An Emerging Tech Market

Atlanta has become one of the hottest emerging tech hubs in the U.S.

The Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) stated employers posted 14.7% more openings for technology professionals in Georgia in 2014 resulting in an average daily volume of 3,430 opportunities.

Additionally, the city has been named the 6th fastest growing market for tech talent, according to a recent CBRE report titled Scoring Tech Talent.

The report is highlighted by some exciting trends:

• 21% growth in tech talent since 2010
• No. 10 on the overall tech talent list
• Educational attainment rate of 46.8% — a figure measuring the amount of individuals at least 25 years old with a bachelor’s degree or higher

Journey to Empowerment
With the lowest overall cost of living and cost of doing business, Atlanta’s tech attraction momentum is expected to continue upward. Recognizing this trend, our College is continually responding by expanding our technology program offerings — designed to provide essential training to those seeking employment in the field.

One of our newest certificate programs — Cisco — provides a solid networking foundation. For individuals with little to no prior networking experience, we recommend enrolling in our online networking courses:

• Networking – Introduction
• Networking – Intermediate

Cisco certifications were ranked in the Top 15-Paying IT Certifications in 2014-15 (Global Knowledge) and the employment of network administrators in the computer systems design industry is projected to grow 35% through 2022 (Bureau of Labor Statistics).

According to TrainACE, the average salary for individuals with a CCNA certification is $87,790.

Safe and Secure
The natural progression upon completion of our Cisco program is training to become a cyber-crime fighter in our Information Systems Security Professional Certificate program. This is not a technical course by design. It is a higher level management class that brings together all the entry level programs into a holistic approach to security.

Intelligence officials say cybersecurity trumps terrorism as the No. 1 threat to the U.S.

This course is ideal for those who work, or aspire to work in positions such as:

• Security Consultant
• Security Manager
• IT Director/Manager
• Security Auditor
• Security Architect
• Security Analyst
• Security Systems Engineer
• Chief Information Security Officer
• Director of Security
• Network Architect

Yahoo ranked Information Security Analyst as the No. 1 career field with a bright outlook that pays over $70K a year while the Department of Labor states information security’s median annual salary as $88,590 with a growth rate of 37% through 2022.