Figuring Out ISACA Certifications for Cybersecurity Careers: ① ITCA

ISACA (Information Systems Audit and Control Association®) is one of the world’s leading education and certification center for IT professions including cybersecurity. Started in 1967 by a small group of individuals, ISACA has become a “… centralized source of information and guidance in computer systems as well as an education foundation to undertake large-scale research efforts to expand the knowledge and value of the IT governance and control field.” And expansion indeed, ISACA now offers a myriad of education programs in addition to other vital services like networking.

A career in cybersecurity is worth pursuing, but how? Image resource: Creative Commons

Here are eight cybersecurity certificates offered by ISACA, with some of the certifications being cumulative ‘composites’ of several certificates:

1. Information Technology Certified Associate (ITCA)
2. Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) (Read about it here)
3. Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC) (Read about it here)
4. Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) (Read about it here)
5. Certified Data Privacy Solutions Engineer (CDPSE) (Read about it here)
6. Certified in Governance of Enterprise IT (CGEIT)
7. CSX Cybersecurity Practicioner (CSX-P)
8. Certified in Emerging Technology (CET)

In this piece, let’s take a look at the first certificate on the list: Information Technology Certified Associate (ITCA). According to the information provided by ISACA, the ITCA is mostly for entry level learners such as early professionals, recent graduates and current students, those who are considering switching careers, and current IT professionals aiming to polish their skills. There is no experience requirement for taking up this certificate program, so absolute beginners can also start right away.

However, ITCA is actually comprised of five certificates. These are: “Fundamentals of Computing”, “Networks and Infrastructure”, “Cybersecurity”, “Software Development”, and “Data Science”. You need to earn the individual certificates to achieve the ITCA certificate. While all of these certificates are certainly useful in advancing your career, making the effort to get to the ITCA is much more meaningful if you are aiming to become either of these:

• Software Developer (Average annual US base salary in 2022: $97,763)
• Applications Developer (Average annual US base salary in 2022: $91,020)
• Systems Engineer (Average annual US base salary in 2022: $81,309)
• Database Administrator (Average annual US base salary in 2022: $74,331)
• Technical Support Specialist (Average annual US base salary in 2022: $63,724)
• Help Desk Analyst (Average annual US salary in 2022: $55,598)
• PC Technician (Average annual US base salary in 2022: $52,682)
• Computer Operator (Average annual US base salary in 2022: $50,493)

The training for the certificate exams requires a combination of knowledge-based and hands-on lab-based training, so the process is not entirely online. However, since there are no prerequisites to get started along with a nice bump up in annual salaries for early stage professionals, ITCA is worth pursuing for many of us interested in cybersecurity careers.

Source: History of ISACA, ISACA Credentialing, Glassdoor, Payscale, Indeed

Note: You can read about CISA here.