Are certifications worth it? Job ads in the US, UK and India

Which certifications are worth getting in 2026, job by job?

Each of the six jobs below has its own table, with the share of job ads naming each certification in the US, the UK and India next to the vendor's exam fee and renewal rule. Rows are not ranked; compare the cells yourself. The six titles include jobs that call for experience; if you are starting out, read ads for the junior version of the title too.

How we counted: for each country, Adzuna returned the ads with the job title in their title (for example "project manager"), and we counted those that contain the certification's phrase anywhere in the text. A phrase misses ads that word the credential another way, so each share counts only the ads that use that phrase; the broad phrases noted under the CompTIA, ITIL and AWS rows can catch other wording too. A mention can be a requirement, a preference or an offer of training, and the count does not tell them apart or show who was hired. When a share is under 1%, the cell shows the number of ads and the total instead. The phrase behind each row is in the phrase list, and fees are the vendors' US prices, with check dates under Sources.

Is a PMI certification worth it for project managers?

A certification from PMI, the Project Management Institute, is open to project managers who meet its entry rules. The CAPM asks for no project experience, and the PMP asks for 24 to 60 months of leading projects, depending on your education and route (the beginner table lists them). Check project-manager postings near you before paying for either.

Project-management and business certifications worth getting: share of project-manager ads, October 2026

Source: project-manager ads on Adzuna, US, UK and India, October 2026. Analysis: CertWorthIt.

PeopleCert lists no prerequisite for PRINCE2 Foundation; PRINCE2 and ITIL call their entry-level exam Foundation. The CAPM asks for education hours, not experience (details in the beginner table). ASQ, a quality-management association, and IASSC, a Six Sigma certification body, issue separate Green Belts. Neither PRINCE2 Foundation nor the CAPM is required for the PMP, but either can come first. Our comparisons of CAPM vs PMP, PMP vs PRINCE2 and PMI-ACP vs PMP go through each choice, and our project-manager page shows what else these ads name.

Network engineers: is a Cisco or CompTIA certification worth getting?

For network engineers, we count two entry exams: Cisco's CCNA and CompTIA Network+. Cisco lists no prerequisites for the CCNA or for the professional-level CCNP; CompTIA recommends A+ and 9 to 12 months of experience for Network+, the vendor-neutral option (not tied to one company's equipment). Compare their shares in your country in the table.

Networking certifications: share of network-engineer ads, October 2026

Source: network-engineer ads in the three countries, Adzuna, October 2026. Analysis: CertWorthIt.

The CCNP row counts the phrase ccnp, which covers every CCNP track (specialty); the fee shown is for CCNP Enterprise, one of those tracks. The Network+ row counts comptia network, an approximate phrase shorter than the full name, so it can catch other CompTIA wording. For the order in which to take them, see our comparisons of CCNA vs CCNP and CCNA vs Network+, and our network-engineer page.

Security analysts: which security certifications are worth getting?

For security analysts starting out, CompTIA Security+ and the Google Cybersecurity Certificate set no prerequisite; the CISSP and CISM require years of work first, as the beginner table shows. We count ads with "security analyst" in the title for this job.

Security certifications: share of security-analyst ads, October 2026

Source: Adzuna security-analyst ads for the US, UK and India, October 2026. Analysis: CertWorthIt.

ISC2 is a security certification body, ISACA an IT audit and security association and EC-Council a security training company. ECE credits are EC-Council's study credits. The Security+ row counts comptia security, an approximate phrase shorter than the full name, so it can catch other CompTIA wording. Our cybersecurity roadmap puts these exams in order, our comparisons cover CISSP vs Security+ and CISM vs CISSP, and our cybersecurity-analyst page shows the skills these ads name.

Cloud engineers: are AWS and Azure certifications worth getting?

For cloud engineers, start with the certification for the cloud that job postings in your area name: AWS (Amazon Web Services) or Azure, Microsoft's cloud. AWS calls its entry level Foundational; AZ-104 is Microsoft's exam for Azure administrators.

Cloud certifications: share of cloud-engineer ads, October 2026

Source: cloud-engineer ads, Adzuna, October 2026, in the US, the UK and India. Analysis: CertWorthIt.

The "aws certified" row counts any ad with that phrase, so it includes the ads in the two named AWS rows, and "aws certified solutions architect" also matches the Professional-level name. To renew, AWS asks you to pass the current exam again or earn a higher AWS certification; for the Cloud Practitioner it also accepts a game-based course, AWS Cloud Quest: Recertify Cloud Practitioner. The cloud-engineer page and the comparison of AWS Cloud Practitioner vs Solutions Architect go further.

IT support: which entry-level certifications are worth getting?

For IT support, CompTIA A+ and the Google IT Support Certificate both set no prerequisite: CompTIA only recommends 12 months of experience for A+, and Google says no prior experience is required. ITIL, a framework for running IT services, is the third phrase we count for this job.

IT-support certifications: share of IT-support ads, October 2026

Source: IT-support ads collected by Adzuna in October 2026 for the US, UK and India. Analysis: CertWorthIt.

The A+ row counts ads naming CompTIA A+ (the phrase we counted is "comptia a"), which can catch other wording too. The ITIL row counts any ad with itil, including ads that ask for ITIL knowledge rather than a certificate. A newer edition, ITIL (Version 5) Foundation, is sold by PeopleCert in the US for $690, an exam bundle we did not break down; the exam format and renewal rule in the table are for ITIL 4. Our comparisons of A+ vs Network+ and A+ vs Security+ help with the next step, and the IT-support page lists the skills in these ads.

Data analysts: are Google and Microsoft certificates worth getting?

For data analysts, the Google Data Analytics Certificate is the beginner course (Google says it needs no degree or experience), and PL-300 is Microsoft's exam for Power BI, its reporting tool.

Data-analysis certifications: share of data-analyst ads, October 2026

Source: data-analyst job ads (Adzuna, October 2026), US, UK and India. Analysis: CertWorthIt.

At Coursera's estimate of about six months, the Google certificate comes to $294 at $49 a month. Our data-analyst page shows the tools these ads name, such as SQL, a language for querying databases.

Which certifications can a beginner take first?

For someone starting from zero, three first picks are the CompTIA A+, the CCNA and the Google IT Support Certificate: none sets a prerequisite (CompTIA only recommends 12 months of experience for A+). Compare their shares for your country in the job tables.

Among the certifications we checked, a beginner can take those whose vendor sets no experience rule; the table quotes each vendor's wording. Six require work experience: the SSCP, CEH, PMI-ACP, PMP, CISSP and CISM. The CEH accepts official training instead. For the SSCP and CISSP, you can pass the exam first and become an Associate of ISC2 (a status for people who pass before they have the experience).

Source: vendor pages listed under Sources.

If you are choosing between two entry exams, our comparison of CCNA vs Network+ covers networking, and our page on Google Project Management vs PMP covers the course-or-exam choice for project work. Our career-change guide covers moving into IT or project work from another field, and our career guides list the rest.

Do employers care about certificates?

Some employers name certificates in job ads; how many depends on the job and the certification, and the share for each is in the job-by-job tables.

Do certifications help get a job?

We cannot show that a certification gets you hired, only how often ads name one; the tables show that for six jobs in three countries. Before you pay, do the 20-ad check from the top of this page. If no certification repeats in those ads, put the money into the skills they list.

Certification or experience: which is more important?

For six certifications in our tables, the vendor settles the question by requiring work experience first: the SSCP, CEH, PMI-ACP, PMP, CISSP and CISM, with the years in the beginner table. Anyone who holds one has, by the vendor's rule, that experience or an accepted substitute. An entry certification with no experience rule shows what you studied, and you can take it before your first job in the field.

Do certifications expire?

Yes, the certifications we checked expire unless you renew them, with one exception: ASQ, a quality-management association, says its Six Sigma Green Belt is valid for life. Google's career certificates on Coursera state no expiration date. Microsoft's AZ-104 and PL-300 run for 12 months and renew free online. The PMI, CompTIA, Cisco, AWS, ISACA, EC-Council and PeopleCert credentials in our tables, and ISC2's CISSP, run for three years.

Renewing means earning study credits, paying a fee or passing an exam again, depending on the vendor. The table shows what six years cost at today's fees: the exam plus the renewal and yearly fees we could confirm. Three-year renewals count once, at year 3; yearly fees count six times. A second renewal falls due at year 6 and is not counted. The table also leaves out membership dues and the cost of earning study credits or retaking an exam.

Source: vendor fee and renewal pages listed under Sources; arithmetic by CertWorthIt. If your employer pays the fee, it is not your cost; ask before you book.

CEUs, PDUs, CPE and ECE credits and CPD points are each vendor's name for study credits, earned through courses, events or work in the field. AZ-104 and PL-300 renew free, so six years cost the exam only. Renewal rules for the SSCP, PRINCE2 and ITIL are in the job tables; the costs we could not confirm are in What we did not check.

Are online certificates worth it?

An online certificate can be a way to learn a field at a monthly price. A course certificate shows that you finished the lessons and graded work; a certification shows that you passed an exam set by the company that owns it. The four Google career certificates we checked, all on Coursera, are course certificates. A coding bootcamp is a longer paid course, covered in our coding bootcamps guide, and certificates in AI or machine learning, which none of our six jobs covers, are in our guide to AI certifications.

Is a Google Professional Certificate worth the money?

Check whether employers hiring for your role name the certificate in their ads. Coursera lists Google's career certificates as Professional Certificates, and it lists the Google Project Management, Cybersecurity and Data Analytics certificates at $49 a month; Google says none needs a degree or experience. At Coursera's estimates of about six months each, that is $294 per certificate if you finish in that time. In US job ads counted on Adzuna in October 2026, the phrase "google project management" appeared in 19 of the 59,273 project-manager ads, and "google cybersecurity" in none of the 8,110 security-analyst ads.

Our pages on the Google Data Analytics Certificate and the Google IT Support Certificate cover each program, and our Coursera review explains how the subscription works.

Is a certificate worth it without a proctored exam?

A certificate without a proctored exam (one taken under supervision) can teach you a field through lessons and graded work. It does not show that you passed a test set by a vendor, so pair it with the skills and projects that employers in your field ask for. Our certificate vs degree guide covers the longer routes.

Are online courses worth paying for in the UK and India?

The value of a Google course depends on what postings in your country ask for; UK and India ads are counted the same way as US ones. Two examples from Adzuna data for October 2026: the phrase "google data analytics" appeared in none of the 741 UK data-analyst ads, and "google it support" in none of the 259 IT-support ads in India.

Are certifications tax deductible?

Sometimes, in the US and the UK, under conditions the tax agencies set. This is not tax advice; check with the IRS (the US tax agency), HMRC (the UK tax agency) or a tax adviser.

In the US, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) sets the rule in Topic 513. It counts as work-related "education that (1) maintains or improves skills needed in your present work or (2) your employer or the law requires to keep your present salary, status or job" (IRS Topic 513). Education that meets the minimum requirements of your present job, or that is part of a program qualifying you for a new trade or business, does not count. Topic 513 is written about work-related education, not about exam fees as such.

For employees, IRS Publication 529 limits this further. It says: "You can no longer claim a deduction for unreimbursed employee expenses unless you fall into one of the following categories of employment, or have certain qualified educator expenses." Unreimbursed means your employer does not pay you back. The categories are Armed Forces reservists, qualified performing artists, fee-basis state or local government officials (officials paid by fees rather than a salary) and employees with impairment-related work expenses (work costs linked to a disability). The quoted sentence also mentions certain qualified educator expenses, which we did not check. So a US employee outside those groups who pays for a course or exam cannot deduct it under this rule. Self-employed people may be able to, under the Topic 513 test; they report work costs on Schedule C, the form for business income.

In the UK, GOV.UK, the government's website, says employees may claim tax relief on things they must buy for their job, paid with their own money and used only for work. You cannot claim if your employer repays all of it. Relief applies only if you paid tax in the year you claim for, and it is capped: "The amount of tax relief you get cannot be more than the amount of tax you paid in that year" (GOV.UK). Its page on professional fees covers membership fees you must pay to do your job and subscriptions to professional bodies approved by HMRC (HM Revenue and Customs).

Are certifications worth it on Reddit?

Reddit is a discussion site whose topic forums are named r/ plus the topic. Its posters ask the questions this guide answers: whether a certification got them a first job, whether experience counts for more and what to do when a certification expires. Posters are a self-selected group, so read their threads as questions, not as a vote.

Do certifications matter for jobs, according to Reddit posters?

• Passing the CCNA or CompTIA A+ and landing a job, including with no IT experience (r/ccna, September 2026, r/CompTIA, August 2026): the IT-support table shows how often ads name A+.
• Certification or practical experience as the route to a first opportunity in project work (r/PMCareers, September 2026).
• A second thread asks why anyone would take the PMP with no project experience (r/PMCareers, July 2026): PMI does not grant the PMP without that experience; the CAPM is PMI's option without it.
• AWS certifications next to hands-on experience (r/AWSCertifications, September 2026), and whether an AWS certification can be had for free (r/AWSCertifications, September 2026): the AWS price list we read shows $100 for a Foundational exam. We did not check promotions or free vouchers.
• A master's degree in project management or experience plus the PMP (r/PMCareers, September 2026): our certificate vs degree guide compares the routes.
• What to do when Security+ expires before a degree ends (r/CompTIA, September 2026): the security table lists its renewal rule.

Are online courses and certificates worth paying for, according to Reddit?

• Whether the Google Cybersecurity Certificate is worth the time (r/coursera, February 2026): it costs $49 a month on Coursera and takes about six months at 7 hours a week, by Coursera's estimate.
• Time and price of the Google IT Support certificate (r/coursera, July 2026): Google requires no prior experience and puts it at about three months at 10 hours a week.
• Whether the Google Data Analytics certificate is worth its monthly price in rupees (r/coursera, January 2026): its US price is $49 a month, and Coursera puts it at about six months at 10 hours a week.

Other Reddit questions about exam prep, study time and test-day details are answered on each certificate's own page.

What we did not check

• Pay, hiring outcomes, pass rates and jobs where a certification is a formal hiring requirement: our data counts job ads only.
• Exam fees for PRINCE2 and ITIL 4, which PeopleCert and its resellers set, and the PMP renewal fee.
• What the ITIL (Version 5) bundle contains, and its renewal rule.
• ASQ's work-experience rule for its Green Belt (we checked only IASSC's) and the IASSC Green Belt fee.
• The Coursera price of the Google IT Support Certificate, and Coursera prices in pounds or rupees.
• The SSCP's renewal credits and cycle length, which we saw only as reported figures.
• The price of PMI and ISACA membership.
• CompTIA rules on whether a higher CompTIA certification renews a lower one.
• Tax rules in India and for self-employed people in the UK; whether UK employees can claim tax relief on exam or course fees; how the IRS treats an exam fee paid outside a course; and US education credits.
• Ads for junior titles (project coordinator, help desk, junior analyst), which may name different certifications.
• Certifications we did not count: Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900), Google Cloud, CompTIA CySA+ and PenTest+, Scrum certificates, CISA, IBM, CMSA, Vskills, Java, Harvard, marketing, logistics and graduate certificates.
• Job ads from 2025, and jobs or countries outside the six jobs and three countries here.

Which phrases did we count?

Each row counts one phrase in the full text of ads with the job title in their title. For certifications we count in more than one job, each table uses that job's own count.

Source: CertWorthIt search phrases for Adzuna, October 2026. Our methodology explains how we collect and count ads.

Sources

• Adzuna job-ad counts for project manager, network engineer, security analyst, cloud engineer, IT support and data analyst in the US, the UK and India, October 2026; analysis: CertWorthIt. How we count.
• PMI: PMP exam fee, CAPM exam fee, PMI-ACP exam fee, certification requirements handbook, PMP exam content outline and CAPM renewal FAQ, checked October 3, 2026.
• PeopleCert: certification renewal, checked October 3, 2026, and ITIL 4 Foundation and ITIL (Version 5) Foundation, checked October 5, 2026.
• ASQ, recertification FAQ, and PeopleCert's IASSC Certified Green Belt page, checked October 3, 2026.
• Cisco: CCNA, checked October 3, 2026, and ENCOR and recertification, checked October 4, 2026.
• CompTIA: Network+, Security+, A+ and renewal fees, checked October 3, 2026.
• ISC2: exam pricing, CISSP experience requirements and annual maintenance fees, checked October 5, 2026, and SSCP, checked October 3, 2026.
• ISACA: CISM and maintaining the CISM, checked October 5, 2026.
• EC-Council: CEH eligibility and fees and ECE policy, checked October 4, 2026.
• AWS, exam prices and policies, checked October 3, 2026.
• Microsoft Learn: Azure Administrator (AZ-104), PL-300 and certification FAQ, checked October 3, 2026.
• Coursera: Google Project Management, Google Cybersecurity, Google IT Support and Google Data Analytics, checked October 3, 2026.
• IRS, Topic 513 and Publication 529; GOV.UK, tax relief for employees; all checked October 7, 2026.
• Public Reddit threads linked in the text.

Edited by Jere Salmisto · Vendor and tax pages checked October 3 to 7, 2026