Subject matter experts break down a best-in-class certification track for IT security professionals.

As cyber attacks continue to escalate in frequency and sophistication, businesses are making it a top priority to acquire talent who can help protect their digital data and infrastructure. In a high-stakes field where protocols change at the speed of attackers' imagination, only those with the latest and greatest skills will succeed. Certifications are the best way to prove the value and relevance of your cyber-security skill set to prospective employers.

With dozens of globally-recognized certifications to choose from, mapping out a cyber security learning plan can feel overwhelming. This post will break down an ideal vendor-neutral certification track for IT security professionals.

Here is a rock-solid certification path for general cyber security professionals:

From medicine and software to energy and construction, engineering represents some of this decade's most lucrative and exciting career paths.

Sweeping advances in science, industry and computing have sparked a revolution in engineering employment. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts rapid growth for a range of engineering occupations through the next decade and beyond, but record job creation is only part of what makes this sector so attractive; six of the top 7 highest paying [undergraduate] college majors are in engineering, according to a salary survey from the National Association of Colleges & Employers.

Featured Computer Engineering Programs

Compare top-rated online courses and degrees in computer engineering and related fields.

Southern New Hampshire University

Top Engineering Programs:

• A.S. in Computer Science
• B.S. in Software Engineering
• M.B.A. in Engineering Management

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Coursera

Top Engineering Programs:

• Robotics Specialization Certificate
• Google IT Support Pro Certificate
• IBM AI Engineering Certificate

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Taking into account growth potential, compensation, and emotional "x-factors" for each position, here are the top five engineering careers for the future:

Aggregate posts from the leading job boards indicate the best programming languages to land a job in 2013.

With IT budgets at a five-year high, progressive organizations are developing new software systems and applications to boost performance, reduce costs and expand their reach across a fast-growing digital marketplace. The resulting increase in programming and development projects has placed computer programmers among this year's most sought-after professionals (IT or otherwise). 

CIO.com, a leading resource for IT executives, along with job board aggregator, Indeed.com, analyzed programming and development job offers across the top job boards to determine this year’s hottest programming languages. We built on this top-notch analysis to identify some of the key factors driving workforce demand for each language.

Here are the most marketable programming languages in 2013:

Cisco has redesigned its CCNA certification to better align with next-gen IT job roles. This article looks at major updates to the new CCNA Routing & Switching credential, plus the key facts you should know to stay ahead of the curve.

The Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) is Cisco’s most popular certification, and one of the IT industry’s most marketable and prolific career credentials. CCNA certification demonstrates competence as a network professional, and proves that a certified pro can install, configure, operate and troubleshoot routed & switched networks.

As technology advances and networks become increasingly sophisticated, the job roles of network professionals evolve in turn. Cisco’s revamp of its flagship credential improves CCNA training and certification curricula by incorporating the skills IT professionals need to manage the networks of today -- and tomorrow.

Important changes re new CCNA Routing & Switching

An increase in high-profile cyber security breaches is driving new and emerging opportunities in the IT job market. This article presents a look at noteworthy attacks and the in-demand skills and cyber security job roles employers must fill to combat future threats.

Despite recent advancements in cyber security infrastructure and technologies, the frequency and severity of high-profile attacks is on the rise. A January 2013 attack on the U.S. Energy Department is the latest in a string of malicious technological assaults targeting The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and social media giant, Twitter. During the last several years, governments and corporations alike have seen critical digital defenses circumvented by sport-hackers, political dissidents and technologically-inclined malcontents. These attacks and thousands of others have reinforced the demand for a competent cadre of next-generation IT security specialists.

New workforce studies indicate the best computer majors by salary.

I'm always analyzing employment studies and talking with technology executives about the IT skills and certifications they’re looking for in new hires. In addition to experience and credentials, education is a key factor in landing your dream job. In this article we’re going back to school for a look at the best paying IT majors of study.

The January 2013 salary survey from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), which tracks college graduates’ job offers, and a recent Georgetown University study based on employment data from the U.S. Census Bureau, independently verified that Computer Science (CS), Computer Engineering (CE) and Computer Information Systems (CIS) graduates earn the highest starting salaries of all technology majors.

Here's a breakdown of the top 3 best paying IT majors:

These IT careers will score the biggest year-over-year pay bump from 2013 to 2014.

Technical staffing firm, Robert Half Technology, just released its 2014 Salary Guide, featuring historical and projected earnings for this year’s hottest IT job roles. The average raise for all IT professionals in 2014 is 5.6%, up slightly from 5.3% last year. Information technology wage hikes will once again trump all other employment sectors, which clock in at a 3.7% average raise.

Here are the IT jobs that will get the biggest raises in 2014:

The new IT Salary Guide from technical staffing leader Robert Half Technology indicates the IT professionals who will enjoy the biggest pay raises in 2013.

The information technology job market will experience a 5.3% uptick in starting IT salaries in 2013, dwarfing the 2.9% average raise for all American workers. A clear skills gap in high-demand positions is the driving factor in IT salary hikes; cutting-edge fields like mobile app development, wireless networking and big data analytics currently have more job openings than qualified professionals to fill them.

Android and iOS application developers will score the biggest raise from 2012 to 2013, with a 9% increase in starting salaries, followed closely by network engineers and data scientists.

Here are the 10 IT job roles getting the biggest pay hikes in 2013: