It has been years now that ITIL has secured its position as the industry-standard best practice framework for aligning, managing, and supporting IT Service Management according to the business needs. In simple words, IT is still the governing agent for Information Technology and utilizes the ITIL Service Lifecycle tech to map out the overall journey from customer requirements and needs to continual service improvement.
Just like with any other professional certification, understanding the exact value of obtaining an ITIL certification can be difficult. Therefore, the best way to go about is to understand the combination of intangible and tangible factors that makes your investment in a certification worthwhile.
Here, you will not only learn about the different types of ITIL certifications but also the value of obtaining to both individuals and organizations in context with various factors.
Everything You Need to Know About ITIL Certifications
There are 12 certifications under the ITIL certification program that declares the individual as a professional in the field. The certifications attest the individual’s knowledge from beginner-level to an expert level.
Here are all the ITIL certifications you must be aware of:
ITIL Foundation
Provides the basic knowledge about the fundamental ITIL best practices knowledge to help you prepare for the ITIL Foundation certification.
ITIL Intermediate Certifications
This is the next step towards the ITIL certification program. There are two paths in which the Intermediate certifications are categorized: Lifecycle and Capability. The idea behind these certifications is to expand your knowledge and skills on the concepts that you initially learned in the ITIL Foundation certifications.
Intermediate Lifecycle Path
The lifecycle path under the Intermediate Program consists of five certification courses mentioned below:
- Service Design
- Service Strategy
- Service Operation
- Service Transition
- Continual Service Improvement
Obtaining any of these intermediate certifications declares the holders thorough understanding of ITIL best practices in that area. The requirement is to clear a challenging exam and use knowledge to pass realistic scenarios by using the best practices of ITIL. These certifications are ideal for individuals in decision-making and management sectors of an organization.
Intermediate Capability Path
This part of the Intermediate certifications consists of the following four courses:
- Release, Control, and Validation
- Planning, Protection, and Optimization
- Service Offerings and Agreements
- Operational Support and Analysis
These certifications are more suitable for candidates who are required to perform several hands-on IT activities during work.
Advanced ITIL Certifications
Clearly, the certifications that fall under this category offer expert-level credentials and can be a major contributing factor towards a great career in the IT field.
ITIL Expert
After obtaining the ITIL Foundation certificate along with newer credits or at least 17 ITIL v3 from the intermediate certificate section, the individual becomes eligible for taking up an expert-level certification known as Managing Across the Lifecycle (MALC).
To gain the certification, the candidate must pass a challenging exam. Additionally, the candidate must also acquire the standard number of credits to be able to obtain an ITIL Expert certification.
ITIL Master
This certification is one step ahead and is regarded as a specialized level of certification. This is only available to candidates who have already gained an ITIL Expert certification. The ITIL Master is expected to have a thorough understanding of implementing ITIL best practices along with in-depth practical experience.
To achieve the ITIL Master certification, the candidate must portray the most appropriate use of ITIL best practices and complete real-life projects.
Is ITIL Certification Worth It For Individuals?
Now that you have a good idea of what ITIL certifications are, it’s the perfect time to find out if it is really valuable for individuals. To find out based on real statistics, a survey was carried with 117 participants, who were sent to gain at least one ITIL intermediate certification.
Out of those candidates, 76.5% believed that having an ITIL certification under the best helped them gain more recognition in the job market. Keeping the current economic conditions in mind, this result was significant. In simple words, certifications are marking their mark in helping applicants prove their experience and credentials and compete better in the market towards limited jobs.
Individuals also confirmed how gaining an ITIL certification in a specific area could help them qualify for special roles within the organization they are serving. This clearly represented significant value of the certification and how it helps individuals boost their experience and knowledge and create better opportunities for themselves in the long run.
Top Reasons Why You Should Consider Achieving an ITIL Certification Right Now
ITIL has proved to be a critical part of today’s IT environment. This is the main reason why so many organizations are encouraging the staff and investing in certification sponsorship programs to get the employees certified.
However, if you are looking for more factors to persuade you, here are some:
Better Pay Scale
Having an ITIL certification instantly translates into better resume and credentials. It means you will be an asset to the organization, providing more value to the business than ever before. Naturally, that even reflects on your earning capabilities. And it is quite a common scenario for ITIL certified professionals to earn over six figures as IT Architects and Program Managers. Now that’s a lot of money we are talking about here!
Better Skills
The certifications are divided into different skill set categories to help you draw out your own ITIL certification journey. Achieving one certification from all levels will not only boost your market value but also improve your skill set and help you gain better control of how ITIL is implemented and managed across IT infrastructures.
Stand Out in the Crowd
With a better skill set and experience, you are perceived as more confident in your expertise and abilities. This is the best way to stand out in the market and gain a demonstrable advantage over the competition in a job hiring scenario.
Final Word
With ITIL Certifications, you are prepared for the future. Since ITIL is here to stay, there are tons of amazing career advantages that you can gain by completing your certifications in the available mastery courses.
