When you are working with a financial advisor, you may not know what certificate for the IT specialists you should look for. In this blog post, we want to help you identify the best credentials in the industry. We hope to do so by presenting you with a short financial certification list that contains the top certs you can pursue. Let’s check them out together!

1. CMA – Certified Management Accountant

A certified management accountant is an expert in management accounting. More often than not, these specialists tend to work on the corporate side, rather than in counting private practice. These individuals use their skills in management and accounting to make strategic and critical financial business decisions. The CMA exam is administered by the IMA. The test has two parts and evaluates the students in various financial competencies.
CPA – Certified Public Accountant

This certification is intended for the financial analysts, tax authorities, and accountants. It is among the most widely recognized and popular credentials in the financial field. This certificate is administered by the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants (AICPA). The CPA certification requires 150 hours of coursework and then sitting for a rigorous exam. If you want to get financial advice concerning organizing investments and reducing taxes and a licensed badge for it, then this credential can be very helpful.

2. CAIA – Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst

This certificate is meant for the experts managing alternative investments such as real assets and hedge funds. The charter program usually takes about one year to complete and it is run by the CAIA Association. It includes a coursework and an exam if you are considering putting a part of your portfolio into some alternative investments. The professionals holding this credential are those individuals who get the skills you cannot found anywhere else.

3. CFP – Certified Financial Planner

A certified financial planner is a well-versed specialist in various domains across the financial sector. This professional assesses the full portfolio of his/her clients before providing personalized financial plans. To become a CFP, it is required that the candidates complete a specific set of courses and then pass a prerequisite exam that takes 6 hours in total (two 3-hour sessions over a day) to answer 170 questions. The test belongs to the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. Since the passing rate for this exam is 67%, this credential is not so easy to obtain. If you are working with the financial planners who have earned the CFP certification, then you can be sure that these experts know what they are doing.

4. CMFC – Chartered Mutual Fund Counselor

Are you planning to invest in mutual funds? If so, then you should work with a CMFC. Those individuals who hold this certification are the true experts in the field. To become one, you need to complete a self-study course and also pass an exam, which is offered by the College for Financial Planning. The coursework is developed to prepare the designers to have a comprehensive understanding of the complexities not only in the field of mutual funds but also in other packaged investment products.

5. ChFC – Chartered Financial Consultant

Created as an alternative to the CFP credential, ChFC is currently one of the best financial certificates available. It is created to offer the specializations beyond the essentials of CFP. In case you have a small business planning or financial planning for a divorce, the best expert for you to work with is a chartered financial consultant. The American College of Financial Services is the body that runs the course and the ChFC certification program. The credential requires the completion of all the courses in your selected path, compliance with the requirements for experience and ethical standards, as well as their approval on your part.

6. CFA – Chartered Financial Analyst

A chartered financial analyst is a professional in the areas of securities and investments. The CFA certificate is arguably the most recognized and respected investment management badge in the world. This makes it one of the top financial credentials available for the IT specialists today. The CFA Institute is the body that administers the program that requires the candidates to cover and master three levels of the curriculum with an exam for each. If you need an investment manager, then working with a chartered financial analyst will be the perfect choice.

7. CLU – Chartered Life Underwriter

This is also one of the best financial certifications for the insurance agents. The holders of this credential are the experts in risk management, estate planning, and life insurance. While there are no comprehensive exams, the students must take 8 courses in total: 5 core and 3 elective ones. The American College of Financial Services is the body that administers this training.

8. FRM – Financial Risk Manager

A financial risk manager is a specialist in risk management. Those individuals who hold this certification often work as the risk analysts in banks. The certificate holders can also work with the private clients who are seeking for investment advice. To become an FRM, one has to pass a two-part exam that contains multiple-choice questions. The Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP) is the body that administers the prerequisite test.

9. CIC – Chartered Investment Counselor

This is a subclass of the CFA certification path. It is designed for those applicants who work in portfolio management and investment counseling. To be eligible for the CIC credential, an individual must have a minimum of 5 years of working experience. He or she also needs professional and character references, besides working as a fiduciary. In case you have a very large portfolio and you need a high-level expert who is experienced to manage your investments, a CIC is a professional you should look for.

Conclusion

This was a list of the 10 most sought-after financial certifications that you can pursue in 2020. It is up to you to decide which one to choose, you can even try several of them. The most important thing in this situation is to prepare with great deliberation. So, go for one of the above-mentioned credentials and boost your career!

• Database Administrator

The necessity for storing, analyzing, organizing, and securing data has increased the need for the skilled and certified database administrators. With the huge amount of digital information that should be processed, there are a lot of opportunities for these specialists. Additionally, the increase in the connection of databases to the Internet and Cloud will increase the complexity and vitality of data security, and the skills and expertise of the database developers and administrators will be required to protect corporate data from cyber threats and hackers.

• Mobile Application Developer

In 2018, it was predicted that by 2028, there will be additional 241,500 new jobs requiring the skills of professional developers. This shouldn’t be strange, given the fact that smartphones and tablets have continued to change the ways people communicate, access entertainment and news, and do business. No doubt, there will be a huge demand for trendy and innovative mobile applications across the world. Currently, this situation has led to an increase in demand for the mobile application developers. If you are planning to obtain skills in this area, you might want to earn the knowledge of working with Android and Apple IOS as these are the most sought-after skills in the domain of mobile app development. The average salary of a mobile application developer is placed at about $109,000 per annum.

• Video Game Designer

The gaming industry is worth over $400 billion, and this is definitely good news for the potential professional video game designers. Over and beyond the huge and growing market for console and PC games, there is an increase in the popularity, graphics capabilities, and processing power of mobile devices. These have opened the world of gaming to a brand new dimension and better opportunities for the programmers, artists, and video game designers. The professional game designers with skills and expertise in mobile development are highly sought after because smartphones and tablets will continue to redefine the users’ interactions with video games. There will be more than 241,500 new video designer job openings by 2028. As a video game designer, you can expect to earn an average of $80,000 per annum.

• Software Engineer

Thanks to the technological advancement and growth in varieties of software, there will be an increase in the demand for the software engineers. For instance, the fast adoption of Cloud technologies is a strong driver for this demand. These are the professionals with skills and capabilities to build scalable and secure Cloud programs. As a matter of fact, it is estimated that there will be about 284,100 new software engineering job positions by 2028. The explosion of computer systems and software expansion into smart devices and new industries will require the development of computer systems that can power various initiatives and innovations. The estimated average salary of a software engineer is about $106,000 per year.

• Computer Systems Analyst

With the growth in dependence on technology, there will be greater opportunities for the computer systems analysts. These professionals will be needed to architect new systems. The health care industry is one of the core industries that require the skills and expertise of a systems analyst. With government mandates and funding initiatives designed to drive the increase in the adoption in EMR (electronic medical record), as well as other health-focused software projects and electronic prescription services that require customized computer systems, the skills of a computer systems analyst will continue to be in high demand.

• Web Developer

A business enterprise is moving from the physical terrain to the online platform to offer its products and services. With the increase in the number of businesses online, the demand for the skills of web designers and web developers will grow. Additionally, enlarged use of social networks will also increase the demand for web developer skills as the organizations explore new ways to enhance their competitive advantage and attract a new generation of customers. Top skills that will be in high demand include responsive web design, user interface, and user experience. The web developers can earn an average of $73,000 per annum, and it is estimated that about 20,900 new jobs will be available by 2028.

• IT Security Specialist

Security will continue to be a major concern for the hiring managers as the complexity and frequency of cyberattacks continue to grow. Every year, the organizations are on the lookout for the qualified professionals with skills and expertise in information security. Unfortunately, these job roles are difficult to fill because there are not many certified specialists out there. This means there are a huge potential for those individuals who will take the challenge to grow their skills and get certified in information security. Job roles where computer security skills are highly in demand include mobile device security, IT operations security, information assurance, network, risk management, and Cloud & virtualization security. As an IT security specialist, you can expect to earn an average of $118,000 per annum.

• Network Administrator

There will surely be an increase in demand for the network administrators. As enterprises invest in the latest network technologies and computer systems to enhance their productivity and attain competitive advantages, these specialists will have new and great career opportunities to explore. Additionally, the quick adoption of Cloud computing and mobile devices in corporate culture implies that more organizations will utilize the Internet to carry out their business at the online platform. This will ultimately create opportunities for the network managers and network administrators.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are a lot of job positions that you can choose in the IT industry. And most of them are in demand and prestigious now and will remain so in the future. That is why, nowadays, it is better to earn a credential and become a certified specialist, whom every employer will want to make a part of the company’s personnel.