Stacking Certs (Again) with CompTIA Network+

Back on Feb. 1, we posted some data from the Certification Magazine annual Salary Survey that illustrated the power of "stacking" certifications, or starting out with one cert and then adding others on top of it. We used CompTIA's popular A+ certification to make our point, and it was such an interesting illustration that we felt compelled to try it again.

This time, we're looking at CompTIA's Network+ credential, which provides a nice point of entry to the world of IT networking. That's an exciting place to be in 2016, with the boom in Internet of Things technology dramatically increasing the number of everyday devices that connect to the internet and draw us all a little bit closer together.

As with A+, our friends at Certification Magazine found that the salary curve climbs quickly as the average IT professional adds more certs to his or her litany of qualifications. Generally speaking, networking is a more specialized skill set than the brand of general computer fluency taught by A+. So you can expect to earn more out of the gate with Network+ in hand, than if you're breaking in with only A+ to your name.

Once again, however, it's clear that your earning power will pick up steam almost immediately after you start adding more certs:

• Network+ certified with no other active IT credentials = $77,730 average annual salary
• Network+ certified with 1 or 2 other active IT credentials = $79,060 average annual salary
• Network+ certified with 3 or 4 other active IT credentials = $92,260 average annual salary
• Network+ certified with 5 or 6 other active IT credentials = $95,920 average annual salary
• Network+ certified with 7 or 8 other active IT credentials = $105,750 average annual salary
• Network+ certified with 9 or 10 other active IT credentials = $99,220 average annual salary
• Network+ certified with 11 or more other active IT credentials = $113,320 average annual salary

There's a bit of statistical anomaly here: Adding 9 or 10 certs on top of your Network+, it would appear, is notably less helpful than stopping at 7 or 8 additional certs. The salary curve soars again, however, if you move up from 9 or 10 additional certs to 11 or more.

By and large, the message is the same here as it was with A+. A lonely Network+ credential will only take you so far. Starting piling on the additional certs as quickly as possible, and your earning power will skyrocket.