Certification - December 2008 - (Page 32) Globally, it appears the two highest-paid age groups are at the upper end of the spectrum. The 60-64 age range comes out on top, with an average salary of $94,640, followed by the 55-59 range, with an average salary of $88,050. What continues to be noteworthy, however, is that in accordance with the previous years’ reports, the oldest age group of respondents (65 and up) continues to experience a dramatic drop-off in average annual salary: a reported $66,830. This leads us to wonder whether the sudden decrease in figures could be attributed to possible part-time employment for these individuals, who likely are phasing into retirement. On the whole, however, average annual salary rises as you move up the age ladder. Additionally, this year there was an increase in the gap between the group with the highest average salary and the overall average salary. It went up to approximately $36,000 from about $28,000 in 2007. Since there’s not much people can do about their age, let’s look at something they do have some control over: education. As one might expect, the average salary is at its peak — at $74,210 — for IT professionals who have earned doctorate degrees. From the survey, it appears the possession of a doctorate generates roughly $15,490 in additional income. Those with bachelor’s degrees come in second place for highest salaries by level of education, with $65,870. This bumps technical training from second place in 2007 to third place this year, with salary earnings of $65,340. What’s somewhat surprising and almost ironic, though, is that respondents with master’s degrees reported earning less than those with only bachelor’s degrees or technical training. The average salary of master’s-degree holders is $63,080, coming in fourth. This could be attributed to the fact that many IT professionals hold master’s degrees in fields other than technology, which could be less relevant to their job roles and contribute less to their salary levels. Next on the list comes those with two-year associate’s degrees, who registered an average salary of $62,720 this year. Those with high school diplomas earned an average salary of $56,460, and those in school reported an average income of $46,490 — trailing behind those with two-year associate’s degrees by more than $16,000. The survey also measured factors such as the correlation between the amount of time spent at a par2 CERTIFICATION MAGAZINE December 2008 ticular organization and average annual salary. This year’s figures were erratic, unlike last year’s, which peaked and dipped based on 10-year intervals. Within the 2008 respondents, the highest reported salaries based on time in the organization are in the ninth year with $88,890 and fifth year with $87,170. – Deanna Hartley, dhartley@certmag.com The Cost of Certification: Is It Worth It? Who’s paying your way when it comes to certifications? Luckily for many of you, it’s your employers. According to the Salary Survey, 48.3 percent of your employers paid for your most recent certification. About 34.4 percent of you weren’t as lucky and had to dig into your own pockets, but overall, the percentage of respondents picking up the tab has decreased and the percentage of employers paying the bill has increased since 2007. The next highest percentage of respondents, 9.3 percent, said they were reimbursed by their employers, followed by 6.1 percent who said they shared the cost of the certification with their employers. Nearly 5 percent of respondents had a vendor/voucher; 1.3 percent had a friend or relative pay; 1.1 percent had a government/GI Bill source; 0.6 percent had a scholarship; and 0.4 percent had a grant. Another 1.1 percent cited other sources. In preparing for certification, 19.1 percent of respondents spent between $100 and $199 on materials. But some respondents either borrowed study materials from others or went it alone, as 17.6 percent spent no money at all. Next, 14 percent spent between $50 and $99, 10.7 percent spent between $200 and $299, and 10.4 percent spent $49 or less (see Fig. 5, p. 34). In the United States, 70.7 percent of the respondents spent less than $300, 81.6 percent spent less than $500, and 90.1 percent spent less than $1,000 on materials. On average, U.S. respondents spent $484 on materials. When it came to seminars and training, the majority of the participants, 41.3 percent, spent nothing. The next highest percentage, 9.5 percent, spent between $1,000 and $1,999. And 9.2 percent spent between $2,000 and $2,999 (see Fig. 6, p. 34). But even though almost half of the respondents spent nothing on seminars and training, spending on these endeavors has increased on average in the United States, as the mean dollars spent rose from $1,272 last year to $1,450 this year, a 14 percent increase.
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