There are certifications in programming, network management, training, and telecommunications, certifications from specific vendors and generic certifications from industry associations. Across the roughly 3,500 job advertisements, one out of eight mentioned an IT industry certification as a preferred background for employment. This growth will come from the supply side. Another 7,500 corporate vendors with global workforces recognize these standards. In a learning society such as ours, people reach for those objectives, and employers feel free to encourage a proxy for attainment.
Some certifications thus function like degrees.
Other certifications function like licenses in that they require renewal. For example, after one receives the mantel of Certified Internet Webmaster one must work at the role for two years and complete 30 hours of continuing education to qualify for re certification. In all Microsoft Certified Professional programs, as exams are retired and replaced, one is required to take the new assessments to remain certified.