The 11 Most In-Demand Professional Certifications You Can Get Right Now

Professional certifications are vital additions and improvements to your resume. In fact, the right professional certifications can help you qualify for higher-paying jobs or break into new industries even if you don’t have a specific degree.

Whether you’re looking to upgrade your current position or switch careers, you need to know about the most in-demand professional certifications you can get ASAP. Let’s take a closer look.

What are professional certifications?

Professional certifications are credentials you earn through short-term classes or programs, depending on the subject matter. Once you earn a certification, you can put it on your resume, join certain organizations and qualify for different positions.

As an example, you may need a professional certificate to become a project manager at your current place of employment. To become a certified professional, you’ll attend a certification program from an organization like Google.

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Think of professional certifications as extra qualifying credentials on top of degrees. In many cases, degrees are combined with certifications to show that a job candidate has the skills and practical expertise to fulfill a position’s requirements.

Professional certifications typically take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months to earn (although a few may take several years), and some just require you to take a test without completing a program beforehand. A certification exam covers the fundamentals of the topic and lets you demonstrate competency. They’re often required for certificates in information technology, healthcare and business management.

Many professional certifications require several years of experience or a degree before you can apply for them. Completing online courses also allows you to qualify for critical career path certificates. Organizations like the Project Management Institute offer certification courses for professional development and continuing education purposes.

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Why do you need professional certifications?

You may need a professional certification for a variety of reasons, including:

- You want to progress your career. Some high-level and high-paying positions in your field may require you to have one or more certifications on top of a degree and several years of experience.

- You want to enter a new field or industry. In some cases, a certification can stand in as a degree if you already have a bachelor’s in another major. For instance, if you have a bachelor’s degree in English but you wish to become a teacher, a teaching certification could qualify you for teaching positions.

- You want to maximize your salary potential and resume attractiveness. Simply put, if you wish to earn a promotion or qualify for a higher pay grade, you might need a professional certification so management can justify the pay raise.

- You just want to learn more about your field or a specific subject. Since professional certification programs take less time to complete than degree programs, they are optimal opportunities to learn more about a particular topic without committing a few years of your life to the process.

For these reasons and more, you might want to know about the most in-demand professional certifications to pursue. However, you should look at factors like pricing, continuing education units and more to find the right certification for your needs.

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Top 11 in-demand professional certifications

Good news: there are dozens of different professional certifications you can earn in the near future. However, it’s wise to prioritize your professional certification education.

To that end, here are nine top professional certifications that should help you in a variety of different industries and jobs.

1. Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)

Project management is one of the most in-demand skill sets in business, finance, technology and more. If you want to become a supervisor or manager in any capacity, you’ll need a certificate proving you have the skills needed to succeed.

That’s where the CAPM certificate comes in. This associate-level certification is perfect if you still need to gain experience managing company projects. You need 1,500 hours of project experience or 23 hours of project management education. Then you’ll need to pass a 150-question exam and pay a fee of up to $300.

2. Project Management Professional (PMP)

Another good project management certificate to complete is the PMP certification. This advanced certification is perfect for professionals with project management experience. It marks you as a capable project management specialist, and it requires 7500 hours of project leadership experience. If you have a four-year degree, you can cut down the ho