Top 10 IT Certifications for 2012

Global Knowledge, a US-based IT and business skills training company, releases an annual IT Skills and Salary report. Based on their latest release, they have come up with Top paying IT certifications that open up several job opportunities for certified professionals.

Certain certifications like CCIE (Cisco Certified Internet-working Expert) and VCDX (VMware Certified Design Expert) have not been included in the report because of their exclusivity.

Top 10 IT Certifications for 2012 are as follows:
1. PMP (Project Management Professional): Project Management is meant to complete a complex project in a cost-effective manner and on time. From planning to hiring resources to delegating tasks and delivering the final product, project managers have to handle multiple tasks. In this field, the certifications offered by Project Management Institute (PMI) certifications are widely respected worldwide. See details

2. CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional): If you have at least five years of experience in the field of Information Security and want to be a globally recognised expert in the field, opt for CISSP. CISSP professionals define and implement the architecture, design and management of the security of business environments. See details

3. CCDA (Cisco Certified Design Associate): CCDA is a CISCO certification for network professionals who have verifiable skills needed to design routed and switched network infrastructures and services involving LAN, WAN, and broadband access for businesses and organizations. Valid for three years, the CCDA certification curriculum encompasses designing basic campus, data center, security, voice, and wireless networks. See details

4. ITIL v3 Foundation (Information Technology Infrastructure Library): ITIL certification denotes Best Practice in IT Service Management. It covers documented, proven processes to cover the entire Service Lifecycle of the quality IT services, which makes it easy for organisations to learn, modify, and implement it to suit their corporate aims. See details

5. MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer): The MCSE is the most recognized industry certification in the world. It helps professionals expand their skills both on-premise and in the cloud. Constantly in touch with the latest industry trends, MCSE professionals are thought to be forward-thinking industry leaders in IT certifications. See details

6. VCP (VMware Certified Professional): Certifying IT professionals for their skills in datacenter virtualization, VCP certification is recognised by the industry. It signifies completion of a VMware-authorized training course and at least six months of hands-on experience with VMware technologies that teaches professionals to successfully install, deploy, scale and manage VMware vSphere environments. See details

7. CCNP (Cisco Certified Network Professional): CCNP Certification is for those who have at least one year of networking experience and would learn the necessary skills to work on complex network solutions. This IPv6 Forum Gold Education Certification validates the professional's ability to plan, implement, verify and troubleshoot local and wide-area enterprise networks. They are apt for enterprise roles such as network technician, support engineer, systems engineer or network engineer. See details

8. CompTIA Server+: CompTIA Server+ certification is a vendor neutral certification for professionals that have at least 18 to 24 months of experience in the Information Technology field. It validates knowledge of server hardware and software. The certified professionals possess skills and knowledge in the field of server issues and technology, including disaster recovery and troubleshooting. See details

9. MCITP (Microsoft Certified IT Professional): MCITP certification assesses the individual's skills for a particular job role in IT, such as database administrator or enterprise messaging administrator. The certifications are not updated for future versions of Microsoft products. However, MCITPs are eligible for special upgrade paths to new Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE) certifications, which access an experienced professional’s ability to design and build technology solutions in the cloud and on premise. See details

10. CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate): Validating the professional's ability to install, configure, operate, and troubleshoot medium-sized route and switched networks, CCNA curriculum includes implementation and verification of connections to remote sites in a WAN, basic mitigation of security threats, introduction to wireless networking concepts and terminology, and performance-based skills. It also includes various protocols like IP, Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol (EIGRP), Serial Line Interface Protocol Frame Relay, Routing Information Protocol Version 2 (RIPv2), VLANs, Ethernet, and access control lists (ACLs). See details

Expert Advice
Rutul Naik from Jetking Infotrain Ltd points out, "CCNA, CCNP, MCSE, MCITP, and RHCE are some certifications which are most popular among Indian students who wish to pursue a successful career in IT. The first four are there in this list too. Students who wish to make a career in Networking can get Cisco certifications (CCNA or CCNP) and students who wish to make a career in server on Windows platform, can go for Microsoft certifications (MCSE or MCITP)."

At Jetking, top companies have approached the institute to specifically ask for CCNA certified students even at fresher levels. Naik says, "Recruiters always prefer someone who is certified. Advanced Certifications are quite helpful in career progression too."

CMAT to judge your emotional intelligence

AICTE chairman, SS Mantha talks about CMAT and his plans to include a test that will judge a candidate’s emotional IQ. Here are some edited excerpts from the interview:

How has the student community responded to CMAT this year?
The response has been good. We have received around 61,000 registrations for CMAT this year.

How are the B schools reacting to this?
As days progress, the number of B schools accepting CMAT scores will keep rising. For the first exam of 2012, 10 states have agreed on accepting CMAT scores and the others will follow suit, it is just a matter of time. Some states have responded while the others are yet to respond on CMAT, which is being held from September 27 till October 1, 2012.

Was there a strategy behind starting the management season with CMAT?
The only intention was to give students time for their semester exams. Had we held the exam a month later, it would have clashed with their semester exams. And, if we held it towards the end of year, it would have clashed with the end-term examinations. Also, in that case (latter), we did not have a suitable time-gap for the second CMAT test. By holding the test in Sept/Oct we are also ensuring that students get enough time between the first and the second exam which will be announced in February 2013.

How do you view the format of CMAT?
This format allows students to save time, energy and money by institutionalising online testing. This also saves a lot of hassles for the colleges by facilitating one time testing for a lot of colleges put together. We are happy to innovate in the conventional pattern of such exams and drive it successfully. The scores of current CMAT and the next, to be announced in February 2013, will be used for admissions in academic year 2013-2014.

What was the need to hold CMAT twice a year?
A lot of people have asked me this question. There are two reasons for holding the exam twice a year. One is to provide freedom and an option to the student to plan when they want to take the test. If a certain student falls sick on the day of the exam, at least s/he doesn’t have to lose a year in the process. And the other is the fact that the students can choose their best score in the two exams to apply to institutes, also makes it a win-win situation for them.

As CMAT gains popularity, do we see some improvisations happening in terms of the paper pattern?
Changes and improvisations can happen in a certain framework. We cannot make drastic changes to the exam format, but within the larger test, we would like to include a test that can gauge a candidate’s intelligence quotient vis-à-vis pursuing a management programme. We would like CMAT to have a section where a candidate’s aptitude along with his/her emotional maturity can be judged. The test should be able to probe the various facets one is good at. Through hypothetical situations, the test will determine the disposition of a candidate to a certain event. We are looking at a test that can figure out if you are level-headed, stable, shy, patient, because your traits influence what kind of a manager you will be.

What is your vision for CMAT? Do you envision it as the leading management test in India in future?
It will be very difficult to say what will happen in the future. However, gauging the situation as it stands today I would say that we have a problem of plenty. There are too many colleges offering too many programmes, holding too many exams. In a situation like this, a student has to spend a lot of money to appear for as many tests, and live in the fear of missing out on some exam. Because of these reasons, we have seen that most students ultimately take a handful of exams to succeed. The vision for CMAT is to provide a single window to our students, so that they can perform their best.

One hears of various B-schools closing down every year. Does the situation worry you?
Closure is a matter of consolidation. So far we have seen 138 closures this year, out of which 65 have been in management. In Andhra Pradesh alone we have seen 40 schools shutting shop. However, solely looking at the schools shutting down presents an incomplete picture. Over the last five years, we have seen a 35% increase in the number of seats available to students. This year, 80 new B schools have received approvals from AICTE.

Trends in management education point towards a paradigm shift

Trends in management education point towards a paradigm shift in as far as the tendency in rise in applications amidst an improving economy is concerned.

Unlike historically, when MBA applications trend countercyclical to economic conditions, this year, data collected by Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) suggests a significant change from previous post-recession patterns. Even as the global economy shows signs of recovery, applications to MBA programmes are rising after a slump of three years. According to the 2012 Application Trends Survey, 51 per cent of graduate business and management programmes surveyed confirmed receiving more applications than last year. Though the growth is displayed in applications across a variety of programme types, including part-time, online as well as specialised master's degrees, it has majorly been fuelled by application gains among online and distance courses.

Region-wise, programmes in Asia-Pacific and Central Asia reported the strongest growth in volumes for full-time MBA programmes. Ashish Bhardwaj, regional director, South Asia, GMAC, elaborates, "Looking at different regions of the world, 32 per cent of full-time two-year MBA programmes in the US reported application increases, 37 per cent in Europe reported application increases, 80 per cent of all MBA programmes in China reported application increases and 83 per cent of all MBA programmes in India reported application increases. Clearly, the relatively stronger economic growth in India and China, the two most significant markets in Asia Pacific, builds a strong case for investing in management education."

He adds, "Demand for MBA programmes in India is also driven by the financial, personal and professional development the degree offers. These multidimensional advantages were reported by Indian citizens in a separate survey by GMAC, the 2012 Alumni Perspectives Survey where 92 per cent of Indian alumni agreed their graduate management degree is personally rewarding and 88 per cent said their degree is professionally rewarding."

This upswing in demand for MBA among Indians is witnessed across regions as worldwide Indians account for the greatest number of foreign applicants for 43 per cent of MBA programmes. Across Asia, 34 per cent of MBA programmes indicated that Indian citizens accounted for their greatest number of foreign applications. For Europe and US, this number stands at 59 per cent and 44 per cent respectively.

Another point to be noted is apart from showing the strongest growth in overall increase in applications Asia also reported the greatest growth in female application volume for fulltime one-year MBA programmes at 77 per cent. This compared with 32 per cent in Europe and 47 per cent in the United States. Says Bhardwaj, "In terms of women candidates, 73 per cent of management programmes in India surveyed reported more applications from women candidates than last year. While it is difficult to clearly pinpoint the relative contribution of the outreach efforts made by top schools in attracting women candidates and the 'market effect', what is evident is that schools and corporate recruiters are both working towards greater gender diversity in the management pool and women candidates in greater numbers are seeing the value in investing in management education."

The survey also reveals special efforts made by programmes to recruit entrepreneurs (16 per cent), pre-experience candidates (13 per cent), and members of the LGBT community (9 per cent). The annual survey also indicates that specialised master's programmes in management, finance, and accounting continue to show robust growth.

744 programmes, including 527 MBA programmes, 24 business doctoral programmes (PhD/ DBA) and 193 specialised master's programmes, from 359 B-schools in 46 countries participated in the survey this year.

MAAC Manifest 2012

Maya Academy of Advanced Cinematics (MAAC) recently conducted an educational seminar, MAAC Manifest 2012 in Mumbai. The seminar catered to over 900 students, informing them about the various facets of animation as a career.

Experts from the industry including Arnab Chaudhary, Creator of Arjun - The Warrior Prince, Arpan Gaglani, Creative Director at Krayon Pictures and Kirtish Tharthare, Lead Lighting Artist, at Rhythm and Hues Studios graced the event. Providing insights on the use of modern software to bring life into characters, Chaudhary and Gaglani took students through the making of Arjun and glimpses of the movie, Delhi Safari. The use of images of digital paintings in the making of films caught the audience's attention.

The event was followed by an interactive session with students that focused on the scope of Indian animation industry and how India at par with international counterparts.

Ram Warrier, business head, MAAC said, "We have entered the 3D age of animation and this is clearly visible from the kind of animated movies being created. Through the event, we plan to educate and create awareness of the ample job opportunities that the sector provides."

Tough time for med aspirants after admission round limit

The worries of students and their parents in securinga seat in a private medical college has taken a different form this year.

A Supreme Court order says the Association for Private Unaided Medical and Dental Colleges (APUMDC) can conduct only two admission rounds and not three like before. Students who did not get seats in the two rounds are now seeking admission individually to the state's nine MBBS and 19 BDS private colleges.

Divya Sagar (name changed), a Mithibai College student, is planning to drop a year and try for the course next year. However, she is also worried about the difficulty level of National Eligibility cum Entrance Test, to be introduced from 2013. "One college claimed they have no vacant seats, but the association's list shows it has nearly 30 vacant seats. We will have to approach individual colleges in a week's time. I approached colleges in Khed, Jalgaon and Navi Mumbai but could not check with others as they had closed admissions."

Ajaz Rawoot, a parent, said, "After the two rounds, colleges had to issue advertisements or display vacancies on their website. Not many have followed the Pravesh Niyantran Samiti (PNS) rules. Colleges were supposed to give us time till September 21 for application and counselling but several closed admissions on September 18." Another student said she would have got a seat if there would have been a third round. She said colleges are claiming there are no seats and asking for donations.

APUMDC chairman Kamal Kishore Kadam said, "After the two rounds, the association had sent the procedures to be followed to all the members and a letter asking them to follow the SC verdict. If colleges fail to do it, it will amount to contempt. Students can approach the PNS or even the court."

"After the centralized process, colleges have to put up a merit list and get it approved by PNS. If students' ASSO-CET scores are higher than the cut-offs listed, they can approach the authorities," added Kadam.

Some students have approached Forum For Fairness in Education for help.

Those who could not secure a seat in two rounds have been seeking admission to institutes individually.