350-401 test success - Implementing Cisco Enterprise Network Core Technologies (ENCOR) Updated: 2023

We’ve narrowed IT certifications into specific categories to help IT professionals assess what’s available and pursue the best certifications to show their willingness to learn and develop the in-demand career skills employers want.

Best database certifications 

Database platforms have changed greatly over the years, but database technology remains important for various applications and computing tasks. Available certifications for IT professionals include those for database administrators (DBAs), database developers, data analysts and architects, business intelligence, and data warehousing specialists, and other data professionals.

Obtaining database certifications demonstrates an understanding of database concepts, design, implementation, administration and security. This can boost your credibility in the job market and show potential employers that you have the skills needed to work with databases. The best database certifications include the following:

Best SAS certifications 

SAS is one of the world’s leading firms for business analytics, data warehousing and data mining. Today, the SAS Global Certification Program offers 23 credentials across categories including foundation tools, advanced analytics, business intelligence, data management and administration.

SAS programmers remain in high demand, with a quick search of job boards showing thousands of open positions. Obtaining SAS certification shows employers that you are proficient in the company’s popular suite of tools. Some of SAS’s certification programs include the following: 

Many professionals earn certifications to help navigate their career paths. According to the IT Salary Report, 92 percent of information technology professionals have at least one certification.

Best Cisco certifications 

Cisco Systems is a market leader not only in networking and communications products, but also storage networking and solutions for data centers. Cisco offers a variety of certifications for IT professionals, ranging from entry level credentials to expert-level exams. 

These certifications prepare professionals for Cisco-related careers. A search of job boards reveals thousands of open positions for Cisco experts, underscoring the continued relevance of these skills. Some of Cisco’s certifications include the following:

Best Dell certifications 

Dell Technologies remains one of the world’s leading computing companies. In addition to its well-known hardware lineup, Dell also offers solutions for networks, storage, servers, gateways and embedded computing, as well as a broad range of IT and business services.

Becoming certified in Dell products can help make IT professionals competitive in engineering roles for server, virtualization, networking, systems, integration and data security. Additional roles include consultants, account executives, system administrators, IT managers and deployment managers.

Best mobility certifications 

In the mobile era, it has become increasingly important for network engineers to support local, remote and mobile users, as well as provide proper infrastructure. The focus on application and app development now leans more toward mobile environments, requiring security professionals to thoroughly address mobility from all perspectives.

Due to the fast-changing nature of mobile technology, not many mobility certifications have become widely adopted. However, a few of the top mobility certifications can help IT professionals stand out in this rapidly evolving field. 

If part of your job includes selling and implementing an IT solution, you may want to pursue the best sales certifications. You’ll show your organization that you’re willing to go above and beyond to reach sales targets.

Best computer hardware certifications 

As remote and computer-based work has become more common, it’s more important than ever that businesses and individuals be able to maintain their hardware. While discussions about potential computer-related jobs often revolve around software work and coding, jumping into the IT field by becoming a computer technician is an excellent starting point.

Today, thousands of hardware technician jobs are available across the country. Entering this industry becomes more accessible for those who acquire computer hardware certifications. These certifications can showcase your expertise and proficiency in the upkeep of computers, mobile devices, printers and other hardware components.

Best Google Cloud certifications 

IT pros with solid cloud computing skills continue to be in high demand as more companies adopt cloud technologies. Today, Google Cloud is one of the market leaders in the cloud computing space. 

Regardless of where you are in your IT career, engaging with certification programs can demonstrate your willingness to keep on top of rapidly evolving cloud technologies. To that end, Google has introduced a host of certifications for its cloud platform, including the following: 

Best evergreen IT certifications

In the fast-changing world of technology, it can help to focus on certifications that have stood the test of time. “Evergreen” refers to certifications that remain popular year after year. 

The top evergreen certifications are based on accurate pay surveys in IT, reports from IT professionals about certifications they want or pursue the most, and those that appear most frequently in online job postings. Obtaining these credentials is one step toward ensuring that your skills remain relevant for a long time: 

Best IT governance certifications 

IT governance provides structure for aligning a company’s IT with its business strategies. Organizations faced with compliance rigors always need experienced IT pros who can see the big picture and understand technology risks. This means certified IT governance professionals are likely to remain in high demand.

Earning one of the following certifications proves a commitment to understanding the role of IT governance and its position in a company’s current and future success. Getting certified can validate your expert knowledge and lead to advanced career opportunities.

Best system administrator certifications 

An IT system administrator is responsible for managing and maintaining the information technology infrastructure within an organization. The position demands sought-after career skills, ranging from configuring and maintaining servers and clients to managing access controls, network services, and addressing application resource requirements.

If you’re in charge of managing modern servers, there’s a long list of tools and technologies that system administrators must master. Obtaining some of the most prominent system administrator certifications can demonstrate your mastery to potential employers. 

Best ITIL certifications 

ITIL, or Information Technology Infrastructure Library, was developed to establish standardized best practices for IT services within government agencies. Over the ensuing four decades, businesses of all types embraced, modified, and extended ITIL, shaping it into a comprehensive framework for managing IT service delivery. 

The ITIL framework remains the benchmark for best practices in IT service and delivery management, offering certification programs that cater to IT professionals at all levels. These training and certification courses ensure that IT professionals stay well-prepared for the ongoing evolution in IT service delivery management. There are four certifications in the ITIL certification program:

Best enterprise architect certifications 

An IT enterprise architect is responsible for designing and managing the overall structure and framework of an organization’s information technology system. Enterprise architect certifications are among the highest that an IT professional can achieve; fewer than 1 percent ultimately reach this level. 

Enterprise architects are among the highest-paid employees and consultants in the tech industry. These certifications can put IT professionals on a path to many lucrative positions. The average worker earns over six figures annually. Some top enterprise architect certifications are listed below:

To become an enterprise IT architect, you’ll need knowledge of systems deployment, design and architecture, as well as a strong business foundation.

Best CompTIA certifications

CompTIA is a nonprofit trade association made up of more than 2,000 member organizations and 3,000 business partners. The organization’s vendor-neutral certification program is one of the best recognized in the IT industry. Since CompTIA developed its A+ credential in 1993, it has issued more than two million certifications.

CompTIA certifications are grouped by skill set and focus on the real-world skills IT professionals need. Armed with these credentials, you can demonstrate that you know how to manage and support IT infrastructure. 

Best Oracle certifications 

A longtime leader in database software, Oracle also offers cloud solutions, servers, engineered systems, storage, and more. The company has more than 430,000 customers in 175 countries. 

Today, Oracle’s training program offers six certification levels that span 16 product categories with more than 200 individual credentials. Considering the depth and breadth of this program — and the number of Oracle customers — it’s no surprise that Oracle certifications are highly sought after. 

Vendor-specific certifications address a particular vendor’s hardware and software. For example, you can pursue Oracle certifications and Dell certifications to become an expert in those companies’ environments.

Best business continuity and disaster recovery certifications

Business continuity and disaster recovery keep systems running and data available in the event of interruptions or faults. These programs bring systems back to normal operation after a disaster has occurred.

Business continuity and disaster recovery certifications are seeing a healthy uptrend as new cloud-based tools grow in popularity. While business continuity planning and disaster recovery planning have always been essential, they’re becoming more critical than ever — and IT certifications are following suit.

Four-day Classes
Examinations for subjects which have meetings in both the Monday/Wednesday/Friday (MWF) and Tuesday/Thursday (TT) sequences should be scheduled according to the sequence in which they have the greater number of times. If a class meets an equal number of times in each sequence, the examination should be scheduled according to the sequence which shows an earlier date or time in the examination schedule.

i.e., for MTWF or MWTHF courses, refer to the MWF examination time. For MTWTH of MTTHF courses, find both the MWF test time and the TT test time—your test is scheduled for whichever date/time is earlier.

Common test Times
All sections of Accounting 203 and 204 as well as all sections of Mathematics 171, 172, and 271
have a common test on Monday, December 11, 9:00 a.m.

Half-Semester Courses
Exams for undergraduate courses meeting during the first half of the semester will be
scheduled on the last day of class. Exams for undergraduate courses meeting during the
second half of the semester will be scheduled according to the test schedule above.

Labs and Combination Lecture/Lab Courses
Exams for labs, if given, should be administered during the final lab period. Exams for
combination lecture/lab classes should be administered according to the test schedule above.

One-credit PER and MUSC Courses
Exams for one-credit PER and MUSC courses, if given, will typically be scheduled for the final
class period.

Graduate Courses
Graduate courses will typically follow the full eight-week schedule, with the test on the final
day of class.

Saint Louis University School of Law was recently featured on TaxProf Blog as being ranked 7th in the nation in a accurate study identifying which law schools add the most value to ultimate bar passage rates for their students. 

The three-year study looked at the ultimate bar passage rate performance of 186 ABA-approved law schools for the period of 2017-2019. SLU LAW’s ranking reflects its overperforming predicted expectations for ultimate bar passage based on the undergraduate GPA and LSAT scores of incoming students.

SLU LAW also recently posted its highest first-time Missouri bar passage rate in over a decade, with 94.6% of its first-time takers passing the July 2023 Missouri bar exam.

On the work done by SLU LAW to prepare students for the bar exam, the Director of Academic and Bar test Success, Antonia Miceli said, “This ranking, along with our accurate Missouri bar test pass rate, is a reflection of so many things that make SLU LAW special - hardworking and dedicated students, faculty who apply a truly student-centered approach to their teaching, and a robust and comprehensive academic and bar test success program that supports students from the summer before their 1L year clear through passing the bar exam. I am so proud to be a part of the SLU LAW community and to play my part in helping our students and alumni achieve their ultimate goal of becoming licensed attorneys.”

Professor Miceli is also the co-author of The Ultimate Guide to the Uniform Bar Examination (Wolters Kluwer 2021). Her work alongside Professor Petina Benigno, the Assistant Director of Academic and Bar test Success, demonstrates SLU Law’s investment into its students success. For students of SLU LAW, please visit the Academic Resource Center to see materials about bar test success.

If you are interested in donating to SLU LAW and being the reason our students have space to succeed following graduation, please visit the Academic Resource Services Support Fund. The Academic Resource Services Support Fund helps to assist students with costs associated with law school and the Bar Exam.