Impact of Certification

More than 80% of the respondents hold a certification. A Microsoft certification is the most common vendor certification followed by the vendor-neutral CompTIA. Half of the respondents earned their most recent certification in something other than the primary vendor or industry association certifications. As the technologies, skill sets, and opportunities change, the biggest challenge in certification might be choosing which ones to maintain and which ones to pursue. There are now more than 200 certification programs with more than 850 certifications according to a recent report by Ed Tittel published by Certification Magazine (November, 2006). Of the respondents, 41% earned their most recent certification moe than two years ago, yet only 12% plan on recertifying and less than half plan on gaining a new certification. Security-, VoIP-, and project management-related certifications top the lists in both salary and interest. Microsoft is moving to a broader experienced based certification; Cisco is expanding the specialties in CCIE; and Red Hat certifications continue to gain ground as open source technologies expand to a wider installation base.

• "...the IT Security workforce will swell to 1.9 Million by 2009…an increase in excess of 60%..." Source: (ISC)2
• "...four out of six [INFOSEC] positions earn in excess of $100,000..." Source: Information Security Magazine

Certifications Held By Respondents

Highest Paying Certifications

This Global Knowledge salary survey was conducted in the fourth quarter of 2006 and yielded 1,607 valid responses from individuals in customer and partner databases and from subscribers to its company newsletters.

Evaluating IT salaries can be tricky. Push down one factor and another one pops up. The technologies, job responsibilities, and the job markets themselves are fluid, making it difficult to pin down specific salary factors. While there’s no magic number that ties to a particular job title or certification, your years of experience, skill level, and area of specialization certainly play roles. The good news is that salaries are rising. So whatever your X factor, be it your skill level, your specialization, or the fact that you recently added more letters after your name, you can count on one fact: the rate at which your salary increases is proportional to the extent that you take personal responsibility for your continued education. Based on our research, other salary surveys, and industry trends, the key factors to consider are:

• Generally speaking, increases in IT salaries follow economic conditions, including the rate of inflation, and are not necessarily increasing faster than those for other occupations. Recent IT salary increases are hovering above the inflation rate, spawning a modest, net gain.
• Economics aside, an increase in IT salaries is linked to what employers value, which can be a combination of skill level, certification, years of experience, and the broadening of education to include management skills.
• There is correlation between certification and salary, because those who are certified also have the skills. Our survey reveals that training is valued more than certification both by employers and IT professionals. To employers, training is the most cost-effective retention strategy. It also results in increased productivity and profit.
• To employees, support for training and career development - next to salary - is the most likely reason to stay with or leave an employer.

Average Salary By Job Function

Who's Making the Money?

With respect to primary responsibility, it is no surprise that Executive Management (representing 2.7% of all respondents) is at the top of the list . Nearly one-quarter of those surveyed report having responsibility in network or systems administration and analysis. Eleven percent of the respondents hold Project Management positions and another 11% are Senior IT Management professionals. As a group, those with project management certifications have the highest average salary. They also have a lot of experience – more than half report having at least 15 years. Market forces including geography, specialization, and industry are also significant factors. The skills with the highest demand will extract a higher salary. Currently, security responsibilities and certifications top the list.