Considering a career change amidst the economic turmoil of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic? It turns out that despite everything else going on in the world, the tech sector is booming right now. Employers are experiencing critical skills and labour shortages in the IT fields, and acquiring the most sought-after certifications can seriously boost your salary.
Those are the findings from the Global Knowledge IT Skills and Salary Report released this morning. This study is based on responses from over 9,500 IT professionals across 159 countries. The results show that 78 percent of IT decision-makers globally face critical skills gaps and are struggling to find qualified employees.
The research also shows that professionals achieving new certifications with in-demand skills can position themselves for pay boosts that are upwards of $12,000.
The team over at Global Knowledge, who conducted this survey has also published a list of the most lucrative IT certifications you can obtain right now – along with the average global salaries that these workers earn. IT decision-makers responded conclusively there are two technical areas that are the most crucial in 2020, and these are cloud computing and cybersecurity.
Therefore, the top four IT certifications by salary are in either cloud or security. IT professionals with these skills in particular find themselves in high demand and can earn the largest paychecks in the industry.
The tech certifications that pave the way for a higher salary
1. Google Certified Professional Cloud Architect — $175,761 2. AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate — $149,446 3. CISM – Certified Information Security Manager — $148,622 4. CRISC – Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control — $146,480 5. PMP® – Project Management Professional — $143,493 6. CISSP – Certified Information Systems Security Professional — $141,452 7. CISA – Certified Information Systems Auditor — $132,278 8. AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner — $131,465 9. VCP6-DCV: VMware Certified Professional 6 – Data Center Virtualization — $130,226 10. ITIL® Foundation — $129,402 11. Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals — $126,653 12. Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate — $125,993 13. CCA-N: Citrix Certified Associate – Networking — $125,264 14. CCNP Routing and Switching — $119,178 15. CCP-V: Citrix Certified Professional – Virtualization — $117,069