The Year In Review: Best Paid IT Certifications of 2013

As the year2013 is coming to its end, we look back at the figures and trends of IT certifications it brought us. Certainly, we can’t help looking at the best paid IT certifications. Keep in mind that these figures aren’t everything you need to know (sometimes it’s not about the money, it’s about the potential of your entry level certification and what it can turn into in a matter of 2 years), but why not take a look. This list is based on the survey data from Global Knowledge. Do remember that this data is for the US, and even there it differs based on location, employer, experience and other factors, pure luck notwithstanding:

1. PMP: Project Management Professional – $105,750
2. CISSP: Certified Information Systems Security Professional – $103,299
3. MCSD: Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer – $97,849
4. MCDBA: Microsoft Certified Database Administrator – $95,950
5. CCDA®: Cisco Certified Design Associate – $94,799
6. MCAD: Microsoft Certified Application Developer – $93,349
7. VCP-DV: VMware Certified Professional Datacenter Virtualization – $92,400
8. CNE: Certified Novell Engineer – $91,350
9. ITIL v3 Foundation – $90,900
10. CCA: Citrix Certified Administrator – Citrix XenServer 6 – $90,850
11. MCITP: Database Administrator – $90,200
12. MCTS: SQL Server 2005 – $90,100
13. MCT: Microsoft Certified Trainer – $89,949
14. CCNP®: Cisco Certified Network Professional – $89,749
15. CCA: Citrix Certified Administrator – Citrix XenDesktop 5 – $89,499

So, the above figures are what certification holders have reported to be making this year. And here’s another set of certifications, which Techrepublic had projected in the beginning of the 2013:

1. MCSA (Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate) – Salary Range: $52,000 to $115,000
2. MCSE: Private Cloud – Salary Range: $52,000 to $102,000
3. PMP (Project Management Professional) – Salary Range: $65,000 to $93,000
4. VCP (VMware Certified Professional) – Salary Range: $59,000 to $80,000
5. CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) – Salary Range: $65,000 to $111,000

 Now, what conclusions can we draw out of 2013?

First of all, ITIL, CISSP, PMP, fancy upper level Microsoft certifications and cloud-based certifications are definitely worth looking into. If you are building your Cisco career, be prepared that your hard-earned CCNA certification won’t pay as high as you could hope for. Yet, your salary will grow as you keep moving up the Cisco ladder. And, given the fact that Cisco has given a massive revamp its certifications this year and stepped up the CCENT/CCNA exam difficulty, we expect the salary level for these candidates to grow next year.

If you are looking at these certifications and paths trying to figure out the direction to take your IT career in 2014, we suggest that besides looking at figures and trends (which are no doubt important), you listen to yourself and do your best focusing on something you really like, the area that is close to your heart and your mindset. And may this be our wish to you for 2014 and beyond:

• Category: other
• Tags: 2013, certification, exam, exams, it certification, it certification exam, it certification exams, it certifications, salary