Recession, exam cheating and certifications: A look back at IT career trends and coverage

Well, it's time to go. As you know, this is the final edition of the IT Careers and Training Alert newsletter. While I'm disappointed to see the newsletter come to an end, I've enjoyed writing this each week and hope you have enjoyed reading it. We've covered a lot of career news, including extensive talk about Cisco and Microsoft certifications, crackdowns on exam cheating, and trends that impact availability of and compensation for IT jobs. Since it's the last newsletter, let's take a look back at some of the more interesting topics tackled by myself and Linda Leung, who wrote the newsletter before I took over earlier this year. Be sure to keep up with career news and blogs at Network World's IT Careers Web site.

Which jobs are recession-proof? We’ve looked at IT career paths that remain stable even during an economic downturn a few times, most recently in early December. A survey by Jobfox found that software design and development, networking and systems administration, and IT security specialists were among the most recession-proof job titles in the United States. A similar Jobfox survey in July found that database administration, business analysis software implementations, and software testing were also among the most stable careers.

Exam cheating is one of the more interesting topics we’ve covered. Cisco and Microsoft have both employed new technologies and tactics this year in the fight against cheaters. In July we looked at Cisco unveiling new photo identification requirements designed to prevent proxy testing, in which candidates hire others to test tests for them. Cisco also announced a new data forensics program, similar to one employed by Microsoft, which is trying to find cheaters through statistical analysis of their exams. 

Microsoft also implemented a particularly harsh penalty regime, which issues lifetime bans from the certification program to anyone caught in any form of cheating. Microsoft has also taken legal action against suspicious test preparation Web sites, which illegally sell exam answers to IT pros looking to cheat their way to a passing score.

Cisco certifications have been written about frequently in the newsletter. This year we looked extensively at Cisco’s Certified Design Expert exam, which lets IT pros demonstrate expertise in design principles and fundamental concepts related to network infrastructure. Cisco has also added new wireless, voice and security certs this year, saying that increasing specialization in the IT profession is necessitating the creation of new training and credentials.