There is a vast library of IT certification content here at CertMag.com, and each year it gets a little deeper. With new articles four days a week most weeks during the year, that’s roughly 200 new articles every year. Some are articles previously published in Certification Magazine, but about three-quarters of what you get here on the website is original content.

No doubt there are some of you out there who read everything that shows up here. (Or at least we hope there’s no doubt of that. And if you really are one of those hardcore CertMag readers, then gold star for you. We’d like to shake your hand and buy you a drink.) The average drop-in visitor, however, probably doesn’t get even a real taste of everything that shows up here in a calendar year.

That’s why recaps like this are so helpful. There’s no need to wonder what you’ve missed: Other visitors to the site have already voted with their mouse clicks, and curated a list of the most compelling articles to appear on the site in 2023. We’re going to do this in three installments, comprising the 30 most-read new articles of the year.

Today we’re bringing you the top of the list, our 10 most popular articles of 2023:

1) Salary Survey 2023: An all-new Salary Survey 75: “OK, fine, it's technically true, as the know-it-alls will surely protest, that the Franklinator didn't actually say those exact words. In the 1758 edition of Poor Richard's Almanack, Franklin — pseudonymously, as Richard Saunders — included the observation that: 'A penny saved is a penny got.' (Nitpickers, right?)" (by CertMag Staff)

2) Salary Survey 2023: Certification attractive to employers, improves job performance "Unless your job description is literally 'Painstakingly record the number of individual licks required to entirely dissolve taffy-enveloping candy coating' however — not likely, given the exceedingly low demand at technology firms for qualified Tootsie-Pop researchers — then you are going to need tech skills." (by CertMag Staff)

3) The push for sustainable technology is of critical importance to our endangered planet "Jordan's pitch, which can still be viewed on YouTube, includes the sobering statistic that consumers throw out 20 billion batteries per year — and implicitly urges more environmentally responsible behavior. That message was probably at least a bit groundbreaking in 1995(.)" (by Nathan Kimpel)

4) Improve your certification exam results with intelligent guessing and time management "For CompTIA certification exams, prior to their containing PBQs, the general rule was exams typically contained 90 questions, and the time limit for completing the exam was 90 minutes. Recognizing the fact that unanswered questions provide a wrong answer result, an obvious rule is you should answer all questions before you run out of time." (by Steve Linthicum)

5) Salary Survey 2023: Employment landscape clouded by layoffs past ... and pending? "Maybe, after all, life is just stories that we tell ourselves about money, and problems, and money problems. And now that we've turned the page on 2022, here's another story about ... you know." (by CertMag Staff)

6) An IT professional in Ukraine confronts the daily reality of invasion and war "At 5 a.m., Feb. 24, 2022, I woke up to loud bangs all around. I evacuated my family to western Ukraine, which, as we thought, was a safer place. The first days were very dramatic and almost hopeless. After one week, we decided my wife and kids should evacuate somewhere in Europe, and they finally landed in Heidelberg, a beautiful city in Germany." (by Peter Manijak)

7) Salary Survey Extra: Deep Focus on ISC2 CISSP "There are equivalent cybersecurity credentials out there. But Certified Information Systems Security Practitioner (No. 9 on our most recent Salary Survey 75 list) is the one that employers ask for by name. It's not for nothing that CISSP quite probably has better brand recognition than the organization that manages it, cybersecurity professional association ISC2." (by CertMag Staff)

8) Salary Survey Extra: Have you ever cheated while taking an IT certification exam? "The 'Hand of God' goal (which is not even the most famous goal Maradona scored in the historic clash) gained its distinctive nickname from Maradona's post-match explanation that the goal came about 'a little with the head of Maradona, and a little with the hand of God.' " (by CertMag Staff)

9) Will ChatGPT (or something like it) replace IT support? "As far back as Windows 7 (and possibly earlier), Microsoft's signature operating system included self-help tech support applets called Windows Troubleshooters. If your printer was giving you a hard time, you could launch a related Windows Troubleshooter that would attempt to identify the problem based on your feedback, and suggest a number of common fixes." (by Aaron Axline)

10) Salary Survey Extra: It's a Bird, It's a Plane ... No, Wait, It Can't Be a Bird "Big Brother, in other words, really is watching. You just didn't realize that the camera is peeping in your bedroom window from that crooked L-shaped branch of the backyard apricot tree. That pleasant melodic chirping is just to distract you from noticing the strangely lifeless eyes, and the sometimes oddly erratic flight patterns." (by CertMag Staff)

KEEP GOING

2023 in Review: Most popular articles 11 through 20

2023 in Review: Most popular articles 21 through 30

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