Whether to fulfill an employer requirement or to gain a competitive edge in your field, obtaining a professional certification offers many benefits. As an IT professional, a certification enables you to showcase your technical expertise while building your credibility. Plus, it can give you a much-needed confidence boost.

Professional certifications are an investment of both time and cash. That’s why it’s critical to prepare for your certification exams for the best results. One of these tech-focused certification prep courses can help.

Complete 2021 CompTIA training

Certification: CompTIA A+

The CompTIA A+ certification is known as the gold standard for IT professionals. It validates an individual’s proficiency in everything from networking to network security. This course on TechRepublic Academy includes over 103 hours of content to help you ace the CompTIA A+ 220-1001 and 220-1002 exams.

Take the Complete 2021 CompTIA Training Course

Project Management Institute certification training bundle

Certification: PMP & CAPM

This bundle from TechRepublic Academy gives you the training you need to successfully take and pass the Project Management Professional (PMP) and Associate in Project Management (CAPM) certification exams. Both training courses include instructor-led videos and self-study resources on the lifecycle of project management.

Take the Project Management Institute Certification Training Courses

Cloud Data Engineer Professional Certificate

Certification: Google Cloud

IT professionals who must use Google Cloud will benefit from this in-depth certification course on Coursera. During this course, you’ll identify the purpose of big data, employ BigQuery and take a deep dive into Google Cloud. After completion, you’ll have the knowledge necessary to pass the Google Cloud certification exam.

Take the Cloud Data Engineer Professional Certification Course

GCP–Google Cloud Professional Data Engineer Certification

Certification: Google Cloud

During this course on Udemy, you’ll learn everything there is to know about the Google Cloud Platform, the fastest-growing public cloud. It includes over 16 hours of video content with over 80 hands-on demos. Once complete, you’ll be ready to take the Google Cloud certification exam.

Take the Google Cloud Professional Data Engineer Certification Course

Cloud Architect Professional Certificate

Certification: Google Cloud

The Cloud Architect Professional Certificate delivers the skills required to be successful in a cloud architect role. This intermediate-level course provides hands-on training on Coursera via Qwiklabs projects to truly test your newly developed skills. Once complete, you’ll be eligible to take the Google Cloud certification exam.

Take the Cloud Architect Professional Certification Course

Google IT Support Professional Certificate

Certification: Google IT Support Professional

During this course on Coursera, you’ll learn how to perform daily IT support tasks such as computer assembly and customer service. Plus, you’ll train to use a variety of systems, including Linux, DNS, Binary Code and more. This course also prepares you to take the CompTIA A+ certification exams.

Take the Google IT Support Professional Certificate Course

ITIL 4 exam preparation

Certification: ITIL 4 Foundation

The goal of ITIL 4 Foundation is to give IT professionals a broader view of tech-enabled products and services via an end-to-end operating model. During this course on Coursera, you’ll learn ITIL key concepts, terminology and best practices via self-paced learning and practice exams.

Take the ITIL 4 Exam Preparation Course

Exam prep: AWS Certified Solutions Architect–Associate

Certification: AWS Certified Solutions Architect–Associate

Directly from Amazon Web Services, this course on Coursera is intermediate level, designed to give you the insights required to pass the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate exam. It includes exam-level practice questions written by AWS experts as well as hands-on exercises to help illustrate cloud-based concepts.

Take the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Course

AWS Cloud Practitioner Essentials

Certification: AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner

This beginner-level course on Coursera is the starting point in your preparation for the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner certification exam. The concepts found in this course range from the benefits of AWS Cloud to understanding its global infrastructure.

Take the AWS Cloud Practitioner Essentials Course

Exam prep: AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Foundations

Certification: AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner

Similar to the course above, this certification prep option on Coursera is also a great place for beginners to learn AWS-specific material, including cloud concepts, compliance and more. Students can then take the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner certification exam.

Take the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Foundations Course

Exam Prep: AWS Certified SysOps Administrator–Associate

Certification: AWS Certified SysOps Administrator–Associate

After taking this course on Coursera, you should be able to deploy, manage and operate workloads on AWS. You’ll learn concepts such as disaster recovery procedures, AWS workload maintenance and troubleshooting of applicable systems. As a result, you can successfully obtain certification by passing the AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate exam.

Take AWS Certified SysOps Administrator—Associate Course

Microsoft Azure Fundamentals AZ-900 exam prep

Certification: AZ-900 Microsoft Azure Fundamentals

For aspiring Microsoft Azure experts, the AZ-900 exam solidifies your technical knowledge of Azure and prepares you for a successful career in the cloud. In this prep course on Coursera, you’ll learn foundational Azure concepts, general network security concepts and more.

Take the Microsoft Azure Fundamentals AZ-900 Exam Prep Course

Microsoft Azure Data Engineering Associate DP-203 exam prep

Certification: DP-203: Data Engineering on Microsoft Azure

The DP-203: Data Engineering on Microsoft Azure specialization is meant for data engineers and developers who wish to showcase their expertise in developing data solutions for Microsoft Azure. This course on Coursera prepares students interested in this specialization for the DP-203 certification exam.

Take the Microsoft Azure Data Engineering Associate DP-203 Exam Prep Course

Microsoft Azure AI Fundamentals AI-900 Exam Prep

Certification: AI-900 Microsoft Azure AI Fundamentals

This prep program on Coursera includes five courses to help you prepare for the AI-900 certification exam, which will highlight your expertise in using Microsoft Azure to develop artificial intelligence-based solutions. This prep course also includes the training required to demonstrate tactical knowledge of both machine learning and AI concepts.

Take the Microsoft Azure AI Fundamentals AI-900 Exam Prep Course

Microsoft Azure Data Fundamentals DP-900 exam prep

Certification: DP-900: Microsoft Azure Data Fundamentals

The DP-900 was created with aspiring data engineers, data analysts and database administrators in mind. This prep course on Coursera will teach you the fundamentals of database and cloud data concepts within Microsoft Azure. As a result, you can take the DP-900 certification exam with confidence.

Take the Microsoft Azure Data Fundamentals DP-900 Exam Prep Course

SAS Programmer Professional Certification Course

Certification: SAS Base Programming Specialist

From using the fundamentals of SAS programming to applying SAS principles to real-world examples, this course on Coursera covers it all. If you’re a beginner in SAS, this is the best next step for you. When complete, you’ll be prepared to take and pass the SAS Base Programming Specialist certification exam.

Take the SAS Programmer Professional Certification Course

LCFA exam preparation

Certification: Linux Foundation Certified IT Associate (LFCA)

For those interested in showcasing their Linux expertise, this course on Coursera uncovers what to expect during the LCFA exam. It also includes three in-depth practice exams you can use to prepare.

Take the LCFA Exam Preparation Course

CertNexus Certified Artificial Intelligence Practitioner Professional Certificate

Certification: Certified Artificial Intelligence Practitioner (CAIP)

According to CertNexus, this designation “certifies that the candidate has the foundational knowledge of AI concepts, technologies, and algorithms and applications.” This six-month course on Coursera explains the required knowledge in detail from AI and machine learning to data structure and analysis.

Take the CertNexus Certified Artificial Intelligence Practitioner Course

CertNexus Certified Ethical Emerging Technologist Professional Certificate

Certification: Certified Ethical Emerging Technologist (CEET)

Ethics are critical in technology. During this course on Coursera, students learn how to apply ethical principles to data-driven technologies. You’ll also discover how to detect and mitigate ethical risks and how to evaluate organizational policies. In about eight months of study, you’ll be ready to take the Certified Ethical Emerging Technologist (CEET) certification exam.

Take the CertNexus Certified Ethical Emerging Technologist Course

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Discover the secrets to IT leadership success with these tips on project management, budgets, and dealing with day-to-day challenges. Delivered Tuesdays and Thursdays