In today’s job market, if you don’t have at least basic skills with technology, you are going to have a hard time finding and retaining employment. Luckily, there are a ton of programs at your disposal that enable you to learn different types of software AND get certified for it, allowing you to have documentation that you know your stuff. Here are some sites that you can visit to earn Certificates and learn new skills to make yourself more marketable to future employers. Most, if not all, of these Certifications do require you to take a test and score above a certain percentage to be eligible for being certified with that software, but there are some that also cost money, so be aware of which ones you really want to do.
Photo Credits: Google
Google is one of the biggest names in the world right now. It would be pretty smart of you to get a couple certificates from them while you can, showing that you understand their programs that are widely used across platforms and websites. They do have a few different “Academies” you can go to for accreditation, which means there are plenty of programs you can try out to see if you like it or not. There is Google Analytics, Google AdWords, and Google Digital Academy. All three of these are the major academies Google controls, but knowing Google, there is always more to be expected. If you want to learn more about a specific program Google has (such as G Suite), you will have to wait a bit, but you can always email their team to see where they are in the process.
Microsoft
Photo Credits: Microsoft Corporation
Just like Google, Microsoft also has a few different certifications you can get. As part of their efforts to become more transparent with the public, Microsoft launched a new website called “Microsoft Learning.” This is a win-win for Microsoft because it allows them to inspire people to become more proficient in their daily lives and helps them find new potential employees through which exams are being taken and how high they score. For those of you who want to understand how to work the Office 365 Suite better (Word, Excel, Access, OneDrive, etc.), then you will want to go to the Microsoft Office 365 Training website, then eventually, you will want to head over to the Certifications page for Office 365 products. For those of you who are more interested in the coding aspect of things, or want to learn more about Microsoft software, I would suggest going through their Other Certificates page that contain everything else they offer.
Lynda.com
Photo Credits: Lynda.com
Lynda.com is truly an amazing tool. It has videos and courses, with most having a certificate at the end stating you completed the course, that teaches you about anything you want to learn. Want to learn more about a specific coding language? Here are 16 different courses on it depending on your current level of coding knowledge and a couple dozen short introduction videos to the language. Want to become more proficient with a certain application? There will be the same results as above. It has everything anyone would ever dream of wanting to learn about. You can go on the website and just keep on learning for hours if you want. The only downside is that it does cost money (like a lot!), unless you are a University Student, whereas most of the time, the University makes a deal with Lynda and they allow those students to log in with their University logins. Speak to your University today to see if they offer this amazing program!
Hootsuite
Photo Credits: Hootsuite Media Inc
Hootsuite, again like Google, also has an academy of its own for the certificates they offer. At Hootsuite Academy, you can decide what certificate you want to earn, take the exam and get your certificate. It is quite simple, but you will be charged for this exam and can only take it so many times before it stops you from receiving your certificate. This certificate is more for Marketing Majors or those heavily involved with Social Media.
Open Source
Photo Credits: Open Source
For those of you wanting to learn more about coding, Open Source is the place for you. This website allows you to start learning and getting accredited for different types of coding languages and hardware. There are a couple different options with Open Source, but they are all worth it if you are into learning about software and hardware of a computer. Open Source currently has Open Source Education, Open Source Hardware, and Python for Beginners. There are more articles on this site that lead to other companies and their certifications, but those certificates are not through Open Source.
Apple
Photo Credits: Apple Corporation
Apple has decided to follow in everyone else’s footsteps and set up trainings and certifications for the software and hardware they provide the world. Just like Microsoft, this gives them a great advantage when trying to be transparent with the public as well as look for future employees. They have their own website dedicated to all of this simply called Training. Here, you are able to search for what type of training you want to have and to what extent you want to go. You can also learn what the AppleCare team knows by going through the AppleCare Service Certification exam, allowing you to be your own AppleCare team from now on. As for Certifications, they can be found under Certification Trainings in their website, getting you prepared to use Apple products more and more. In order to receive any training and/or certificates, you will have to sign up with Apple’s Registry of Certified Professionals, but other than that, you should be all set to go.
Cisco
Photo Credits: Cisco
Cisco is still one of the major names when it comes to hardware. If you want to get into the hardware business of technology, you best believe you will need a Cisco Certification under your belt to better your chances. Luckily for us, Cisco has us covered and is ready for more people to become hardware engineers that understand what everything does and how to fix it, as well as having the paper stating they know it too. All you have to do is go to their page and start learning.
With the constant advancements in technology, more and more companies will follow these one’s leads and add their own training and certifications to their websites, but for now, these are the major players in the technology world. By having at least one certificate from any of these programs, you will have an advantage over anyone else when applying for a job that involves technology of some sort to an extent.
Check out my previous Blogs for more useful tips:
Programs You Should Run on Your Apple Computers
Building Your Website: Things To Know
How to Solve Common ADA Issues
Stay Tech Savy!
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