Private Sector Certifications validate Veterans’ established skills
By Frank Martinez
By Frank Martinez
Creating secure networks in remote corners of the world. Establishing connectivity between myriad devices in the midst of hostile territory. Providing critical information to multiple parties in real-time under conditions where a few seconds of delay can cost lives.
All of these statements can server as accurate descriptors of the skills that are developed and honed by active-duty members of our military. These proud young men and women learn to accomplish goals which, on their own, represent some of the greater challenges of Information Technology professionals of any stripe. And to boot, these young technicians and engineers learn to do so in conditions that would drive a typical civilian IT employee running for the HR office. It kinda redefines “hostile work environment”.
And yet, despite this impressive set of skills, so many of our returning Veterans are finding it near impossible to find employment. Not that our current employment situation here on the homefront is at all rosy. Despite growth in the IT sector that blows many other industries out of the water, it is still a substantial challenge for IT professionals to find employment in the face of the current economic trudge that is America today.
Perhaps the greatest complaint registered by IT pros is the demand for current IT certifications. The IT industry is riddled with certifications from all sorts of different vendors, from the big boys, like Microsoft and Cisco, to smaller, more focused vendors, like ITIL, ISC2, and PMI. Companies are in a prime position to have their pick of the litter from the masses of IT job seekers. This has produced conditions wherein companies can afford to require of their prospective new hires qualifications that would have been hard to find in the past. These include the typical elements of employment history for the sake of establishing experience in the field, as well as general education background. However, more so than in any other modern industry, Information Technology benefits more from the type of specialized education and field-specific training provided by industry certification.
It’s all well and good that someone might have obtained a degree from a traditional postsecondary institution, but when it comes down to being able to tell whether a given person knows how to configure static routes on a Cisco router, how to correct mistakes in an Active Directory group policy, or create a firewall rule that will keep employees off of RedTube, certifications are, by far, a much better indicator of a person’s ability.
So, for those who have served, and have already earned the skills necessary to fulfill the requirements of such meager tasks, what’s to be done? Many have suggested that it is the IT industry itself that needs to change, to establish some new paradigm that can accommodate these skilled professionals whose experience is beyond the norm. Good luck with that.
Instead, returning Vets who seek to become members of our civilian IT workforce would perhaps do best to capitalize on programs that focus on accelerated training for industry certifications. These programs offer classes, often in well-articulated schedules that can accommodate those who work various different schedules, that are geared toward those who have a background in the related technologies and can master the requisite materials in an abbreviated format. These programs are typically organized toward the most popular certifications (read: the ones that most employers are asking for).
At The Academy in Miami, FL, there are several such programs available. With classes that run 4 hours per day, Mondays through Thursdays, and which are offered in 3 different time slots (8AM-12PM, 1PM-5PM, and 6PM-10PM), returning servicemen and -women can enroll in programs that will help them obtain many of the most popular IT industry certifications. These include certifications from the basic (CompTIA A+ & Network+) to the most advanced and up-to-date (MCSE 2012 Server and CCNA). For those who wish to leverage their experience working in high security environments, they have even developed a new program which they have dubbed “InfoSec Warrior” which combines some of the most prestigious certifications in the area of information security and information assurance (specifically EC-Council’s ENSA & CEH, and ISC2’s CISSP).
The Academy and its specialized programs can help our returning Veterans obtain the civilian IT industry certifications they need to begin prosperous careers that will leverage the valuable experience they have earned.
Find out more about The Academy by visiting their website http://www.ITAcademyMiami.com, or call them at 1-888-ITACADEMY.
All of these statements can server as accurate descriptors of the skills that are developed and honed by active-duty members of our military. These proud young men and women learn to accomplish goals which, on their own, represent some of the greater challenges of Information Technology professionals of any stripe. And to boot, these young technicians and engineers learn to do so in conditions that would drive a typical civilian IT employee running for the HR office. It kinda redefines “hostile work environment”.
And yet, despite this impressive set of skills, so many of our returning Veterans are finding it near impossible to find employment. Not that our current employment situation here on the homefront is at all rosy. Despite growth in the IT sector that blows many other industries out of the water, it is still a substantial challenge for IT professionals to find employment in the face of the current economic trudge that is America today.
Perhaps the greatest complaint registered by IT pros is the demand for current IT certifications. The IT industry is riddled with certifications from all sorts of different vendors, from the big boys, like Microsoft and Cisco, to smaller, more focused vendors, like ITIL, ISC2, and PMI. Companies are in a prime position to have their pick of the litter from the masses of IT job seekers. This has produced conditions wherein companies can afford to require of their prospective new hires qualifications that would have been hard to find in the past. These include the typical elements of employment history for the sake of establishing experience in the field, as well as general education background. However, more so than in any other modern industry, Information Technology benefits more from the type of specialized education and field-specific training provided by industry certification.
It’s all well and good that someone might have obtained a degree from a traditional postsecondary institution, but when it comes down to being able to tell whether a given person knows how to configure static routes on a Cisco router, how to correct mistakes in an Active Directory group policy, or create a firewall rule that will keep employees off of RedTube, certifications are, by far, a much better indicator of a person’s ability.
So, for those who have served, and have already earned the skills necessary to fulfill the requirements of such meager tasks, what’s to be done? Many have suggested that it is the IT industry itself that needs to change, to establish some new paradigm that can accommodate these skilled professionals whose experience is beyond the norm. Good luck with that.
Instead, returning Vets who seek to become members of our civilian IT workforce would perhaps do best to capitalize on programs that focus on accelerated training for industry certifications. These programs offer classes, often in well-articulated schedules that can accommodate those who work various different schedules, that are geared toward those who have a background in the related technologies and can master the requisite materials in an abbreviated format. These programs are typically organized toward the most popular certifications (read: the ones that most employers are asking for).
At The Academy in Miami, FL, there are several such programs available. With classes that run 4 hours per day, Mondays through Thursdays, and which are offered in 3 different time slots (8AM-12PM, 1PM-5PM, and 6PM-10PM), returning servicemen and -women can enroll in programs that will help them obtain many of the most popular IT industry certifications. These include certifications from the basic (CompTIA A+ & Network+) to the most advanced and up-to-date (MCSE 2012 Server and CCNA). For those who wish to leverage their experience working in high security environments, they have even developed a new program which they have dubbed “InfoSec Warrior” which combines some of the most prestigious certifications in the area of information security and information assurance (specifically EC-Council’s ENSA & CEH, and ISC2’s CISSP).
The Academy and its specialized programs can help our returning Veterans obtain the civilian IT industry certifications they need to begin prosperous careers that will leverage the valuable experience they have earned.
Find out more about The Academy by visiting their website http://www.ITAcademyMiami.com, or call them at 1-888-ITACADEMY.
