Some Lists Are More Impactful than Others

It wouldn’t take long for a newcomer to the internet (someone who’d been living in a cave since, oh, 2008 or so) to recognize that web users have a serious obsession with lists. What are the “17 Food Questions You Didn’t Know You Needed an Answer To,” for example, or the “Top 10 Most Venomous Snakes”? Don’t you sort of with that you knew “14 Things Every Book Nerd Can Relate to on Valentine’s Day,” or that you could brag to your buddies about your “inside” knowledge of the “10 Tales from the Production of the Original Star Wars”? The list of lists goes on and on, and increases on an hourly basis. Most of these lists will provide a reader with a nice, “Huh, that’s interesting” moment of truth and trivia, but the information is far from life changing. There is one list however that could change the course of your career: The Certification Magazine Salary Survey 75.

The most recent Salary Survey 75 was released online last week, and contains information on the industry’s most popular certifications, and the average salary earned by those who hold them. This year’s survey results include a U.S.-only average, an average that accounts for all countries outside the U.S., and a global average number.

Several of the certifications that appear on the list are credentials that neatly line up with training offered by TestOut Continuing Education. Here are the results:

• 74) CompTIA A+: $93,270 average annual salary (U.S. only), $63,450 average annual salary (All Non-U.S.), $88,650 average annual salary (U.S. and World)
• 72) CompTIA Network+: $95,980 average annual salary (U.S. only), $71,170 average annual salary (All Non-U.S.), $91,400 average annual salary (U.S. and World)
• 65) CompTIA Linux+: $100,900 average annual salary (U.S. only), $64,130 average annual salary (All Non-U.S.), $88,030 average annual salary (U.S. and World)
• 60) CompTIA Security+: $103,980 average annual salary (U.S. only), $79,220 average annual salary (All Non-U.S.), $99,420 average annual salary (U.S. and World)
• 53) Microsoft MCSA Windows Server 2012: $107,500 average annual salary (U.S. only), $57,160 average annual salary (All Non-U.S.), $78,750 average annual salary (U.S. and World)
• 52) Cisco CCNA Routing and Switching: $108,530 average annual salary (U.S. only), $63,510 average annual salary (All Non-U.S.), $89,680 average annual salary (U.S. and World)
• 44) Microsoft MCSA Windows Server 2008: $113,760 average annual salary (U.S. only), $50,860 average annual salary (All Non-U.S.), $84,200 average annual salary (U.S. and World)

If you are seeking a higher salary through certification, let this list be your guide.