Look at any of the ads in our Professional Development section and you will see dozens of training tracks that lead to myriad certifications. Pick up a course guide to any college or university and you will find B.S. degree programs in either computer science or electrical engineering, with dozens or even hundreds of courses to choose from. It's a little like trying to navigate an unfamiliar city. How do you choose the right path--the one that will give you the best chance of success in your career--if you don't know the lay of the land?

Any vocational discernment comes with a degree of self-searching. Many of these questions only you can answer. But once you choose a direction in this city full of old winding roads and new thoroughfares, I can help you to choose among the paths. Still, I call this an incomplete guide because a complete guide is a book, such as "Get Certified and Get Ahead" by Anne Martinez (McGraw-Hill, 2000). But note the date: General certification books are a bit old. Plus, not everyone has the time or patience to read a complete guide. So here I present an at-a-glance view that could serve as a map of the field. Once you have a general idea of the degree and certification map, I suggest you consult new books on specific degrees and certifications to figure out what they entail in the way of training and education.

Career direction

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