Lisa Vaas

Project management is so exciting. At least, it is when youre talking about bonus pay or impressing hiring managers. After all, theres nothing like the letters “PMP” (Project Management Professional) plastered on a résumé to catch some attention. In fact, its one of the few IT certification categories where bonus pay is still climbing upward. […]

On Oct. 1, Techies Day rolled around for its fourth year. If you didnt have to dodge confetti and the well-wishes of adoring masses that day, you werent alone. Started by job site Techies.com and a consortium of government and industry leaders, Techies Day was established as a way to address the long-term demand for […]

Since the years beginning, tech support jobs have seen the largest salary increase of any IT job, according to research from IT job site Dice.com. Average tech support salaries in the U.S. grew 7 percent, from $45,800 to $48,900, according to Dice Inc.s monthly Dice Report. On the flip side of the salary equation are […]

The Linux Professional Institute will offer free LPI certification test exams–a $100 savings–at the LinuxWorld Conference & Expo on Oct. 30 and 31 in Frankfurt, Germany. Its a good cert to get, if you go by CRN magazine. In the recently released 2002 CRN Certification study, LPIs certificate was ranked No. 1 on the list […]

The rate of tech job losses dipped 31 percent in the third quarter, according to a report released Oct. 3 by outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. Third-quarter job cuts in the high-tech sector—including telecommunications, electronics, computers and e-commerce—totaled 91,450, down 31 percent from the second quarters total of 132,953 lost jobs. Does the […]

Late September, and with the tang of apples ripening in the chilling fall air came, too, the yearly call to celebrate Techies Day come Oct. 1. This year, the chirpy press release sent a chill down my spine. “Mamas, please let your babies grow up to be techies,” it read, betraying what seemed like blithe […]

Nortel Networks Inc. has released the first certification exam to support a series of 18 new voice-over-IP certifications, called the Enterprise VoIP Certification program. The new exam, VoIP Technology (#920-801), along with additional product exams, will be required elements of two new classes of VoIP certifications from Nortel: the VoIP Specialist, which focuses on small-site […]

Robert Keppel, owner of the defunct brain dump sites CheetSheets.com and Cheet-Sheets.com, has pleaded guilty to charges of theft of trade secrets after selling exams and answers needed to become an MCSE (Microsoft Certified System Engineer) and MCSD (Microsoft Certified Solution Developer). According to the U.S. Attorneys Office in Seattle and the FBI, beginning in […]

The upside of Mike Reeves job is that hes working in IT. The downside is that this newly minted graduate with a masters in IS management from Brigham Young University is working for his dad. Hes developing a Visual Basic application that will churn out proposals for insurance clients. Its not a bad job, but […]

IBM last month rolled out free pre-assessment tests for qualifying individuals who want to score themselves on one of two updated WebSphere Commerce certifications. The tests that pertain to the new certifications are #211–IBM Certified Specialist–and #212– IBM Certified Solutions Expert. The first 100 candidates who achieve 75 percent or higher on pre-assessment sample tests […]

Novell Inc. has chopped in half the number of exams needed to upgrade a CNE title to that of Master CNE. Through the end of December, NetWare 5.x CNE holders need only pass two exams to get the “M.” The first, exam, #50-676, upgrades CNE titles to Version 6. The other requirement is CompTIAs IT […]

Cisco Systems Inc. recently unveiled its new Cisco Optical Specialist 1 certification, the 12th area of focus for its Cisco Qualified Specialist program. The COS1 will validate the knowledge and expertise required to design, install, operate and maintain Cisco optical networking systems. Individuals who successfully achieve certification will be required to understand the protocols and […]