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If you are a senior-level person in the IT industry and not making 6 figures (and who doesn’t want to do that), you need to re-evaluate your strategy. 

If you’re brand new, then of course you have to put in the time, make the right moves and position yourself in the right sector.

However, if you are in fact a senior lever person and your are not making 6 figures a year, then take a look at the Top 10 Highest Paying Senior-Level IT Jobs to see what areas you should be focusing on. 

There are a lot of areas that can provide that level of income, and it of course will vary from location to location.  However, the jobs are out there, and it is up to you to go after it.

Some of the high paying senior-level IT jobs are:

• Database Architect
• Applications Architect
• Web Creative Director
• Content Engineer

For the full list, along with descriptions of the jobs, salary ranges and more, check out this post at Palaestra Training’s Blog.

Education certainly plays a part, as does industry.  But in the IT arena, earning a 6 figure salary is definitely a possibility once you’ve been around for awhile. 

I know personally that moving from company to company can sometimes be challenging if not down right difficult, but you can’t look at any particular move as the “end-all-be-all” and think “What if I go there and I don’t like it”? 

It’s not the end of the world, and it’s not forever.  Look at each move you make as a stepping stone, and if love it stay there as long as it excites you.  If you hate it, gain as much experience as you can, leverage any training or opportunities the company has to learn new technologies or business processes, and then look for better opportunities.

By looking at it as “there is a light at the end of the tunnel”, the idea of switching to a new company and possibly not liking it becomes instantly more tolerable.  You realize you are there for a finite period of time, and that you will be using it as learning experience to acquire new skills, boost your marketability and improve your resume.

Change is good, although we often fear it.  Stability is good although we often get bored.  These two basic human needs are always in direct conflict with each other, oddly enough, and form the basis for what drives us (and drives us crazy).  Always be willing to challenge yourself though, and push to reach your full potential. 

There ARE people out there doing exactly what they want to be doing, where they want, how they want, and with who they want.  That’s not fiction, it is reality for some.  The difference between those people and you is that that they went for it, and weren’t afraid of change. Go for it, and see where the future takes you.

If you installed Windows XP SP3, thinking you’ll be ahead of the curve and check out the new features, enhanced security, etc., I’m right there with you. 

I like to be up on things as much as possible, and Release Candidates certainly don’t scare me away.  I routinely run them on production boxes, and have never had an issue (and if I did, I’d simply reinstall - no big deal).

That’s worked for me for quite awhile, until just last week when apparently the RDP client in XP SP3 RC1 is set to time-bomb.  The bad part is, you can’t just download and reinstall the older client because it gives you and error stating the version you’re trying to install is older than the version on your system.

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Many companies are already chomping at the bit to take advantage of many of the features Windows Server 2008 offers, such as improvements to Terminal Services, Server Virtualization and security enhancements including bitlocker and read-only domain controllers for branch-office type installations. 

Many of the services and features included in Windows Server 2008 will be able to replace software and applications many companies pay for currently.  While this is certainly going to be a welcome addition by many IT departments, it also creates opportunities as well.

Training and certification will continue to play a big part in securing higher paying jobs, opening doors, being considered for new opportunities, changing careers, earning the promotion, etc.  Some of the Top IT Certifications for 2008 will continue to be the perennial favorites, including CompTIA A+ Certification and Cisco CCNA Certification. 

Networking and Support are Key Components

One of the most sought after certifications is Cisco’s CCNA certification.  Virtually every business, regardless of industry, needs qualified people to design, configure, troubleshoot and maintain their networks.  This isn’t going to change for 2008.  In addition, these same companies need people to troubleshoot hardware and software issues, provide desktop and desk-side support and rollout new machines; along with refreshing existing ones.  For these reasons, CompTIA A+ Certification training, and Microsoft’s MCDST Certification training will continue to be offer an excellent return on investment.  If you are looking to either get into the information technology field, or increase your current level, then A+, MCDST or CCNA certification is definitely a worthwhile endeavor.

Project Management

According to a recent Gartner survey, project management is another area that will continue to be a high-paying profession that will be in demand in 2008.  Project Managers manage the project lifecycle, from conception through design, testing and implementation.  They coordinate with the various individual contributors involved in the project, and make sure timelines, deliverables and budgets are met.  They also are able to determine when things are getting off-track and adjust accordingly to ensure timely completion of the project.

As a result, Project Management related certifications like CompTIA Project+ and the Project Management Institute’s (PMI) Project Management Professional (PMP) certifications will be in demand, along with technical certifications and training centering around enabling project management and collaboration, such as Microsoft’s SharePoint 2007.

Security

Perhaps one of the biggest areas for new growth is the security sector, just based on the fact that so many companies are now realizing the need to secure their environments.  Hacking is becoming easier to do, as new tools are released and information is quickly disseminated.  Every company has, or should have, a need to secure their environments from being compromised both physically and virtually.  Even companies that feel they don’t have anything that necessitates additional funding to secure their networks, should understand that failure to do so opens them up to not only being attacked; but also to being used as an intermediary step in a larger attack against other targets (i.e. Denial of Service attacks against remote targets).

Virtualization

As word grows of how great server virtualization can be for a company’s bottom line, not to mention how it improves adminstration, fault tolerance and reduces hardware expenditures, certifications centering around virtualization technologies will be in high demand.  The two dominant players in this field currently are VMware and Microsoft.  Of the two, VMware’s ESX Server platform is a more mature technology and can enable some organizations to consolidate 30 or more hosts onto a single ESX server.

Get Certified and Get Ahead

The bottom line is, if you want the maximize your opportunities for 2008, continue to educate yourself, broaden your skills as much as possible, and stay ahead of the curve.  By keeping a step ahead and learning the skills that companies need to maintain their businesses, you’ll keep yourself marketable and in demand.  If you’re not already certified, you should definitely be working on:

• CompTIA A+ Certification
• Microsoft MCDST Certification
• Cisco CCNA Certification

Those three certifications provide an excellent body of knowledge that forms the foundation of a successful and prosperous IT Career.  From there, you can grow in many directions and specialize in any one of a dozen or more areas.

Best of luck in your Training and Certification Endeavors!!

Palaestra Training has just released a new training series: Microsoft Outlook 2003 Training. This is an exciting series, from our new instructor, Sid Miller. Sid is an Office expert that really makes it easy to learn all of the features Outlook has to offer.

Whether your a home user or business user, chances are you’re only using a fraction of the functionality Outlook 2003 has built-in.

With this training series, you’ll be given in-depth coverage of all the features and functionality found in Outlook. It’s so much more than just an e-mail client, it’s full-featured personal productivity tool that does calendaring and scheduling, e-mail, tasks, to-do lists, journals and more.

This series is over 7 hours of in-depth coverage in a format that’s easy to understand and packed full of information that you will be able to use immediately to boost your productivity.

For free full-length samples from this series and others, or to find out more about the training visit www.palaestratraining.com

Palaestra Training recently added some great information on CompTIA A+ Certification Training, studying for the exams and what to expect when you take the exam.

For some people, the CompTIA A+ exam is their very first experience taking a certification exam, so it’s important to understand the process, how to register and what to expect when you get there.

Palaestra Training creates IT Certification and Training videos for CompTIA, Cisco, Microsoft and others. If you’re looking for A+, MCDST, CCNA, Microsoft Outlook or Internet Safety training, visit them online at www.palaestratraining.com

Palaestra Training’s CCNA Certification Training video on Frame Relay has gotten over 20,000 views on YouTube in just over 6 months time.

Jason Emerson, Palaestra Training’s Cisco CCNA instructor has a great conversational style, and makes learning technically advanced concepts fun.

That’s an amazing amount of interest for a technical training video, and a testament to the quality of our training. We create technically-accurate training that is both educational and highly-entertaining.

In addition to IT certification training for Microsoft, Cisco and CompTIA, Palaestra Training also created an Internet Safety training series designed for parents to help keep their children safe while online.

Palaestra Training released an updated version of their best selling Cisco CCNA Certification training this week.

The updates covers the new material in the 640-802 exam, including Cisco’s Security Device Manager (SDM), Wireless Communication, Access List enhancements in Cisco’s newer IOS versions, and IPv6.

Jason Emerson, Palaestra Training’s Cisco CCNA instructor does an excellent job conveying the information you’ll need for the exam.  You’ll finish the series with a thorough understanding of how to install, configure and maintain Cisco routers and develop a solid foundation to build a networking career upon.

Jason’s CCNA videos are some of the most viewed technical training videos on YouTube!  Check out Palaestra Training’s site for yourself, and get your CCNA certification today.

Cisco CCNA Training - Frame Relay

What is the DoD 8570.1-M?  It’s part of a directive that’s part "Information Assurance Workforce Improvement Program" which mandates that every full- and part-time military service member, defense contractor, civilian and foreign employee with privileged access to a DoD system, regardless of job series or occupational specialty obtains a commercial certification credential that has been accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).

Palaestra Training (www.palaestratraining.com) has created a CompTIA A+ certification series that will prepare personnel for CompTIA A+ Certification.  CompTIA A+ certification meets the T1 requirements of the directive.  CompTIA A+ Certification is the cornerstone of any IT career and allows a student to secure a position in a wide variety of industries.

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A question often asked by people starting out in the IT (Information Technology) field is “What is the BEST entry-level IT certification to get started with”? That’s an excellent question and one that I’m sure garners a variety of responses. For the most, it’s generally agreed that CompTIA’s A+ Certification Training is an excellent way to get started in IT. It exposes to the student to a wide variety of hardware and software, and ensures they have a thorough understanding of not only how a PC works, but how it fits within a company’s infrastructure. In essence, it provides a person with the basics of hardware, software, networking, troubleshooting and customer service.

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Palaestra Training is excited about the addition of Bill Ferguson to their team of seasoned technical trainers. Bill Ferguson is a world-class instructor who brings a great deal of experience and professionalism to the table.

Bill is currently working on Microsoft MCDST training, which will be released sometime in October. Palaestra Training’s MCDST Certification Training will prepare students for both the 70-271 and the 70-272 exams.

When it comes to being an expert on MCDST, Bill literally wrote the book having authored the Microsoft MCDST Certification Training Study Guide for Sybex.

Bill Ferguson is also one of only a handful of Microsoft Certified Trainers in the world to be featured on Microsoft’s website, so Palaestra Training is excited to be able to bring Bill’s expertise and engaging delivery style to Palaestra’s customers worldwide.