IT Certifications Worth Your Time in 2026 (And the Ones You Can Skip)

When I was at RAI Plywoods preparing to move on, someone told me that the fastest way to look credible on paper was to stack up certifications. So I started collecting them — partly because I believed it, partly because I had no clearer plan. A few of those certs genuinely helped. A few were a waste of time I'll never get back.

More than a decade later, I've been on the other side of that equation: reviewing applications, sitting in on hiring calls, and working with teams that have a clear idea of what they want to see from IT candidates. The honest truth is that most cert lists are noise. A small number of credentials actually move the needle, and knowing which is which is worth more than the certs themselves.

This is my current take — updated for 2026, based on what I actually see being asked for, respected, and ignored.

Why Certifications Still Matter (But Not the Way You Think)

The argument against certifications has gotten louder: companies care about skills, not paper. Interviewers can probe your knowledge directly. GitHub profiles and work samples say more. All of that is true to a point. But it misses how most hiring actually works at volume.

In organisations processing 50-plus applications for a single IT role, a hiring manager scanning CVs for 20 seconds each needs shorthand signals. Certifications serve that function. They don't prove competence — no cert does that reliably — but they answer a quick filter question: does this person take their professional development seriously enough to sit exams, and do they have baseline familiarity with the systems we use?

That's the job of a certification. Not proving mastery. Passing the initial filter so you get to the conversation where your actual skills can show.

The right certification doesn't get you the job. It gets you in the room where the job gets decided.

The Ones That Open Real Doors

CompTIA A+ — Still the Entry Point That Works

I know A+ gets dismissed as "too basic" by people who already have 5 years of experience. For them, it is. But if you're breaking into IT support from another field, or you're early in your career and need something that demonstrates breadth, A+ is still the most recognised entry-level credential across hiring managers in Kenya, the UK, and the US. It covers the hardware, OS, networking fundamentals, and troubleshooting methodology that L1 and L2 support roles expect.

The one thing I'd add: do not stop there. A+ on its own signals "entry level" because that's what it is. It opens a door. You need to walk through it quickly.

CompTIA Security+ — Where IT Meets Employer Nervousness

Security is the one area where employers are genuinely anxious right now. Ransomware, phishing, misconfigured cloud access — every organisation has at least one story they'd rather not repeat. Security+ signals that you understand threats, controls, and incident basics at a practical level. For anyone in IT ops, support, or helpdesk who wants to move into a more senior or specialised role, this is probably the highest-return certification you can pursue.

It also happens to be a government and enterprise standard in several markets. If you're ever working with contracts that touch US federal or defence-adjacent clients, Security+ is often a floor requirement, not a differentiator.

Microsoft 365 Certified: Fundamentals and Beyond

I use Microsoft 365 and Active Directory every single day. The MS-900 (M365 Fundamentals) is a fast certification that establishes you understand the Microsoft ecosystem at a conceptual level — useful as a baseline. But if you work in IT ops or helpdesk, the more valuable step is Microsoft 365 Certified: Endpoint Administrator Associate (MD-102), which covers device management, deployment, and the Intune-heavy environment that most organisations running hybrid work are now dealing with daily.

In 2026, there is almost no mid-sized company that isn't running some version of Microsoft 365 or Azure AD (now Entra ID). If you're supporting end users or managing devices, the Microsoft certification path isn't optional. It's just the language of the work.

Google IT Support Professional Certificate

If you're just entering the field and CompTIA A+ feels like too large a financial commitment to start with, the Google IT Support Professional Certificate on Coursera is a legitimate alternative entry point. It's cheaper, faster, and structured in a way that actual beginners can follow. It doesn't carry the same weight as CompTIA in enterprise hiring, but it demonstrates initiative and covers the practical fundamentals well. For entry-level candidates in markets where certification costs are prohibitive, it's a smart starting move.

ITIL 4 Foundation — If Your Organisation Uses It

ITIL gets mixed reactions. In some organisations — particularly mid-to-large enterprises with structured IT service management — it's genuinely useful and actively referenced. In startups and SMBs, it's largely theoretical and rarely comes up. My view: if the organisation you're targeting or already working in uses ITIL frameworks for incident management, change management, or problem management, get the Foundation cert. It makes the internal language click and demonstrates alignment with how the team thinks. If you're in a 10-person startup, skip it until the org grows into it.

The Ones You Can Skip (Or Deprioritise)

Vendor Certs for Products You Don't Use

This is the trap I fell into early on. Cisco CCNA looked impressive on paper and I knew people who swore by it. The problem was that I wasn't in a network engineering role, and the organisations I was targeting weren't running large Cisco network infrastructure. I spent several weeks studying for a credential that hasn't appeared in a single meaningful conversation in my career.

Certifications are most valuable when they're directly relevant to the stack you're working in or targeting. A Cisco cert for someone doing IT support in a Microsoft shop, or an AWS cert for someone whose entire environment is on-prem, doesn't compound — it just sits on a CV looking like filler.

Hoarding Foundations-Level Certs

There's a version of certification culture that produces people with five or six "fundamentals" badges from different vendors and almost no deep knowledge of any of them. I've seen this pattern in interviews: candidates who can name every cert on their list but can't talk through what they actually built or fixed using the knowledge. Foundations certs exist to get you started, not to accumulate. Pick a direction and go deeper rather than collecting entry points to everything.

Any Cert You're Getting Just to Have Something

This sounds obvious, but it's worth saying directly. If your reason for pursuing a certification is "I should add something to my CV," that's a sign to pause. The right question is: what's the next role I want, what gap does that employer see in someone at my stage, and which certification directly addresses that gap? Certifications taken without a specific audience in mind usually don't land the way you expect.

What I'd Prioritise Right Now

If I were starting fresh in IT ops or support today and had time and budget for two or three certifications, here's the order I'd approach it:

• CompTIA A+ — get this first if you don't have it. Proves the baseline. Don't linger here.
• CompTIA Security+ — follow quickly. Security awareness is no longer optional in any IT role.
• Microsoft 365 / Entra ID track — pick the cert that matches your current or target environment. MS-900 if you need the foundation, MD-102 if you're doing device and endpoint management already.

If automation is part of your role or you're trying to move in that direction, I'd also look seriously at the n8n Ambassador program and the HubSpot Operations certifications — neither is a traditional IT credential, but they're directly relevant to what teams hiring for IT ops and revenue operations roles want to see right now. They also take days rather than months, which matters when you're working full-time.

One Thing Worth Saying About Timing

I've seen people delay job applications or contract pitches waiting for a certification to complete. That's almost always the wrong call. A cert you're actively pursuing and can speak to intelligently in an interview is nearly as good as one you've already earned — sometimes better, because it demonstrates current momentum. Hiring managers aren't stamping badges; they're assessing whether you're the kind of person who learns deliberately and follows through.

At the same time, having a cert that's years old with no visible growth around it is a red flag. Certs aren't a credential you earn once and coast on. The best candidates I've seen use certifications as milestones within a learning arc that's clearly still in motion.

The combination that works: one or two relevant credentials, a work history that shows you actually applied the knowledge, and a clear idea of where you're heading next. That's more compelling than a long list of badges, and it holds up under questions in a way that lists rarely do.

If you're figuring out which certifications fit where you want to go next in IT ops or support, or you need a second opinion on the path you're planning — feel free to reach out. Happy to give you an honest take based on what I've seen work.