Importance of Computer Software Certifications Certification, often used in the professions of software engineering and information technology, is an assessment process that helps to recognize an individual's knowledge, skills, and competency in a particular specialty. Normally certifications are valid for a specific period and hence need to be renewed periodically. After the certification process, the individuals earn a credential, which is listed after their names. In today’s competitive professional environment, computer software certifications are important for people pursuing careers in computer technology. Software certification helps professionals to kick-start or expand their professional career as many corporate management consider it as a benchmark for recognizing the potential in an individual. The certification also helps to assess the expertise of new professionals in handling the present technical challenges. Let’s see how software certification programs help graduates, professionals, and employers.
Graduates Certification programs help graduates to not only bridge the gap between their education and work requirements but also verify their understanding of fundamental software development practices.
Professionals As for professionals, certification programs clearly substantiate their proficiency of established software development practices and demonstrate their commitment and professionalism.
Employers Certification programs help employers to standardize their software development practices and protect their investment in a competent and proficient workforce.
Certifications are of several types namely Vendor Specific Certifications Vendor specific certifications include those sponsored by vendors for instance the Apple certification program, the Microsoft Certified Professional program and the Cisco Career Certifications program.
Third Party / Vendor Neutral Certifications It refers to those certifications issued by independent, third party commercial organizations who do not owe allegiance to any specific vendor. Secure Web-Application Development Awareness course by SCIPP International, Microsoft Office Specialist and IC3 certification by Certiport belong to this category.
General Certifications The Certified Software Development Professional (CSDP) sponsored by the IEEE Computer Society and the Certified Computing Professional (CCP) by the Institute for Certification of Computing Professionals are all general certifications.
Hence, there are hundreds of certification programs to choose from. In order to understand the certification program further, let’s look at some programs. Certified Software Development Professional (CSDP) It is an ISO accredited professional certification in software engineering to mid-career software development professionals. To be eligible, the candidate must have a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution and at least four years (about 7,000 hrs) experience in software engineering/development. The CSDP examination tests candidates' proficiency in internationally accepted, industry-standard software engineering practices. Certified Software Development Associate (CSDA) The CSDA is for the graduating software engineers and early-career software professionals and is the first step towards becoming a Certified Software Development Professional (CSDP).
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