2. 2
Battle for Top IT Talent
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Programming Certifications
Contents
A number of internal and external factors,
from exponential job growth rates to
dropping unemployment numbers, are
creating a battle for qualified IT talent
nationwide.
tekpartners in the community
TekPartners strives to always give back more than we receive.
Learn more about some of the ways we are giving back.
know a grad?
TekPartners is hiring! Check out our Talent Engagement
Specialist roles open to college graduates nationwide.
event calendar
Stay up to date with all things IT including events,
tradeshows, tournaments and more.
retail scorecards
TekPartners BI Solutions is developing scorecards to change
the way performance is measured nationally.
hot jobs
Hot job openings for IT professionals in South Florida,
Charlotte, Orlando, and nationwide.
TekPartners discusses some of the
top IT certifications for 2015 and why
professionals with these certifications
are gaining a competitive advantage
in the job market.
The Battle for Top IT Talent is Heating Up
Programming Certifications:
A Competitive Advantage
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3. 3
The Battle for Top IT
Talent is Heating Up
T
he tech industry is one of the fast-
est growing in the U.S. today. With
average annual job growth rates
well above most industries, tech compa-
nies and specialized roles within them are
growing at a mind-boggling rate and only
expected to increase. This is great news if
you are an IT professional in today’s job
market. As CIOs and other IT leaders are
struggling to fill critical roles in their re-
spective departments, IT professionals
become a high demand commodity in the
workforce.
The battle for qualified talent in specialized
areas of IT is due to a number of internal
and external factors, from exponential job
growth rates to dropping unemployment
numbers. Below are two major factors af-
fecting the disparity between supply and
demand in the IT labor market today:
national unemployment
According to a recent report from Dice,
tech industry unemployment rates in the
first quarter of 2015 are at their lowest
rates since 2008, averaging 2.3% nation-
wide. Additionally, that number actually
continued its downward trend over the
quarter, from 2.5% in January to 2.0% in
March. The Bureau of Labor and Statistics
reported declines in all of the following IT
specialties:
• Web Developers
• Computer-Systems Analysts
• Computer Support Specialists
• Network & Systems Administrators
• Software Developers
• Computer & Information Systems
Managers
• Database Administrators
• Network Architects
This lack of talent actively seeking em-
ployment is leading to big problems, with
demand for pay and specialized skill-sets
becoming increasingly volatile. This high
volatility is causing intense competition
among employers, making it nearly impos-
sible to compete with salary expectations
from those qualified to fill mission-critical
roles.
growing skills gaps, emerging Technologies
Over the past two decades, we have wit-
nessed an unprecedented rate of innova-
tion in the technology sector. This growth
rate is widely thought to increase expo-
nentially as micro-chips shrink and man-
ufacturing processes improve. This rate of
growth makes it nearly impossible to keep
pace with training and development on
emerging platforms. Currently, there is a
skills and labor gap of about 6-12 months
behind innovation and new technology
emergence. Some of the biggest areas we
see skills gaps include:
• Cloud Services
• Big Data
• Security
• IoT and Sensors
Though this is partly due to a lack of train-
ing in the workforce, companies must also
take a portion of the blame for a lack of
flexibility in labor planning and forecast-
ing. Better workforce planning and train-
ing by companies is one idea on how to
internally fill the growing needs of new
technologies as they emerge.
New technologies and processes can only
be expected to grow at the same pace or
faster than in recent years. Being armed
with this information, planning ahead, and
implementing better IT workforce plans
can help companies stay competitive. IT
professionals trained and staying current
with these trends are in a great position
to demand top pay and seek out the most
desirable opportunities.
4. 4
T
he previous article showcased how
IT professionals already demand top
dollar in today’s job market due to
disparities between supply and demand.
One might think, investing time and mon-
ey into a certification would not only be
unnecessary, but downright ridiculous.
You may be surprised to find out this
seemingly sound logic is actually far from
the truth. We are not saying you should
discount the value of real life development
and coding skills, but according to recent
hires and those doing the hiring; certifica-
tions may very well be a good investment
even today.
Getting certified in a specific area of IT
has the potential to give you that advan-
tage when interviewing, the ability to de-
mand higher pay, and more options when
choosing locations and companies. Below
we examine why that is and some of the
best certifications for IT professionals in
2015 and beyond.
aptitude and initiative makes a difference
Any developer worth their salt can provide
evidence of their proficiency in code and/
or programming. In fact, to be taken seri-
ously in the industry providing portfolios
and sample code are generally required
when applying to new positions. This is ex-
actly why getting certified builds value into
your professional tool kit, helping you land
better paying jobs with top employers.
You stand out from the crowd, a crowd
that is already in demand nationally.
Certification programs are intensive con-
ceptual and/or specific project based
learning tools giving you credentialed
expertise in the coding language or man-
agement tools. While all developers and
programmers can list multiple languages
or management processes on their re-
sume, a certification showcases aptitudes
specifically in the designated area, proving
real-life use and experience with each.
Getting certified also highlights a skill
much harder to learn and in some cases
even more valuable than your technical
prowess all together, initiative. Initiative
is one soft-skill set employers can expect
from a certified individual, especially to-
day. Someone that is willing to continue
their development in a market where it is
Programming Certifications:
A Competitive Advantage
4
5. 5
often seen as unnecessary is someone
that stands out. You can bet the majority
of hiring managers would choose a less-
skilled programmer with initiative than an
expert that no longer practices self-devel-
opment.
demanding higher salaries
Certifications can also give you an edge
during salary negotiations. While they
may not hold as much weight as actual
experience, they can highlight your de-
sire to stay current in the fast-paced, ev-
er-changing world of IT. It also gives you
ammo to market yourself as a subject
matter expert in a particular area, mean-
ing you can likely negotiate substantial
increases in base salary when compared
with general IT professionals in conten-
tion for the same role.
One important factor to note when ne-
gotiating salaries is that you are likely to
find more success with large enterprise
environments over smaller, start-up com-
panies. This may be because start-ups
tend to use newer technologies from oth-
er new companies, and these tools are
lacking certification programs. Also, larger
organizations spend substantial sums on
employee training and development while
most small businesses cannot afford for-
mal paid training programs. Therefore,
coming in with skills these larger firms do
not have to invest in, makes you more at-
tractive from a financial standpoint as well.
certifications in demand
Today there are hundreds of programming
languages being used and more being cre-
ated constantly. This makes choosing the
right certification difficult and time-con-
suming. According to research done by
Dice, there are certification specialties
that today’s employers place the most
value on. Below is a high-level overview of
each.
• Microsoft Certified Solutions Devel-
oper (MCSD)
• Amazon Web Services Architect and
Devops Engineer Certifications
• Google Apps Certification
• (ISC)2’s Certified Secure Software
Lifecycle Professional (CSSLP)
• Big Data Focused Certifications
The future of certifications in the IT field
seems to be bright. Data suggests experi-
enced and senior IT professionals are one
demographic seen joining the movement,
using certifications as a way to bolster
their resume. A candidate with 7 years of
programming experience, a college de-
gree, and a couple specialized certifica-
tions is certainly more desirable to com-
panies today than someone without those
extra levels of expertise.
Download Salary Guide Here/
2015 Salary Guide
Download your 2015 Salary
Guide for IT Professionals in the
United States by entering your
information in the form.
5
6. 6
Tekpartners
in the community
kya's smiles charity golf tournament
TekPartners recently participated in the
Kya’s Smiles Charity Golf Tournament on
September 19th to help raise money in
honor of Kya Bliss Kapur, a 13 month old
that suffered and lost a battle with child-
hood cancer. Her magical smile, infectious
laugh, and fighting spirit changed many
lives and touched countless hearts. Her
parents founded Kya’s Smiles to create
broader awareness about the realities of
childhood cancer, provide support net-
works, and act as a resource to empower
other families battling this difficult disease.
lynne mitchell foundation charity event
Lynne Mitchell Foundation was founded to
change the future of underprivileged chil-
dren in Jamaica, allowing them to achieve
their dreams and become a generation of
leaders dedicated to improving their com-
munities. TekPartners attended their re-
cent fundraising event on September 26th
in South Florida to help raise awareness
for this important and life changing cause.
8th annual cio council golf outing
TekPartners was a proud sponsor at the
CIO Council Golf Outing, held in Fort Lau-
derdale, FL on September 18th. The out-
ing was to raise funds in support of the
CIO Council Scholarship Fund. The fund
is dedicated to providing schools with
endowments to create scholarship op-
portunities for financially disadvantaged
students in the information systems and
technology fields.
7. 7
Events Calendar
Date Time Event Location
10/7: 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm Code for Ft. Lauderdale @ Nova Southeastern University,
College of Computer & Info Sciences
Fort Lauderdale, FL
10/7: 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm vBeers Palm Beach Gardens @ Twisted Trunk Brewery Palm Beach Gardens, FL
10/8 - 10/10: 12:00 am – 12:00 am PMI Central Florida Global Leadership Conference Orlando, FL
10/10: 7:00 am – 7:00 pm PASS SQL Saturday #442 Orlando, FL
10/13: 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm #333 Tech After Five Charlotte, NC
10/15 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm SFBJ Technology Awards 2015 Fort Lauderdale, FL
10/17: 7:00 am – 7:00 pm PASS SQL Saturday #452 Charlotte, NC
10/19: 8:30 am – 6:00 pm 4–day PMP Prep Boot Camp West Palm Beach, FL
10/31: 8:30 am – 6:00 pm 4-day PMP Prep Boot Camp Miramar, FL
11/9: 8:30 am – 6:00 pm 4-day PMP Prep Boot Camp Fort Lauderdale, FL
12/3: 11:30 am - 9:30 pm ITPalooza 2015 Fort Lauderdale, FL
Know a Grad?
TekPartners is hiring recent College
Graduates with an interest in Sales
and Recruiting. Check out our Talent
Engagement Specialist roles open to
college graduates nationwide.
Click for information=
8. 8
in the news
Click on each article below.
• U.S. Information
Technology Industry
Added More Than
70,000 Jobs in First Half
of 2015
• Federal Apprenticeship
Grants Will Help
Washington High-Tech
Workers
• Georgia’s Technology
Sector Increasing Job
Demand, Lacks Supply
• Finalists Selected For
Global “Wearables For
Good” Design Challenge
Retail Scorecards:
Driving Revenue
Through Measurement
From Top To Bottom
By: Anthony Sammartino,
VP of Business Intelligence
T
ekPartners Business Intelligence
Solutions partnered with a global
fortune 500 retail organization to
assist with the creation of a scorecard that
changes the way their stores measure
performance nationwide. By integrating
disparate information from over a dozen
data systems, the scorecards and asso-
ciated dashboards provide access to key
metrics that track each stores’ current
performance rating, and overall ranking
within the organization for the top leader-
ship down to key store personnel to evalu-
ate on-demand.
TekPartners Business Intelligence Solu-
tions was a valuable partner that provid-
ed business insight and technical exper-
tise from the early stages of the project
through implementation, delivering a high
performance analytics solution within
budget and on time. The retail scorecard
is now an integral part of our valued cus-
tomer’s constant improvement process to
drive sales growth.
9. 9
Hot jobs
Web Services Developer
Location: Aurora, CO or REMOTE
Term: Contract, 6 months +
Compensation: $70.00 - $80.00/ hour
DevOps Engineer
Location: Burbank, CA or Seattle, WA
Term: Contract, 6 months +
Compensation: $80.00 - $90.00/ hour
AIX / UNIX Administrator
Location: Fort Lauderdale, FL
Term: Direct Hire
Compensation: $90,000 to $100,000
Business Analyst Admin- Finance Department
Location: Sunrise, FL
Term: Direct Hire
Compensation: $70,000 - $85,000
Telecom Support Analyst
Location: Miramar, FL
Term: Contract
Systems Administrator II
Location: Lakeland, FL
Term: Contract, 6 months
Jr/Mid Instructional Designer
Location: Virginia Beach, VA
Term: Contract, 12 months
Compensation: $40,000 - $60,000
Network Administrator
Location: Orlando, FL
Term: Contract, 3 months
Compensation: $18 - $25/ hour
Web Application Architect
Location: Charlotte, NC
Term: Direct Hire
Web Conversion Analyst
Location: Charlotte, NC
Term: Direct Hire
See all job postings
