Best certifications to get

Best certifications to get

Some people regard certifications as overrated. But given the number of resumes human resources departments get, having the certifications listed in the job description, even if the description calls them desirable and not required, really helps. You need something to make you stand out, and certifications are an effective way to do that. Here are the 16 best certifications to get, in my 20 years of experience in IT.

If you already have an IT position but don’t have some of these certifications, these certifications can be good goals to put on your annual review. Most of them are attainable within a year, and they increase your value to your present employer, so a good employer is willing to pay for the training and examination fee as long as you agree not to leave within a certain period of time.

Also, there’s no reason to think you need to get all of these. You can have a long and productive career with one or two of them. The key is which two. But you’ll know which ones apply to your situation and which ones don’t. Like a college degree, having certifications opens doors. If you don’t have a degree, certifications can help make up for it.

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How to become a system administrator

How to become a system administrator

No one told me how to become a system administrator. I figured it out eventually, but made some mistakes along the way. So let me tell you what nobody ever told me, and hopefully you can avoid the mistakes I made.

I’ve been an IT professional for more than 20 years now. I was a system administrator for nine of those 20 years. You may find you can do better than being a system administrator forever. But I know system administrators who had long careers and enjoyed it. Regardless, becoming a system administrator is at the very least a great stepping stone to other things. So here’s how to become a system administrator.

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What is a blog used for?

What is a blog used for?

What is a blog used for? Well, take it from a guy who’s been blogging since 1999. It’s used for a lot of things, depending on who is running the blog. It helps to remember that ultimately, a blog is just a web site. So you can use it for anything you would use any other web page for. But let’s explore it. My motivations for blogging certainly have changed over time.

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How good is my password?

How good is my password?

How good is my password? Chances are, not as good as the web site’s strength-o-meter says it is. That’s assuming the site even has a strength-o-meter. Unfortunately, more goes into the quality of a password than just the things the typical web site strength-o-meter measures. Here’s what you need to know, and what you can do about it.

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What is a reseller?

What is a reseller?

When you see a for sale ad, you may see phrases like “great for resellers” or “reseller ready” or “resellers welcome.” So what is a reseller? And why does someone selling something want to attract one?

I’ll answer those questions. And if you think you might want to be a reseller but don’t know where to start, I have some tips for that too.

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What is CMOS in a computer?

What is CMOS in a computer?

From time to time, people may bring up CMOS, which can be a confusing topic because it can actually mean several things. These days it normally means one specific thing though. So let’s explore the question of what is CMOS in a computer.

It’s a tougher question than you might think. It even confuses professionals sometimes. Including published authors.

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How to zip a folder in Windows 10

How to zip a folder in Windows 10

You probably know how to unzip a file in Windows 10. You double-click on it. But Windows 10 can create zip files too, not just extract them. Here’s how to zip a folder in Windows 10 without buying or installing any additional software.

This option isn’t exclusive to Windows 10. Windows 7 included this functionality too, as did some versions of Windows I wish you wouldn’t use anymore. It’s hiding in a menu that doesn’t get a lot of use these days. But back when floppy disks existed, this menu was the fastest way to copy a file to a floppy. Today it’s the fastest way to create a zip file.

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