Certification Programs

Some notes on the popular professional certification programs.

Finance

CFA

Who its for: Folks interested in specializing in finance a.k.a. folks who want to make a lot of money

What comes next: Asset management, Investment banking

Difficulty: Really hard

Software

SCJP – Sun Certified Java Programmer

Who its for: Folks seeking to become Java gurus although this is just the first step

What comes next: Another program! SCJD – Sun Certified Java Developer

Difficulty: Think 3rd year programmer, except you have to study better

Microsoft Certified Professional

Who its for: Folks who think Bill Gates is the best role model

What comes next: Lots of specializations depending on your preference. Check them out here. 

Difficulty: Bit more than final year project – assuming you really did do your final year project

Oracle

Who its for: People who believe quality of data is better than quantity of data

What comes next: Jobs in most large corporations

Difficulty: Manageable

Networking

Cisco CCNA

Who its for: Folks who want to be network administrators, network designers and those who want to be called in on weekends

What comes next: Network administrators, network designers and work over weekends

Difficulty: More tedious than difficult

Process

SAP

Who its for: Folks who know a thing or two about certain business functions

What comes next: Open doors at large corporations with a fair amount of long hours

Difficulty: More on your wallet

PMP

Who its for: Folks who realize they are better at telling others what to do than doing it themselves

What comes next: Lots of job offers

Difficulty: Just look at your manager’s face 2 hours before a deadline