Best Tech Certifications to Get in 2026 (Full Tier List)

Product reviewed

A tier list of tech certifications for 2026 (ranked F → S) aimed at helping viewers choose certifications that lead to real job outcomes, with emphasis on hands-on skills vs paper/theory credentials.

Key message / theme of the video

• Hiring is shifting: with AI making it easier to cheat on multiple-choice exams, companies care less about test scores and more about proof you can do the work (hands-on capability).
• Certifications are framed as either:
  • High ROI and employer-respected (A/S)
  • Low ROI / niche / non-recognized (F/D)
• Recommendation emphasis:
  • Focus on S-tier and A-tier
  • Only pursue entry-level options to get “your foot in the door.”

Tier list highlights (unique points, pros/cons, comparisons)

F tier (lowest ROI; redundant/untrusted)

1. CompTIA A+

   • Covers basic hardware/software troubleshooting (“foundational”).
   • Cons: two-part exam, ~$500, and many people still don’t get jobs; seen as outdated (“not going to get you that” help desk pay anymore).
   • Comparison: better alternatives exist (implied: more respected entry certs).

2. EC-Council CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker)

   • Claims to “think like a hacker,” but described as mostly penetration testing theory with no hands-on.
   • Cons: ~$1,000; hiring managers don’t care much; especially weak for actual pentester roles.
   • Comparison: recommends OCP instead for hands-on pentesting.

3. Google Cyber Certificate (Coursera)

   • Beginner cyber concepts; includes some Python.
   • Cons: not recognized by employers; “not a real certification”; $50/month for 3–6 months.
   • Verdict: skip.

4. Microsoft AZ-900 (Azure Fundamentals)

   • Very entry-level Azure overview; described as not providing real cloud skills.
   • Cons: too basic; workaround suggested is doing cloud labs (YouTube/AI tools) and deploying VMs.
   • Pros: very easy (~1 week)—hence F tier.
   • Comparison: recommends skipping to AZ-104.

D tier (low ROI unless job-required)

1. CompTIA ITF+

   • Lower barrier entry; ~$104, a couple months.
   • Pros: shows progress for absolute beginners; military uses it for filtering.
   • Cons: only useful if starting from zero; otherwise target more respected certs.

2. CompTIA PenTest+

   • Some hands-on elements, but not like full VM/sandbox exploitation.
   • Pros: effort-based (3–4 months).
   • Cons: more theory/multiple choice; not comparable to OCP’s hands-on model.
   • Exception: valued in GovTech for visibility, but not sufficient for true pentester roles without experience.

3. Microsoft AZ-104 (Azure Administrator)

   • Placed in D tier (job-specific).
   • Pros: good starting point for a system admin path; quick (1–2 months).
   • Cons: should be paired with hands-on certs (example given: Red Hat Certified Systems Administrator).

4. CyberArk “Defender” certification

   • IAM-focused (identity access management).
   • Pros: could help with IAM entry; fast (~1 month).
   • Cons: too niche—if your target employer doesn’t use CyberArk, it won’t help.
   • Comparison: mentions Azure IAM and Okta IAM as better for an IAM track.

C tier (specialized; can help land roles)

1. Splunk Core + Power User

   • Used in many workplaces; helps for SOC analyst entry.
   • Pros: credential alignment with common SIM tooling; supports threat triage workflow.
   • Comparison: suggested as part of a comparison path vs CySA+.

2. TCM Security Blue Team

   • Blue-team detection/response; includes hands-on skills.
   • Pros: practical skills (even if “not truly respected” by hiring managers); 2–3 months.
   • Cons: may not directly open doors.

3. CompTIA CySA+

   • Mid-level threat detection/analysis and incident response.
   • Pros: respected by some hiring managers; GovTech especially.
   • Cons: not hands-on; generally less respected than other options (per speaker).
   • Constraints: without experience/clearance/degree, it won’t automatically land a cyber job.
   • Cost/time: ~$400, ~1 month if you already have Security+.

4. Microsoft AZ-500 (Azure Security Engineer)

   • Azure security engineering (cloud + security).
   • Pros: recruiters search for it; 1–3 months; valuable on LinkedIn.
   • Platform emphasis: Azure is widely used, so it appears often in job descriptions.

5. CyberArk “Sentry” certification

   • Next level above Defender; shows theory + hands-on within CyberArk.
   • Pros: strong for CyberArk shops; 2–3 months.
   • Cons: too niche if your employer doesn’t use CyberArk.

B tier (emerging/niche supplemental but useful; strong ROI in context)

1. CompTIA Security+

   • Entry cyber foundation; risk analysis and core security concepts.
   • Pros: best ROI claimed; helps get entry IT roles (help desk/IT support/data center tech) as a path toward high income.
   • Gov advantage: described as extremely valuable for government work (including an access claim).
   • Cost: ~$44 (using discount strategies: older cert nearing expiry; resold vouchers/credits).
   • Comparison: better ROI/value than A+, Google Cyber, etc. (per speaker).

2. ISECOM Certified Information Security Manager (SISM)

   • Management-focused; requires experience (implied ~3 years).
   • Pros: boosts income if already in cyber; management track direction (loosely compared to PMP/CIS).
   • Cons: expensive (~$700 non-member; ~$500 member).

3. ISACA Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA)

   • GRC/audit focus: audits, controls, assessment of IT systems.
   • Pros: high demand for auditor/GRC roles; good for moving into GRC.
   • Cons: not feasible for true beginners; ~$575 member / ~$700 non-member.

4. Cisco CCNA

   • Networking foundation; Cisco dominance in many networks/data centers/government.
   • Pros: best entry path for networking with no experience; 3–6 months typical; supports network admin and data center technician roles.
   • Cons: not easy; requires studying.

5. CompTIA SecurityX (rebranded from CASP)

   • Advanced practitioner validating secure system design/implementation.
   • Pros: valuable in GovTech/DoD contexts (DoD 8570 referenced); $400 range.
   • Cons: described as not hands-on by the speaker.

6. Microsoft SC-300 (Identity & Access Administrator for Azure)

   • IAM in Azure.
   • Pros: high demand due to Azure ubiquity; “one of the best IAM certifications” (per speaker).

A tier (mid-level to advanced; career mobility)

1. Microsoft Azure AI Security Engineer

   • Security controls for AI workloads on Azure.
   • Pros: positioned as highly valuable due to “AI security” hiring interest; helps get recruiter attention (labs/skills still matter).
   • Timing: released late 2024 / 2025.

2. Red Hat Certified Engineer (Red Hat / “RHC…” stated in subtitles)

   • Advanced Linux automation at scale; focuses on Ansible/automation.
   • Pros: future-proof via automation; hands-on; about $500 exam cost.
   • Role direction: AI infrastructure/automation backbone.

3. AI-GP (AI Governance Professional)

   • Non-technical AI governance/ethics/compliance.
   • Pros: high demand for AI governance/GRC; suited for GRC or non-technical AI professionals (product/project managers, etc.).

4. CompTIA Security AI

   • New AI security certification coming Feb 2026.
   • Pros: non-vendor-specific; signals commitment to AI security trends.
   • Cons: too new for practice exams yet.
   • Verdict: worth watching in 2026.

S tier (high impact; 200k+ roles)

1. SANS GCAD (GI Cloud Security Architect and Design)

   • Deep, hands-on cloud security architecture/design.
   • Pros: “gold standard” hands-on; focuses on architecting (not only tasks).
   • Cost note: very expensive; employer pay recommended.
   • Free resource: mentions a free SANS AI knowledge hub via Google NotebookLM; also promises more SANS AI certifications late 2026 (offensive AI, GenAI/LLM, automate security with GenAI).

2. CCAD (Certified Kubernetes Application Developer)

   • Hands-on Kubernetes application developer certification (Cloud Native Computing Foundation).
   • Pros: Kubernetes is key for AI-era infrastructure; supports DevOps/DevSecOps/platform engineering/infra engineering paths.
   • Income claim: jobs paying $150k–$300k+.

3. Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP / “OCP” in subtitles)

   • “Gold standard” for penetration certs; real exploitation skills.
   • Pros: best hands-on pentesting certification.
   • Income claim: $150k–$200k+.
   • Cost: ~$1,600 (course + exam).

4. AWS SysOps Administrator

   • AWS operations for deploying/maintaining AWS VMs and infrastructure access.
   • Pros: AWS not as dominant as Azure but growing; differentiator for cloud engineers.

5. NVIDIA certifications (suite for AI/data science/deep learning)

   • Positioned as authoritative because NVIDIA is “king of AI hardware.”
   • Pros: “certified by the source” argument.

6. CISSP

   • High-level management security certification requiring ~5 years experience.
   • Pros: major salary unlock; CISO track; described as a hard requirement for director/CISO roles.
   • Income claim: $200k+ possible.

Pros (as argued by the video)

• Prioritizes hands-on, job-relevant proof of skills.
• Emphasizes employer recognition and recruiter searchability (especially for Azure/security).
• Provides role-based guidance (SOC, IAM, GRC, networking, cloud security, pentesting, AI security/governance).

Cons / limitations (as argued by the video)

• Many “best” certs are expensive (several $400–$1600+).
• Some strong certs are niche vendor/tool-specific (CyberArk examples).
• Beginner-friendly certs still won’t replace experience (repeated caveat for cyber roles).

Notable comparisons made

• A+ vs alternatives: A+ is outdated; better ROI paths implied (ITF+ only for absolute beginners; otherwise skip).
• CEH vs OCP: CEH is mostly theory/no hands-on; OCP is “gold standard” hands-on pentesting.
• AZ-900 vs AZ-104: AZ-900 too basic; go to AZ-104 and/or labs.
• PenTest+ vs OCP: PenTest+ more theory/multiple choice; OCP is sandbox exploitation-focused.
• Splunk certs vs CySA+: both support SOC/cyber pathways; suggests choosing the right track.
• Vendor-specific (CyberArk) vs broader platforms (Azure IAM/Okta) for better portability.

User experience / guidance format

• Structured as a tiered ranked list (F/D/C/B/A/S).
• Uses time-to-complete and cost as rough decision factors (e.g., A+ $500, CEH ~$1,000, Security+ ~$44, CySA+ ~$400, OCP ~$1,600, SISM/CISA ~$575–$700).
• Encourages choosing certifications strategically rather than “collecting.”

Overall verdict / recommendation

• Best recommendation from the video: prioritize S-tier and A-tier (especially hands-on and widely respected options like OCP, SANS GCAD, CCAD Kubernetes, CISSP later-career), and use entry-level certs (notably Security+ and CCNA) as stepping stones.
• Strong “skip” candidates (F-tier): CompTIA A+, CEH, Google Cyber Certificate, AZ-900.

Speaker(s)

Subtitles indicate one primary speaker providing the tier list, career background, and opinions. No distinct secondary speaker views are presented.