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ExamForce :: Article Archive :: Newsletter Article
 The Cert Times: IT Edition Article Archive
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| What's IT Worth? CertMag's Annual Salary Survey (CareerZone) |
By Gary Gabelhouse
The best investment you can make is an investment in yourself. Not all self-investment will yield returns, but one that will provide a definite return is investing in certification. Of the millions of technical and IT professionals out there, 51 percent invest in certification every year. It only makes sense that they are seeing significant returns on their investment. In "What's IT Worth? CertMag's Annual Salary Survey," Gary Gabelhouse crunches the numbers and shows you how getting certified pays off.
So who are these certified professionals? According to the survey, they are mostly younger males who have been working in the IT industry for more than eight years. Networking is the area in which the largest number of the study respondents are employed-34 percent work in network engineering, network management or network administration roles. Among the most popular certifications for these professionals were Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE), Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP), Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE) and Certified Internet Webmaster (CIW).
Many of the certificants in the study received promotions and raises after receiving their credentials. Of those who received promotions, most believed that their certifications played a role in their advancement. And of those who received raises, 74 percent thought their credentials had an impact on the salary increase. Certification Magazine lists the top 10 certifications that directly drove salary increases as well as the top 10 certifications for percent raises received. "The average certificant realized a raise of $4,477 within the first year of attaining the primary certification," Gabelhouse writes.
Gabelhouse goes on to demonstrate the return on investment (ROI) of certifications. For the average certification, the first-year ROI was 2.3 to 1. In other words, for each dollar invested, certificants saw a return of $2.30 in terms of raises within the first year. Certification Magazine lists the top 10 certifications with regard to providing first-year ROI. Certificants in the study were also asked to rate their certifications with regard to their perceived value. And Gabelhouse writes, "When one also plots the true ROI against the perceived value, one can see some exceptions with regard to perception versus reality."
The average salary of the certificants surveyed was $55,577. Certification Magazine lists the top 10 certifications with regard to the salary level of their certificants. But it's not only individual certifications that drive the salary levels of the professionals who hold them. In addition, the number and combination of certifications directly impacts salary. Certificants with six certifications made, on average, 30 percent more than certificants with only one credential under their belt.
The experience level of the certificant also has a direct bearing on their salary levels. The certificants studied had, on average, 8.38 years of experience and incomes of $55,577. "Certificants with 10 years of IT experience make 57 percent more than those certificants with less than three years in IT," writes Gabelhouse.
Although there are more benefits to certification than simply economics, investing in oneself in this way can definitely be shown to provide significant returns to both certificants and the companies that employ them.
You can read the full text of "What's IT Worth? CertMag's Annual Salary Survey" in the December 2001 edition of Certification Magazine or online at www.certmag.com/issues/dec01/feature_gabelhouse.cfm.
To read or subscribe to Certification Magazine online, visit www.CertMag.com.
Copyright 2001, MediaTec Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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Posted by
nam on 29/10/2003 17:37 |
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