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Get IT certified from home

What if someone said you could work from home to earn the computer certifications necessary to get started in one of the nation’s fastest-growing industries — all without having to earn a college degree?

Sound too good to be true? It isn’t.

Computers are hot — so hot that the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that eight of the 10 fastest-growing occupations through 2010 will be computer-related. And unlike many professions, a successful career in computers doesn’t necessarily hinge on a time-consuming college degree. Getting started often is as simple as getting certified.

A college degree always helps, said Anne Martinez, author of the book “Get Certified & Get Ahead” and operator of GoCertify.com, a leading Web site on computer certifications. “But I would say it’s definitely a field you can get into without one. A certification is a way to get that door open.”

Dori Reuscher, a 10-year veteran of IT consulting and the computer certification guide on the About.com Web site, agrees.

“As someone who has a college degree, I think it’s important,” she said. But if you need a job more than a degree right now, getting certified is a way to show you’re serious about the field.

Concerned about career progression if you lack a diploma? Reuscher offers this advice: “Get your certification, get a job, get a foot in the door, then get a degree.”

And even more good news: You can get college credit for some of the coursework required for many certifications.

“So, not only can you get an industry-recognized certification ... but you can use it toward getting a further education,” said Neill Hopkins, vice president of skills development for the Computing Technology Industry Association, or CompTIA, a trade association for the computer industry.

The right certification

With hundreds of computer certifications out there, you’ll find something to suit just about every interest and skill level.

Do your homework before selecting a certification program to make sure you choose one that is the best fit for you.

There’s plenty of help. Martinez offers a certification counselor on her Web site, for example, and CompTIA has a section on its Web site that allows you to match the job that most resembles your career goals with the correct certification.

Looking for a certification that will help land you a job in an in-demand technical field? Our experts recommend anything related to security, systems administration, convergence technologies or computer repair.

“The one considered a good entry-level field is computer repair,” Martinez said. And demand is still high for IT and help-desk workers, CompTIA’s Hopkins said.

Preparing for and earning a certification can take anywhere from days to months, or even years. A lot depends on the certification being pursued and the chosen method of study.

For those just getting started in the field of information technology, for example, Reuscher suggests vendor-neutral certifications, such as A+ or Certified Internet Webmaster.

Vendor-neutral certifications are not controlled by any one vendor but rather can be sponsored by professional groups, such as CompTIA, or independent training companies, such as Learning Tree International, according to GoCertify.com. Conversely, vendor-sponsored certifications — Microsoft, Novell and Cisco Systems, to name a few — are directly related to vendors’ product lines.

Vendor-neutral certifications offer “a hold on all of the issues,” Reuscher said. “You’ll learn a little bit of everything.”

Training for vendor-neutral certifications generally can be accomplished through self-study. Just grab a few textbooks, study and take the certification test.

“There are many good texts out there,” Martinez said. “Go to Amazon and read reader ratings on books. The other thing that is really helpful is to use practice tests that simulate real tests.”

Martinez said practice tests are available on a number of Web sites. One word of caution: Avoid so-called “brain dumps,” in which actual test material has been memorized or captured electronically from a certification test and remade into “practice tests” that mirror the real exam.

“It’s not always obvious which ones those are,” she said. “You don’t want to accidentally use that stuff.”

Discipline required

If you’re considering the self-study route to certification, CompTIA’s Hopkins offers this counsel: “Self-study requires discipline. Some people are very good at self-study — others, not so good.”

Those intent on training for their certification exams at home but who fear they may lack the discipline to go the text-and-practice-tests route may opt for instructor-led audio, video or online training.

Alternatives to home-based training include traditional classroom study at your local community college or “boot-camp” programs, which Martinez describes as “cramming for certification.”

Reuscher said the more advanced certifications such as MS, Java and Oracle will probably require more intensive training. “But when you are starting out, you can sort of pick and choose how you want to learn.”

Testing methods and costs

Testing methods for certification may vary depending on the level of difficulty.

“A few testing places offer online testing, but that is probably more entry-level,” Martinez said. “The more advanced you get, you probably have to go somewhere and take a proctored test.”

Thomson Prometric and Pearson VUE are two of the leading computer-based testing providers, Martinez and Reushcer said. Thousands of testing centers are located worldwide.

The costs for training and examination differ widely, depending on the certification and study method used.

“A lot of the cost is in the training,” Reuscher said. At-home self-study, using study guides and practice tests, is the least expensive option, and instructor-led training at a commercial training enterprise — which can cost $300 to $400 a day, Hopkins said — generally is the most costly.

Examinations typically cost $150 or more.

Fortunately, many courses qualify for government reimbursement through programs such as the GI Bill and DANTES (Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support).

Finally, before you embark on any kind of training program aimed at helping you achieve a computer certification, make sure your choice is a legitimate one. If it sounds too good to be true, Martinez said, it probably is.

“Research training like you would anything else,” she said. “Ask for references and contact them.”

Tap into free training

There are plenty of low-cost ways to train for technical certification. Look hard enough and you might be surprised to find some no-cost ways as well.

Both the Computing Technology Industry Association, or CompTIA, a trade association for the computer industry, and CompTEC Computer Career Center, a Florida-based independent computer training company, offer what amounts to free career certification training in information technologies to current and former service members.

The CompTIA Educational Foundation’s Creating Futures program recently launched a pilot program in Jacksonville, Fla., to train transitioning active-duty personnel and recent veterans from any branch of the military who have some form of IT experience for their CompTIA A+ certification.

At CompTEC, veterans eligible for GI Bill benefits also can receive free training. According to CompTEC’s Web site, the GI Bill benefit pays 60 percent of the tuition. CompTEC grants veterans the remaining 40 percent, resulting in zero out-of-pocket tuition expenses.