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There aren't very many computing credentials. This is because overall things are being consolidated in the United States to make things simpler, easier to understand, and more comparable. This still leaves lots of room for diversity but things that use similar processes, technologies, management methods, tools, and services will overall use similar vocabularies, definitions, explanations, and concepts.
This means that computing credentials are currently being consolidated to make them easier to understand and comparable on similarities. The main computing credentials are in the following categories:
There are a lot of changes going on with work, school, living areas, and nearby amenities. This affects how people live, what they study, and what they expect work to look like. Its a long term change and considered to be part of human development.
Credential comes from the words Credit, Credibility, and Credence. It signifies a status and implies it was issued by an approved issuer.
The way people look for work, find jobs, how long they stay, and what they do for work, has a lot do do with what type of credentials are available during certain time periods.
Traditionally people stay in there jobs from 16 to 65 and even if they may switch employers, they are very unlikely to switch jobs, this is how careers are made.
Lately, this isn't very true and people have asked for the following things in their work environment:
All of this has affected credentials, and IT is no different. A person who spent 4 years studying for a bachelor in computing, may not want to do their job anymore, as little as 2 years after they graduate. Many people don't want to work full time and go to school full time at all. Full time work and part time school is not much different, and part time work, and part time school can lead to financial stability problems. These financial issues are not a good preception in developed nations. IT has also changed over the last 25 years, a lot.
Most computing jobs will fall into one of these categories for almost any industry.
The next time period in computing will focus on heavy automation, infrastructure, change request procedures, and regulated industries like banking, medical, court room, and media.
Some of the most desired applications in computing are space travel and ocean exploration. Space computing includes satelite management, physics computations, strict system design and integration, and standards based programming. It is strict for obvious reasons and has many human safety systems built into various components. This is normally called a system within a system and there are lots of words and descriptions that allow concept communication across various languages.
Ocean exploration is often because of space travel. Concepts like weightlessness, disorientation, and changed physics perceptions within alternate environments can describe the need for human safety systems within these environments. Most of these safety requirements are based on technology design.
These new updated concepts, often lead to environmental assessment. Managing the collected data and how it affects human safety requires data management, this can lead to environmental management systems, this creates opportunities to examine life form interaction including humans own natural behaviors. Overall, many different conversations in life sciences start from these technology applications and examination of recent human interests.
Its unlikely that there will be much time to do a lot of technology work outside of these areas over the next 25 years.
The Credentials
IT - this is mostly systems management or programming. It includes computer technicians, network technicians, system administrators, system managers, database administrators, and computer programmers. The computer programmers can know one or many languages and they may focus exclusively on database programming. Component design is often an engineering function and many IT workers have gone into business management or professional office work.
Engineering - Software, Systems, Network, Communications. In medical industries it can also include device manufacturing, biology examination and assessment, and pharmaceuticals design. There are also civil, electrical, environmental, and mechanical engineers that work with computing. Overall, engineers share similar skills in math, physics, structural design, and professional writing.
Management - The difference between information technology and information systems is that technology is often referring to components or subsystems. Systems is normally the completed design being used by an organization or business. Systems can be tied to a business plan or regulated industry. There are often configuration specifications and change request requirements in an IT or Information System. MIS manages the completed system that an organization uses to complete its tasks.
Assurance - These professionals assure that the information on a system has not been modified, corrupted, or tampered with through an unapproved process. This is done to the best of their understanding and based on their knowledge of how the system works. This is a fairly new credential considering that a programming credential has been around since as early as the 1940s in recent times. These most often resembles a legal department or insurance company credential to professional office workers. They work with data availability, confidentiality assessments, and information integrity evaluations and provide these reports to an organizations management team.
Life sciences and professional services - These are often complex to advanced concepts and require advanced to expert workers in order to achieve a quality time management status. They do well on technology teams even if they feel overwhelmed at times with computing terms and system design. This can include doctors, nurses, lawyers, accountants, and insurance assessors. With life sciences its normally biology, earth science or environmental science professionals that have the biggest interest in computing. Psychologists and neurologists are also doing well with computing and sociologists are making progress into computing as behavioral research scientists. Mostly, these professionals have large databases and specific software application requirements.
The number of credential organizations is getting smaller and trending towards a university degree or certificate. Smaller organizations may actually provide specialized, or intermediary credentials. They may also be in place to do assessments or reference for larger credentials that have didactic issuance requirements.
Universities
This is most preferred and it is no longer required to get a degree for most people. A high school diploma and a college certificate looks excellent on a resume or work status portfolio.
Degrees
These show an advanced status, especially with a high GPA classified as honor roll or above. Regardless of grades, any degree shows a skills status and its recommended to keep a few sample assignments in an offline storage container.
Microsoft
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or
Recommended
CompTIA
Amazon
or
or
or
Search for Google on Coursera
Oracle
EdX or Coursera
Provide college interest assessment or certifications and continuing education. Recommended to have existing degree or university library access for use as a continous credentialing platform.
Pearson Vue
Prometric
Pearson Vue and Prometric are testing centers, they focus exclusively on testing based on equal measurements and providing a consistent exam environment.