Ranking the Most Popular IT Certifications (2026)

Añadido: 2026-05-30

[00:00:00]But you know something has to go in the overrated tier. So it just means that I think you know there's some hype around this and also the hype may be bigger than the actual return you get from it.

[00:00:21]Welcome to Debtree and IT. I'm your host Mike. This podcast is for anyone who's looking to get into the IT industry.

[00:00:28]Whether it's for a career change or you're just interested, I think you come to the right place. In today's episode, I'm ranking the most common certifications people use to transition into tech or the most common beginner certifications people go after when they're trying to get in it. In this episode, I got five different certifications and I'll be ranking each certification in tiers. So, first we got a S tier and the S tier means that this certification is one that I think may give you the best return on investment long term. And also these are searchs that I think can really help build your foundation in tech and open up multiple doors for you. So then we got a A tier.

[00:01:04]So this A tier certification is a really strong certification, highly recognizable, valued, and I think respected in the industry. Then we got a B tier. So these are certifications that I think are good depending on the situation. You know, this would probably be a situational. You know, most searchs, you know, it depends on the situation whether or not you need to go after this or not. So basically like I said this depends on your situation uh your goals and also what side of it you're trying to get into. So then we got a C tier. So this may still help you learn but basically I don't think it has much weight or has much value when it goes into the job market. So this could be a foundational search to kind of help you get started before choosing down your path that you wish to go on. And then finally we got a overrated tier. So basically overrated tier. Uh basically I'm not saying that it's trash. You know I don't think no certification is trash.

[00:01:59]Every one of them has you know different meanings different reasons for that someone may go after that certification.

[00:02:06]But you know something has to go in the overrated tier. So it just means that I think you know there's some hype around this and also the hype may be bigger than the actual return you get from it especially for the price that you have to pay for the certification. So, with all that being said, let's get to it.

[00:02:23]So, my first tier is basically the S tier. So, like I said, this tier is the one that I think uh builds that great foundation, gives you a lot of return on your investment, you know, and basically I got five certifications, five different tiers. So, basically, one certification per tier. There's a lot of other certifications out there that could go in these tiers, but basically I just rounded up the ones that I see a lot of people going after transitioning into tech or either uh someone that's uh beginning into tech. So, the first certification for the S tier, none other than the CCNA. Um, you know, if you've been watching any one of my episodes, you probably already knew that was the one I was going to choose. But basically when I look at searchs for uh beginners even though the CCNA is associate level search they often still get categorized as a beginner meaning that someone who's just coming into the industry you know just trying to get into the industry. Uh so basically if you look at the certification I said time and time again you know uh it it it the return of investment for me was uh is still multiplying you know so just off this one certification you know I was able to maneuver to different career fields all based off this CCNA so it I think it's good for building your career because you think about it you get a CCNA it could help you get into the help desk which then could help you transition to networking if that's where you're trying to go. You could transition into cyber because that CCNA is going to help out because cyber and networking is almost like brothers. So you can't know one without the other. So it's only going to make you stronger in cyber if you venture off to any kind of survey administration, anything of that nature.

[00:04:07]It all has a networking component. So this is why I say this has a the greatest return on investment for me because you could pivot into so many areas. So like I said, it's uh it opens up multiple doors for you to transfer into. So if you want to go to the cloud, you know, networking will help out. If you want to go to security, networking will help out. And then, you know, for some of us, you know, you might want to stay in networking. So if you want to stay in networking, the infrastructure side, you know, this will definitely help out. So I think this has the greatest long-term value, especially when we only have a a small pool of certifications. you know, you look at the ones that's going to give you the most bang for your buck. So, my S tier, like I said, it goes to the CCNA certification. So, the next tier is the A tier. So, remember with the A tier, we're looking at certifications that's highly recognizable, valued in the industry and well respected. You know, that certification, you know, it comes, it's only a few of them that could fit this this this criteria that we have here today. So, you know what I'm saying? That has to be the security plus. You know what I'm saying? So the security plus is a comp tio certification.

[00:05:18]Um I haven't never really been strong on comp certifications. You know it's it's something that never came across my path but the comp search that I will say I could see myself going to get that is that security plus and one of the things is like I said it's well respected highly recognizable and then also sometimes this may be the first certification that gets someone into door in in the door. So like I said this here it also could have been a S tier you know if if we had uh way more certifications to pull from but because like I said I have seen a good return on investment with this certification. Um one thing about this certification is usually any kind of job if it's security usually they have listed that they want you to have this security plus. So it's also a governmentbacked certification.

[00:06:12]So if you're get trying to get into the government or gov tech, you know, this is the one certification you will definitely need. So this is one that will help you make that transition. U this is also a certification being that it's governmentbacked. You see a lot of uh ex-military people that retire from the military, you know, they end up getting their security plus they may already have a security clearance. So they end up like I said maximizing their return on investment. So, this certification is probably, I think, uh, last time I checked, roughly probably in the $400 range, somewhere around that marker. Uh, so for $400, what you can definitely get from it. Like I said, this is a a very worthy A tier certification.

[00:06:56]So, it's recognized by HR. You know, you got someone in HR, they ain't even have to they don't have to be in tech that they they're going to know what that security plus is. Uh, it's industry standard for security. So anytime someone say, "Oh, I want to go down cyber security, man. I'm gonna tell you get that security plus. I don't care. I don't care what nobody else say, you know, that's the first certification.

[00:07:17]I'm going to tell you to go after that security plus." And then also, like I said, it's the the most common first cyber for most people. And then like I said, it has so many avenues. You know, you could get this certification and end up going to the uh information side of security and then you could very well get this certification then go after some firewall certifications and end up on the network side of security and then also this cert certification could lead you to going down the more penetration testing side of security. But it all builds from this security plus. So the next certification on my list is basically we're looking at the B tier.

[00:07:55]So this B tier is basically it depends on your goals and your situation you know. So one of the main searchs that come to mind when I think of this something situational is it's from comp again but it's the network plus you know this network plus certification you know a lot of times I see people go down this route if they want to learn a little networking but maybe they're not trying to go down that path of being a network engineer or maybe they just want to know enough networking to be dangerous you know enough networking to help them out in the other categories. So, like I said, it's a good intro networking set.

[00:08:32]You know, it's definitely not as hard or difficult as the CCNA. Also, this certification, like I said, is uh good.

[00:08:38]It's a lot of people know about this certification. So, I think that helps out too. And then also with this certification, you could still go for that CCNA if you wanted to, you know, but a lot of times you may hear especially people on the cyber security side of things depending on what part what part of cyber security they own on a lot of times they may tell you that hey you need to know networking but you don't need to go get a CCNA. So basically they're saying okay go learn some networking but you know you don't need to go down the path of learning to configure routers and switches. So then definitely this network plus will fall into that category. So like I said it's it depends on your situation. It depends on how much time you got. You know it also depends on how much time you want to devote to getting this certification.

[00:09:28]So, cuz definitely you could probably get this network plus way before the CCNA because the CCNA I would tell you now roughly if you're totally new to it, I would say give yourself um at least about six months, something like that to kind of going hard at it. If you're familiar with it, you know, maybe three months. But I tell you, this network plus is one of those situation certifications for me. So, it depends on your situation, what you're trying to do, what you're trying to get into. But like I said, it's definitely a decent certification, but like I said, it all just gonna depend on your situation.

[00:10:04]Quick pause. I'd like to introduce you to the Law Files. The Law Files is a weekly newsletter to help you start your IT career with practical advice and tips powered by yours truly. I launched it in the beginning of the year. It's packed with actionable advice, resources, and insights to kickstart your IT journey.

[00:10:21]The link is in the description as well as pinned in the comments, so don't miss out. Now, back to the episode. So, the next tier we're looking at is the C tier. So, this C tier, like I said, this certification, I think that it has some pretty decent material for helping you learn, but it's not I don't think it's really marketable or marketed enough to where you see a lot of jobs asking for this uh where I don't think it's a certification, basically certificate.

[00:10:48]And basically that's the Google IT support professional certificate where basically like I said some of the things about this is just from looking at the material it covers some pretty decent material. Uh one of the things is it's self-paced and it's also beginner friendly. So, like I said, this is something that if someone who is thinking about transitioning to tech, but you don't want to you don't want to put much money in it. You just want to see how you like it. You know, this is definitely something you could go down.

[00:11:18]Uh I think this is listed on Corsera.

[00:11:20]So, like I said, definitely something you can go in, it's self-paced, see how you like it. Uh there's also probably other ways to go about this, too. Uh, I'm sure you got resources like Udemy where someone probably has it on there too for like $10 or something like that.

[00:11:34]But like I said, this is a one of those certificates uh where basically like I said, it's good because it's self-paced.

[00:11:43]You don't have to put a lot of skin in the game. you can kind of get dig into it and see what this IT thing is about and see if it's something you may like before deciding to invest some money or signing up for a school or anything of that nature. So, like I said, the Google IT support professional certificate. I think that comes in on my C tier. And then the last tier we're looking at is my overrated tier. So, like I said, I'm not saying that no certification is trash, but something had to go in this overrated tier. And for me, I would say probably the A+ is my overrated set where basically the A+ when you look at the price of this certification. So roughly you have to take like two tests in order to get A+ certified. And each of those two tests, I want to say it's like $200 or $300 a piece. So taking those two tests to get certified. So you're already in the hole at least 550$500 to $600.

[00:12:39]Uh so then like I said with that and I think you know it mainly prepares you for PCs you know it also the the new one it goes into a little bit more but I think even though it's been updated most people still go by what they know the A+ being for you know usually if someone say okay I'm trying to get in desktop you know most of the time we would tell you go after the A+ you know the A+ it helps you to know the in and outs of PCs. You know what I'm saying? And and that's good to a point, you know, to to me. I think that's good to know, you know, the ins and out and things like that, especially if you're someone into building PCs, but for me, like I said, the price point of it. And then also a lot of the jobs were like uh like I stated for a desktop you know most people get it to get a desktop job but then you know you get in desktop you you get into a desktop role and you then you find out that nobody else has this cert they they're in desktop too you know so it's it's one of the things where it's it's preparing you for something that I think you still could get probably without the certification you know now there's probably reasons why someone would go after this certification. Like I said, if it's good for those total beginners, you know, if you if you're if you get nervous just working on your own PC, yeah, you need to probably look check check out this A+ for a little bit. You know what I'm saying? Cuz it's going to get you comfortable with your PC. You know, it's even going to get you comfortable with taking apart your PC.

[00:14:13]Then also like I said with the new updated version it it goes off off into other subjects too around the um around the curriculum and everything. You know it's still A+ genre but like I said may not be just hardware working on PC. So it goes into a little bit of other stuff but like I said if you're a totally new beginner, you don't even feel comfortable going into your own PC doing things on your own PC is definitely something to look at. But other than that, as far as, you know, looking at the price point for me, the two tests you have to take, you know, roughly $500, $600, you know, for that, you could put in a couple of more months of study and probably go get you a CCNA and have a lot of return on investment. Uh, you could still end up in desktop with that CCNA. So, like I said, I just think that there's other CS out there with a better return on investment than this here. So, but like I said, not trying to discourage anyone. If you're already on that on that path, go ahead and get this certification because, you know, everything helps you. You never know where it could help you to do, help you land, what door it could open for you.

[00:15:24]But, like I said, for me, it's just that price point is a total turnoff for what I think you actually get from obtaining this certification. So, as I wrap it up, you know, there's my list. You know, let me know what you think in the comments.

[00:15:39]If there's some search I left off, I know there's plenty other searchs out there. Drop it in the comments and let me know what tier you would put it in, you know. Then also I may put up a poll and ask you what tier to list these certifications and then I just do an episode reviewing the tiers that you put these certifications in. So like I said, let me know in the comments what you think about the list. Don't kill the Don't kill the messenger. I'm just the messenger here. So like I said, so that brings me to the end of this episode.

[00:16:07]Hopefully you found some value in this episode. If you're watching on YouTube, please like and subscribe. If you're on Instagram, Tik Tok, or Facebook, you can follow me at debtfree andit. If you have any questions, you can email me at debtfreeitgmail.com or you can visit me at debtfreeitwithmike.com.

[00:16:24]Other than that, I'll see you next week.

[00:16:27]Peace.