6 Certifications To Bulletproof Your Career

No matter what career you are in.

In the past, people used to think that certifications were only for ambitious people who wanted to boost their careers and attain high-level positions.

But with rising job insecurity, the perspective has changed. Certifications are now becoming an important fundamental to raising your employability and differentiating you from your competitors.

Now, there are thousands, if not, tens of thousands of different certifications out there. But personally, I gravitate towards those that are:

• Globally accredited by an accrediting organization

• Helps you specialize in one vast skillset

• And yet is transferrable across industries and roles

1. Project Management Certifications

Project management forms the core of any industry. Whether you’re in a marketing agency, healthcare industry, or tech company, every employee is doing projects in one way or another.

With the global economy becoming more project-oriented, the practice of project management expands within industries that were traditionally less project-oriented, brightening up the future of project management.

With this need for project management skills, a widening gap exists between the need for skilled and credentialed project management employees by businesses versus the availability of professionals to fill those roles.

Careers in project management continue to be in high demand, especially for those who hold the:

• Project Management Professional (PMP): The PMP certification is designed for professionals with a higher level of experience.

• Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM): The associate-level CAPM is ideal for those with less experience in managing company projects but who still possess a solid understanding of the field.

• Certified Scrum Master (CSM): A Scrum Master certification has a lower barrier to entry than the 2 mentioned above and is a tangible testament to your knowledge and proficiency in successfully leading Agile teams using Agile methodology which is highly sought after by tech companies worldwide.

2. Finance Certifications

Contrary to popular belief, finance certifications aren’t only limited to people who want to become bankers or investment managers. As you enter leadership roles, finance becomes a core part of your work as you handle budgets, allocate resources, and need to understand the accounting, and economic competitiveness of your company.

Numbers and dollars become a large part of what you do, and as we’ve observed in the current career economy, employees who are close to the company’s revenue tend to have better stability.

• Chartered Financial Analyst: A CFA is internationally recognized in the world of financing and investing and is considered the gold standard in the Finance world. The CFA has one of the toughest examination coursework and there are 3 levels to attaining the desired title. However, even passing 1 level of the CFA puts you ahead of the majority of your competition.

• Financial Risk Manager: Every company wants every employee to protect the organization against risks and the FRM is the standard for educational excellence in risk management and allows you access to a wide range of positions in multiple industries due to its versatility.

3. Data Analytics

The data analytics market is enormous and still growing. Like the above certifications, data is the new form of decision-making and companies are increasingly needing their employees to understand data to a certain extent so that you are able to break down data points and value add to your department.

Getting a data analytics certification doesn’t just help you become a data professional. It helps make you marketable and employable in nearly any sector you desire to be in and helps you earn more in the job of your choice.

• Microsoft Certified: Power BI Data Analyst Associate: The certification teaches you to build scalable data models, clean and transform data and enable advanced analytic capabilities. The goal is to help the certification holder with the tools to work with team members and executives across the organizational chart to obtain relevant insights for business growth.

Summary

In an increasingly competitive world of careers, one of the top benefits of pursuing a professional certificate course is that it increases the chances of promotion or raise at your current organization while opening up new job opportunities.

What are your thoughts on certifications? And what others would you add to this list?