Tag Archives: it

Thank You ITProTV!!!

News, , , , , , , , , , ,

Always the observant one, I have driven by the Florida highway exit for ITProTV many times! I guess I really did think their HQ would be in California! It turns out, Gainesville, Florida is famous for more than just the Gators (and gators). 

Many IT training companies have thought about trying the ITProTV “Hollywood” approach, but few even try and execute it. Those that do typically fail rather spectacularly and publicly. ITProTV, on the other hand, nails it.

I am currently enjoying their Intro to Ansible course and quickly remembered why so many companies were thinking of trying to lead at this (I was with one called KnowledgeNet many years back). Two trainers are way better than one, and they do actual professional video production. And we all love watching television. In fact, this allows you to binge (even in the free account tier!)

ITProTV absolutely pops and sounds terrific on today’s mobile devices. I am not sure about you, but after hammering away at a keyboard for hours each day, I really like propping the pillows and jamming some DevOps training on the iPhone 11 Huge Max or whatever the heck it’s called.

Enjoy my quick little photo tour, which really undersells how amazing it is. We are talking numerous uniquely designed sets that are fun to perform in, and even more fun to watch. I can’t wait to appear in some upcoming episodes!

Enjoy a Free Personal Account that never expires. Should you want to upgrade, that starts as a free trial. Entire starter courses are in the free account tier, like CompTIA’s IT Fundamentals. A perfect first step for an upcoming addict. 🙂 In a super cool move, they even broadcast live into the free tier. Always something cool to check out. Here is a link to the personal plans. There are also business plans available.

IT Certification Demand and Salary Data for 2018

IT Cert, ,

IT Salary

I have finally had time to review some of the most recent Global Knowledge survey data and I wanted to share some key findings with my readers here. Remember, none of this is my opinion – it is data pulled from the report that I thought you would be interested in. Don’t shoot the messenger – and never freak out when you see something in a report like this! Learn what you can from it – that is it!

Who is this Data From?

There were 16,200 worldwide that completed the survey. 98% said they were IT Pros.

The Skills Gap!

Did managers think that their teams possessed the skills needed to keep up with organizational goals? The short answer is NO! Globally, 70% of managers felt their employees fell short. In the US and Canada – it was 75%!

This skills gap issue continues to get worse according to the opinions of the managers and that statistics. This is the second straight year this percentage has increased.

What is the biggest part of the problem according to this 70% of managers? By far the biggest problem most identified was the problem of attracting talent. This was especially true in areas that have lagged in technology like healthcare, manufacturing, retail, and hospitality.

Cloud Computing and Cybersecurity are Red Hot

These areas continue to crush competing areas. In fact – the gap is getting larger. For example, virtualization is falling farther and farther back as a hot topic for management staff. Of course, we need to be careful here because we all know we cannot have Cloud without virtualization! Even further behind are the following areas:

  • Networking
  • IoT
  • AI

Where are the Cybersecurity Peeps?

The toughest area to fill for employers is in the area of Cybersecurity. This is the main reason that these jobs tend to pay the most! Check out these facts regarding salary:

  • Cybersecurity certifications hold 6 of the top 20 paying spots
  • Annual salary in Latin America for Cybersecurity pros – $34,471
  • Annual salary in North America for Cybersecurity pros – $100,650
  • Cybersecurity offers the highest average global pay at $81,536
  • Second place would be Cloud at $74,064

Certifications Continue to Translate to Results!

Staff members pointed to the following regarding their passion for Certification:

  • Compensation
  • Job satisfaction
  • Promotion
  • Agility for finding employment

Management had this to say:

  • Increased productivity
  • Faster troubleshooting
  • Fewer skills gaps

The difference in salaries for certified vs non-certified averaged $15,000 in the US and around $30,000 in Asia-Pacific.

People that hold at least one cert – tend to be pursuing a second or more. This causes a further lift in pay!

The US Leads in IT Pay

IT Pros average $87,333 in the US compared to the global average of $64,206. I personally do not read too much into these kinds of numbers since the cost of living can also vary so dramatically. We see this even within the US. For me personally, I tend to “make out like a bandit” as I am paid by a company based in Oregon, yet I live in Florida. This means my pay tends to reflect the cost of living for Oregon, which is much more than my actual cost of living in Florida. I sure hope my Manager at CBT Nuggets does not read this!