CertCities.com’s 10 Hottest Certifications for 2006

To start off, this is NOT a list of overall popularity. If we did that, Microsoft’s MCP would win every year. Instead, we’re looking for the certifications that we think will be the most influential in 2006, the ones that will grow the fastest, the ones that we think will show the true future of IT certification. As a simple analogy, think of it more as a Billboard Hot 100 singles list — instead of the most popular songs, we’re looking for the ones that will rise the fastest.

Also realize that we do base it on some actual research. We start with our annual reader survey, on which we present more than 70 certifications and ask you to tell us which ones you hold and which ones you plan to get within the next 12 months. Positive differences are then converted to a 1 to 20 scale (20 being best), resulting in a “reader interest” score.