Dear CertMag: Should I get a tech job or go to college?

 Dear CertMag  is a weekly feature that addresses common questions about certification and related IT issues. Have a question? Send an e-mail to editor (at) certmag (dot) com.

Dear CertMag: I’m about to finish high school at the end of May. I have four certs, A+, Network+, Security+ and CCNA from Cisco. I’m in my …

Picture This: A Visual Guide to Failure Values

As you study for a variety of certification exams (such as CompTIA’s Cloud+, A+, Security+, etc.), there are a number of “failure”-related values you will need to learn. Typically, these are associated with hardware components such as the hard drive. You will be tested repeatedly on the same set of failure values — or a …

Dear CertMag: Returning to web design after several years away

 Dear CertMag  is a weekly feature that addresses common questions about certification and related IT issues. Have a question? Send an e-mail to editor (at) certmag (dot) com.

Dear CertMag: I’ve been a stay-at-home mom for quite a few years, but my youngest is now entering middle school. I have a very modest IT background …

Digital badges may help bridge certification credibility gaps

The current bounty of available IT certifications boosts the odds you can find a certification that’s exactly what you need, or at least somewhere in the ballpark. It also creates a bit of credential chaos: How can potential employers know what a particular certification signifies? And how can they confirm that yours is current and …

Dear CertMag: Can brain dumps get me out of an exam jam?

 Dear CertMag  is a weekly feature that addresses common questions about certification and related IT issues. Have a question? Send an e-mail to editor (at) certmag (dot) com.

Dear CertMag: I have a Cisco certification exam approaching at the end of May. I feel like I’m falling behind studying. A couple of friends have suggested using …

To script or not to script, that is the question — for DBAs

Recently I was asked whether a person pursuing a career as an Oracle database administrator needs to have knowledge of scripting languages. One answer to that question could be no — if the potential DBA is someone who really likes performing the same basic tasks over and over, day in and day out. Said person …