[Editor's Note: The latest in an occasional series that looks at unique strategies for navigating the jobless recovery.]
Professional certification is one way to increase your value to your company at the same time that you're developing a skill that you can help you do your job better.
Here are some of the top certifications, both in terms of earning power and in terms of portability:
- Project Management: Project Management Professional from the Project Management Institute is the highest-paying and also has wide application. Project management entails both hi-tech skills in IT and larger organizational skills. Next on the list of highest paying certifications is PMI's Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM). This is easier-to-obtain step toward the Project Management Professional level.
- Information Technology: When it comes to hands-on Information Technology, the list gets longer. ITIL, the IT Infrastructure Library, grants the certification to show expertise in service support and service delivery. Another high-paying certification is the Certified Information Systems Security Professional, or CISSP Certification, from ISC2. Other certifications are offered in company-specific skills such as products and technologies marketed by such firms as Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO) or Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT).
These certifications can take time (eight weeks of study for project management is considered fast) and cost money ($500 just to take the exam at ISC), but most companies are still offering tuition assistance. And you have to ask: Isn't the job (and the salary) worth the additional effort?
[Editor's Note: In future installments in this series, Money Morning will look at such jobless recovery topics as executing the perfect job interview, managing your finances, planning for retirement, and the most promising sectors for the future. The first installment outlined an entire career-survival plan for those who've lost their jobs. In today's issue of Money Morning, the newest series installment details steps workers can take to add to their workplace value and even protect their jobs. To read that story, please click here.
In the meantime, don't forget your investments. But in a market as uncertain as the one investors face now, it helps to have a guide. And the ideal guide is The Money Map Report, the monthly investment newsletter that's a sister publication to Money Morning. In fact, a new offer from Money Morning is a two-way win for investors: Noted commentator Peter D. Schiff's new book - "The Little Book of Bull Moves in Bear Markets" - shows investors how to profit no matter which way the market moves, while our monthly newsletter, The Money Map Report, provides ongoing analysis of the global financial markets and some of the best profit plays you'll find anywhere - including such markets as Taiwan and China. To find out how to get both, check out our latest offer. ]
News and Related Story Links:
- Money Morning Career Counseling Series:
The Four Secrets to Career Success in a Jobless Recovery. - Money Morning Career Counseling Series:
Where to Find Jobs in a Jobless Recovery. - Money Morning Career Counseling Series:
Management Strategies For a Jobless Recovery. - Money Morning Career Counseling Series:
After the Layoff: Seven Ways to Ensure Your Success. - Money Morning's Jobless Recovery Coverage:
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