Ready to Start Your Career?
By: Olivia
December 21, 2016
Here’s a Toast to Lists: What Skills, Certifications & Technologies are in Demand for 2017
By: Olivia
December 21, 2016
As the clock ticks down to midnight on December 31st and signals the end of 2016, a year that’s been the center of a slew of ‘worst year ever’ memes and remarks across the internet, it is also a reminder of the predications and resolutions being made around the world. So before you raise a toast, consider what 2017 could bring in the realm of cyber security. 
I’m sure you’ve skimmed through the mass amounts of articles, ‘Top Cyber Security Predications for 2017,’ like I have. The lists read almost identical, and serve as a warning for readers, similar to some of my recent blog posts, like the one on cyber-attacks and mobile security. Which, as a matter of fact, are highlights of those ominous listicles.Some of the other highlights, which I’ll short- list for you here include: the rise of ransomware and DDoS attacks, an increased vulnerability in the IoT, and banks becoming an even greater target industry, as credit card fraud rises through the use of ATMs and gas pumps.If all of these predications are giving you a headache worse than the combination of shouts and champagne on New Year’s Eve, you’re not alone.The general consensus seems to be that although we have warning, we’re still never prepared. And with this worry in the back of our mind, chances are there’s yet another concern-turned-resolution creeping into your scope of thought: I vow to make some sort of job/career change in 2017.It probably comes as no surprise that you’re also not alone in this thinking. The end of the year is typically a popular time for professionals to begin their job search. (Hence my previous resume post).Among all the threatening predications, I wanted to offer more career help. I’m surprising myself at how useful my recruiting background is becoming, wow.In typical blogging fashion, I’ve done my detective work across the web to put together a few lists which will provide insight to the career landscape for 2017 and make you a better prepared professional ready to tackle your resolution.But it’s not just job hunters like yourself who are interested in the career landscape. For example, MONEY and PayScale analyzed 54 million employee profiles, across 350 industries, with 15,000 job titles—from entry-level workers to top executives to identify the abilities that bring the greatest rewards.So employers, if you’re reading this, your ears should perk up too.First, let’s take a look at the in-demand skills of the coming year, which I’ve pulled from a variety of sites, reaching from LinkedIn to Dice. Of course, there was some overlap in various lists, so this one features top IT skills specifically, but in no particular order.
It’s probably obvious to you that tech is in such high demand- after all, that’s why you’re on Cybrary. But here’s some insight on the tech that reigns supreme from our professional networking pals:“While some skills expire every couple of years, our data strongly suggests that tech skills will still be needed for years to come, in every industry. Now is a great time for professionals to acquire the skills they need to be more marketable,” says LinkedIn Career Expert Catherine Fisher, “cloud and distributed computing has remained in the number-one spot for the past two years and is the Top Skill on almost every list — including France, Germany, India, Ireland, Singapore, the U.S., and Spain. Following closely on its heels is statistical analysis and data mining, which came in#2 last year, and #1 in 2014.”One piece of advice for those of you who possess some of these skills- be sure to highlight them on your resume, and especially on your LinkedIn profile to catch the attention of recruiters. There’s no better position to be in as a job seeker than being sought after by a recruiter.Along with those skills, I bet you’re also curious to know which certifications are being pursued by hiring managers.Global Knowledge derived a survey on the national scope of the 15 Top-Paying Certifications for 2016 which reflects variations based on where IT professionals work, years and experience and type of company worked for.While a list for 2017 has not yet been released, I’d say it’s safe to guess there will be little deviation in the coming months.So, while an Amazon Web Services certification was cited as#1, the remainder of the Global Knowledge list I’ll keep their specific order, but only highlight courses which are relevant to Cybrary.2. CRISC 8. CCNA3. CISM 10. CEH4. CISSP 13. CCNP5. PMP 14. ITIL6. CISAFrom this data, 6 of the 15 are focused in security, a major takeaway for IT professionals looking to break into a more specified cyber field.Ready for another list?The following complies some of the most in demand software technologies for the new year. One’s familiarity with any of these, even on a baseline level is extremely valued, specifically if the company that’s hiring lists a need for data presentation skills.
Now that you know what skills are hot, highlighted them on your resume, have taken courses and brushed up on the latest software, it’s time to get certified.As you know, certifications are great resume boosters and can provide an added edge amongst your competitors.For those of you pursuing any of the certifications listed above, Cybrary’s skill certification courses and corresponding tests serve as a great practice mechanism or even a substitute in some cases, for their more extensive and expensive cousin certifications.For example, if you know you want to pursue CompTIA’s Network+ and eventually the CISSP, first try Network Fundamentals, Subnetting, TCP/IP, and Strategic DNS Ops. These skill certification tests act as a compass to direct your further studies, helping to determine if you’re ready for more advanced coursework.Try one of the newly organized skill certification tests today, I’ll even raise a glass to you in 2017. Here’s the code for your next one: OBLOG50.
Olivia Lynch is the Marketing Manager at Cybrary. Like many of you, she is just getting her toes wet in the field of cyber security. A firm believer that the pen is mightier than the sword, Olivia considers corny puns and an honest voice essential to any worthwhile blog.
I’m sure you’ve skimmed through the mass amounts of articles, ‘Top Cyber Security Predications for 2017,’ like I have. The lists read almost identical, and serve as a warning for readers, similar to some of my recent blog posts, like the one on cyber-attacks and mobile security. Which, as a matter of fact, are highlights of those ominous listicles.Some of the other highlights, which I’ll short- list for you here include: the rise of ransomware and DDoS attacks, an increased vulnerability in the IoT, and banks becoming an even greater target industry, as credit card fraud rises through the use of ATMs and gas pumps.If all of these predications are giving you a headache worse than the combination of shouts and champagne on New Year’s Eve, you’re not alone.The general consensus seems to be that although we have warning, we’re still never prepared. And with this worry in the back of our mind, chances are there’s yet another concern-turned-resolution creeping into your scope of thought: I vow to make some sort of job/career change in 2017.It probably comes as no surprise that you’re also not alone in this thinking. The end of the year is typically a popular time for professionals to begin their job search. (Hence my previous resume post).Among all the threatening predications, I wanted to offer more career help. I’m surprising myself at how useful my recruiting background is becoming, wow.In typical blogging fashion, I’ve done my detective work across the web to put together a few lists which will provide insight to the career landscape for 2017 and make you a better prepared professional ready to tackle your resolution.But it’s not just job hunters like yourself who are interested in the career landscape. For example, MONEY and PayScale analyzed 54 million employee profiles, across 350 industries, with 15,000 job titles—from entry-level workers to top executives to identify the abilities that bring the greatest rewards.So employers, if you’re reading this, your ears should perk up too.First, let’s take a look at the in-demand skills of the coming year, which I’ve pulled from a variety of sites, reaching from LinkedIn to Dice. Of course, there was some overlap in various lists, so this one features top IT skills specifically, but in no particular order.- Cloud Computing
- Data Mining
- Middleware/ Integration Framework
- User Interface Design
- Mobile Development
- Storage Systems Management
- Help desk/ tech support (Good news for all the entry-level folks!)
- Security/ compliance/ governance
- Database administration
- Project managers (Those with a technical background, even better)
It’s probably obvious to you that tech is in such high demand- after all, that’s why you’re on Cybrary. But here’s some insight on the tech that reigns supreme from our professional networking pals:“While some skills expire every couple of years, our data strongly suggests that tech skills will still be needed for years to come, in every industry. Now is a great time for professionals to acquire the skills they need to be more marketable,” says LinkedIn Career Expert Catherine Fisher, “cloud and distributed computing has remained in the number-one spot for the past two years and is the Top Skill on almost every list — including France, Germany, India, Ireland, Singapore, the U.S., and Spain. Following closely on its heels is statistical analysis and data mining, which came in#2 last year, and #1 in 2014.”One piece of advice for those of you who possess some of these skills- be sure to highlight them on your resume, and especially on your LinkedIn profile to catch the attention of recruiters. There’s no better position to be in as a job seeker than being sought after by a recruiter.Along with those skills, I bet you’re also curious to know which certifications are being pursued by hiring managers.Global Knowledge derived a survey on the national scope of the 15 Top-Paying Certifications for 2016 which reflects variations based on where IT professionals work, years and experience and type of company worked for.While a list for 2017 has not yet been released, I’d say it’s safe to guess there will be little deviation in the coming months.So, while an Amazon Web Services certification was cited as#1, the remainder of the Global Knowledge list I’ll keep their specific order, but only highlight courses which are relevant to Cybrary.2. CRISC 8. CCNA3. CISM 10. CEH4. CISSP 13. CCNP5. PMP 14. ITIL6. CISAFrom this data, 6 of the 15 are focused in security, a major takeaway for IT professionals looking to break into a more specified cyber field.Ready for another list?The following complies some of the most in demand software technologies for the new year. One’s familiarity with any of these, even on a baseline level is extremely valued, specifically if the company that’s hiring lists a need for data presentation skills.- Spark
- Azure
- Salesforce
- Jira
- Hive
- Cassandra
- Juniper
Now that you know what skills are hot, highlighted them on your resume, have taken courses and brushed up on the latest software, it’s time to get certified.As you know, certifications are great resume boosters and can provide an added edge amongst your competitors.For those of you pursuing any of the certifications listed above, Cybrary’s skill certification courses and corresponding tests serve as a great practice mechanism or even a substitute in some cases, for their more extensive and expensive cousin certifications.For example, if you know you want to pursue CompTIA’s Network+ and eventually the CISSP, first try Network Fundamentals, Subnetting, TCP/IP, and Strategic DNS Ops. These skill certification tests act as a compass to direct your further studies, helping to determine if you’re ready for more advanced coursework.Try one of the newly organized skill certification tests today, I’ll even raise a glass to you in 2017. Here’s the code for your next one: OBLOG50.Olivia Lynch is the Marketing Manager at Cybrary. Like many of you, she is just getting her toes wet in the field of cyber security. A firm believer that the pen is mightier than the sword, Olivia considers corny puns and an honest voice essential to any worthwhile blog.