and the OCP Java Path
1Z0-804 was the second exam in Oracle's Java SE 7 professional path, pairing with 1Z0-803 to produce the OCP Java SE 7 Programmer credential.
oracle1Z0-591: Oracle Business Intelligence Foundation Suite 11g Essentials
1Z0-591 was Oracle Business Intelligence (OBI) Foundation Suite 11g Essentials: 120 minutes, 63 percent passing score, 245 US dollars, per Oracle's own data.
oracle1Z0-460: Oracle Linux 6 Implementation Essentials
1Z0-460 was Oracle Linux 6 Implementation Essentials, confirmed by Oracle's own exam URL.
oracle1Z0-102: Oracle WebLogic Server 11g System Administration I
1Z0-102 was Oracle WebLogic Server 11g: System Administration I, the associate-level exam in the WebLogic administration track.
ibmC4120-783: IBM PureFlex Technical Support V2
C4120-783 was IBM PureFlex Technical Support V2: 75 minutes, 45 questions, 66 percent to pass.
ibmC4120-782: IBM PureFlex Systems Sales V2, Retired
C4120-782 was IBM PureFlex Systems Sales V2: 90 minutes, 50 questions, 66 percent to pass.
ibmC4090-456: IBM XIV Storage System Technical Solutions V4
C4090-456 was IBM XIV Storage System Technical Solutions V4: 105 minutes, 70 questions, 65 percent to pass.
ibmC4090-455: High Volume Storage Fundamentals V3
C4090-455 was High Volume Storage Fundamentals V3: 105 minutes, 73 questions, 68 percent to pass, the most demanding of IBM's storage exams.
ibmC4090-450: Midrange Storage Sales V1
C4090-450 was Midrange Storage Sales V1: 90 minutes, 60 questions, 65 percent to pass.
ibmC4040-124: Power Systems with POWER7 and IBM i Sales Skills
C4040-124 was the IBM i branch of IBM's Power Systems sales track: 60 minutes, 44 questions, and a 70 percent passing score, the highest in the family.
ibmC4040-123: Power Systems with POWER7 and AIX & Linux Sales Skills
C4040-123 was the AIX and Linux branch of IBM's Power Systems sales track: 60 minutes, 42 questions, 61 percent to pass.
ibmC4040-122: Power Systems POWER7 Common Sales Skills
C4040-122 was the shared core exam in IBM's Power Systems sales track: 75 minutes, 52 questions, 63 percent to pass, counting toward three credentials.
ibmC2090-303: IBM InfoSphere DataStage v9.1, and Why This One Aged Well
C2090-303 was IBM InfoSphere DataStage v9.1: 90 minutes, 67 questions, 59 percent to pass, leading to IBM Certified Solution Developer.
hpHP2-K37: The HP Storage Sales Exam Family and What It Certified
HP2-K37 was a web-based sales exam in HP's ExpertONE program. Its documentation was not preserved, but its HP2-K siblings identify it as storage sales.
hpHP2-E58: The Enterprise Sales Exam Family and What It Certified
HP2-E58 was a web-based sales exam in HP's ExpertONE program. Its documentation was not preserved.
hpHP2-B109: The Printing and Personal Systems Sales Exam Family
HP2-B109 was a web-based sales exam in HP's ExpertONE program. Its documentation was not preserved.
hpHP0-Y32: Designing and Troubleshooting Open Standards Networks
HP0-Y32 was Designing & Troubleshooting Open Standards Networks, an exam within HP ASE - Network Infrastructure V11.
hpHP0-S36: Architecting HP Server Solutions and the July 2015 Cutoff
HP0-S36 was Architecting HP Server Solutions, leading to HP ASE - Server Solutions Architect V8.
hpHP0-S34: Implementing HP Rack and Tower Server Solutions
HP0-S34 was Implementing HP Rack and Tower Server Solutions, the required exam for HP ATP - Rack and Tower Server Solutions V8.1.
hpHP0-J73: Foundations of HP Storage Solutions
HP0-J73 was Foundations of HP Storage Solutions, the single required exam for HP ATP - Storage Solutions V1, covering HP 3PAR StoreServ.
hpHP0-J67: Architecting Multi-site HP Storage Solutions
HP0-J67 was Architecting Multi-site HP Storage Solutions, an exam within HP Master ASE - Storage Solutions Architect V1.
hpHP2-Z30: HP FlexNetwork Fundamentals, Retired
HP2-Z30 was HP FlexNetwork Fundamentals, a retired networking exam built as an upgrade path for engineers already certified by Cisco, Juniper or 3Com.
hpHP2-K38: What the Selling HP Enterprise Storage Exam Was Worth
HP2-K38 was Selling HP Enterprise Storage Solutions and Services, a retired web-based sales exam in HP's ExpertONE program: 40 questions, 60 percent pass mark.
vmwareVCPVCD510: The Short Route to VCP-Cloud, and Where It Leads Now
VCPVCD510 was not a separate vCloud Director certification: it was the shorter of two exam routes to VCP-Cloud, open only to existing VCP5-DCV holders.
vmwareVCPC510 and VCP-Cloud: What the Long Route Was Worth
VCPC510 was the longer of two routes to VCP-Cloud, covering vSphere infrastructure as well as vCloud Director for candidates without a VCP-DV prerequisite.
vmwareVCPN610 and VCP-NV: The NSX Track That Survived
VCPN610 earned the original VCP-NV and retired on 30 November 2015, but unlike VCP550 the network virtualization track continued through VCP-NV 2024.
vmwareVCP550 and VCP5-DCV: What Your Retired Cert Is Worth
The VCP550 exam and VCP5-DCV certification retired March 31, 2017, and the VCP6-DCV replacement retired in 2019.
devops-kubernetesCKAD Exam Time Management: A Strategy for the Performance-Based Test
CKAD exam time management: Master CKAD time management with a task triage strategy, kubectl speed techniques, efficient docs use.
cybersecurityThe Incident Response Lifecycle for Security Certification Exams
Master the incident response lifecycle phases tested on security certifications. Learn the correct order, exam traps, and how to reason through IR scenarios.
comptiaCompTIA A+ vs Google IT Support: Which Cert First
CompTIA A Plus vs Google IT Support Certificate compared: format, cost, recognition, and how to choose or stack your first IT credential the right way.
awsThe AWS Well-Architected Framework for Certification Exams
Master the six AWS Well-Architected pillars to decode scenario questions on any AWS exam. A practical framework for reasoning through certification tests.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which IT certification should I get first?
For most people starting out, CompTIA A+ or CompTIA Network+ are the best entry-level choices because they are vendor-neutral and widely recognized. If you already have some experience, consider CompTIA Security+ for cybersecurity or AWS Cloud Practitioner for cloud. The right first certification depends on your career goal: helpdesk and sysadmin roles benefit from CompTIA, cloud engineering from AWS or Azure fundamentals, and networking from Cisco CCNA.
How long does it take to prepare for an IT certification exam?
Preparation time varies by certification level and your prior experience. Entry-level certifications like CompTIA A+ or AWS Cloud Practitioner typically require 4-8 weeks of dedicated study. Associate-level exams like Cisco CCNA or AWS Solutions Architect Associate need 2-4 months. Professional and expert-level certifications such as CCIE or AWS Solutions Architect Professional can require 6-12 months. Consistent daily study of 1-2 hours is more effective than cramming.
Are IT certifications worth it in 2025?
Yes, IT certifications continue to deliver strong ROI in 2025. Cloud certifications (AWS, Azure, GCP) and cybersecurity certifications (CISSP, CompTIA Security+, CEH) command significant salary premiums. Studies consistently show certified professionals earn 10-25% more than non-certified peers in the same roles. Certifications are especially valuable for career changers, recent graduates, and professionals seeking promotions into specialized roles.
How do I choose between AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud certifications?
Choose based on where your target employers use. AWS has the largest market share (roughly 31%) and the most job postings, making it the safest general choice. Azure dominates enterprise and Microsoft-heavy environments, making it ideal if you target large corporations or government. Google Cloud is smaller but growing fast in data engineering and machine learning. If unsure, start with AWS Cloud Practitioner as a foundation, then specialize based on job market demand in your target region.
Do certifications expire and how do I renew them?
Most major IT certifications expire after 2-3 years. CompTIA certifications are valid for 3 years and can be renewed through continuing education credits (CEUs) or by passing a higher-level exam. Cisco certifications expire every 3 years and require passing any Cisco professional or specialist exam. AWS certifications expire after 3 years and require passing the same or a higher-level exam. CISSP requires 120 CPE credits over 3 years plus an annual maintenance fee.
What is the best way to study for certification exams?
The most effective approach combines: official study guides or courses as your primary resource, practice exams to identify weak areas (aim for 85%+ on practice tests before sitting the real exam), hands-on labs to reinforce concepts, spaced repetition with flashcards for terminology and facts, and active recall rather than passive re-reading. For technical certifications, hands-on practice in a lab environment or cloud sandbox is critical.
What are the highest-paying IT certifications?
The highest-paying certifications consistently include: CISSP with average salaries above $120,000, AWS Solutions Architect Professional and DevOps Engineer, Google Professional Cloud Architect, CCIE (Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert), PMP in tech roles, and Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA). Salary depends heavily on location, experience, and industry, but these certifications signal deep expertise that commands premium compensation.