I debated if I should even write this blog. Salary surveys are always subjective with so many factors to consider including geography, years experience, etc. In general -Microsoft Certifications certainly offer value when searching for a job or seeking promotion within an organization. I’m often asked “will this certification help me land a job”. While my answer is obvious – it is often not thought of. If you have a certification – you certainly look better than individuals who do not have certification. Additionally – companies will often need certified professionals to maintain Microsoft competencies which include great benefits such as free software license and other monetary incentives.
The information below has been sourced from several credible websites and seems to be consistant. You probably should not run into your managers office with this printed blog demanding more money, “or else”. These numbers are better served to depress or encourage you 🙂
MCSD: Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer – $97,000+ No big surprise here, developers make a lot of money. Obviously – the world is becoming more and more web and “cloud” based.. When you write apps for the web/cloud – you are in demand – period. The MCSD was used several years back and recently “re-invented” by Microsoft – which confuses everything.
MCDBA: Microsoft Certified Database Administrator – $95,000+ Great websites need a backend database. The only surprise here – the “MCDBA” certification is a much older certification going back a couple SQL Versions. I throw this in the experience pays and companies do not upgrade quickly category.
MCITP: Database Administrator – $90,000+ So this is a more current SQL certification (SQL 2008 specifically) and no big surprise to see this in one of the higher categories – again along the same lines and justification that nearly everything needs to store data.
MCT: Microsoft Certified Trainer – $89,000+ I hope none of the MCTs who work with Certification Camps reads this blog – lol. Actually – “contract trainers” often make more than this – sometimes by as much as 25%. The same could be argued for the higher ranking certifications and probably worth mentioning – contracting has benefits (and disadvantages).
MCITP: Server Administrator 2008 – $81,000+ Network Administrators are essential to any organization. While the industry has lots of network admins – many organizations suggest demand is exceeding supply in this popular field.