Browse Definitions :

15 highest-paying IT certifications in 2022

AWS Certified Solutions Architect -- Professional tops the list of highest-paying certifications.

In the IT job market, one of the best ways for job seekers to stand out from the rest of the crowd is to have a certification under their belt.

It's also a great way to earn a high-paying salary.

An IT certification is a standardized way to prove a person has a certain level of knowledge and ability within a specific domain of IT expertise.

A certification shows an individual has completed a course within that area of study. Certification also usually involves some form of examination. It can be in-person or virtual, where a series of questions are asked to test an individual's knowledge of the subject. Upon successful completion of the exam, the recipient is usually granted an IT certificate.

There are IT certifications for general IT knowledge categories and more specific areas. Some of the more specific certifications include cloud architect, cloud services, systems control, networking, cybersecurity, development, infrastructure and project management.

Earning an IT certification is different than earning a postsecondary degree. IT certifications are often focused on specific IT skills. Degrees tend to provide higher-level skills across computer sciences and engineering domains.

Learn more here about the differences between certifications and degrees and which is best for you.

Highest-paying IT certifications

The highest-paying IT certifications vary based on the survey source. Among the most cited sources for IT certification pay scales is the Skillsoft "IT Skills and Salary Report," which provides a listing of the top certifications and salaries.

Here are the highest-paying IT certifications in North America.

1. AWS Certified Solutions Architect -- Professional

Skills: This certification validates skills for helping to evaluate, recommend and deploy secure applications on the AWS cloud platform.

Average salary: $168,080

Website: https://aws.amazon.com/certification/certified-solutions-architect-professional/

2. CISM: Certified Information Security Manager

Skills: This is a certification from ISACA. It validates an individual's skills in information security governance, as well as incident and risk management.

Average salary: $162,347

Website: https://www.isaca.org/credentialing/cism

3. Google Cloud -- Professional Cloud Architect

Skills: This certification focuses on validating skills to help design and use cloud architecture on Google Cloud Platform.

Average salary: $161,371

Website: https://cloud.google.com/certification/cloud-architect

4. CISSP: Certified Information Systems Security Professional

Skills: This certification is operated by (ISC)2. With this cert, professionals can demonstrate competence and expertise in securing IT systems and reducing risk.

Average salary: $158,190

Website: https://www.isc2.org/Certifications/CISSP

5. AWS Certified Solutions Architect -- Associate

Skills: For individuals looking to validate knowledge on how to develop and deploy secure applications on the AWS cloud platform, this certification is a prerequisite to the AWS professional certification.

Average salary: $155,019

Website: https://aws.amazon.com/certification/certified-solutions-architect-associate

6. AWS Certified Security -- Specialty

Skills: This certification seeks to help develop and validate skills for properly deploying and managing security for workloads and data on the AWS cloud platform.

Average salary: $149,740

Website: https://aws.amazon.com/certification/certified-security-specialty/

7. PMP: Project Management Professional

Skills: This certification is administered by Project Management Institute. It helps professionals show knowledge and expertise about effective IT project management.

Average salary: $148,290

Website: https://www.pmi.org/certifications/project-management-pmp

8. Nutanix Certified Professional -- Multicloud Infrastructure

Skills: This is for IT staff looking to validate skills to manage, configure and deploy Nutanix's converged cloud IT infrastructure technologies.

Average salary: $147,169

Website: https://www.nutanix.com/support-services/training-certification/certifications

9. Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert

Skills: This certification helps professionals show expertise in designing, implementing, managing and monitoring an organization's Microsoft Azure environment, as well as the ability to help explain business requirements and implement them in the cloud.

Average salary: $142,978

Website: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/certifications/azure-solutions-architect/

10. Google Cloud -- Cloud Digital Leader

Skills: This certification is all about being able to be a leader within a business to explain and help implement Google Cloud technologies in support of business goals.

Average salary: $142,707

Website: https://cloud.google.com/certification/cloud-digital-leader

11. CISA: Certified Information Systems Auditor

Skills: This is an ISACA certification. It is designed to help professionals validate IT auditing skills and expertise, including the ability to control, monitor and access IT systems.

Average salary: $142,336

Website: https://www.isaca.org/credentialing/cisa

12. AWS Certified Big Data -- Specialty

Skills: This certification helps to demonstrate an individual's skills and knowledge of data analytics and big data services running on the AWS cloud platform.

Average salary: $138,403

Website: https://aws.amazon.com/certification/certified-big-data-specialty/

13. VMware Certified Professional -- Data Center Virtualization 2022

Skills: This certification validates an individual's skills to implement, manage and troubleshoot a VMware vSphere virtualization infrastructure.

Average salary: $138,349

Website: https://www.vmware.com/learning/certification/vcp-dcv.html

14. AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner

Skills: This is a cloud-focused certification for AWS. It helps professionals demonstrate a high level of understanding in how to use and manage AWS services.

Average salary: $135,612

Website: https://aws.amazon.com/certification/certified-cloud-practitioner/

15. CCNP: Cisco Certified Network Professional Enterprise

Skills: CCNP has undergone some restructuring in recent years. Formerly known as CCNP Routing and Switching, the CCNP Enterprise certification provides a validation of skills needed to plan, implement and verify Cisco network technology deployments.

Average salary: $133,568

Website: https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/training-events/training-certifications/certifications/professional/ccnp-enterprise.html

Other IT certifications

Now that you know what the highest-paying IT certifications are in North America, here are some other certifications that are also worth exploring:

What are the benefits of an IT certification?

There are multiple benefits of an IT certification for both individuals and employers.

On-the-job experience is a good indicator of an individual's capabilities, but an IT certification provides a third-party validation of knowledge. This can help employers make employment decisions. A certification can also potentially lead to a higher average salary.

For individuals, an IT certification can make them stand out against peers who don't have one. Certification is also a form of validation, showing that a professional has achieved a specific milestone.

IT certification is also a vital component for career development. Nothing remains the same for long in IT. And, with training and certification, individuals can ensure that they are advancing in their careers.

An IT certification is also often a prerequisite for certain job roles. Among the most in-demand IT tech jobs, having some form of IT certification is a key requirement.

How to obtain an IT certification

Getting an IT certification can vary based on the certificate. But, in general, there are several primary activities:

  • Training. The first step in many IT certifications is to get some form of training. The training often includes the need to read and learn from a certain number of source materials. Training can also sometimes include hands-on labs or a virtual simulation of labs, where skills are demonstrated and practiced. Many certifying bodies for specific certificates also offer training materials and courses for certificates. For example, AWS offers training for its cloud certifications.
  • Experience. Some IT certifications require that an individual has a certain amount of on-the-job or hands-on experience with a given technology or activity.
  • Certification exam. This is the final and most critical step of the IT certification process. The exam validates skills, knowledge and understanding in the professional's area of study. Most certifications are granted to those who pass an examination of skills from a recognized testing center. The testing center could be a third-party resource, or it could be from the certifying body itself.

What careers require or benefit from an IT certification?

For those who don't have a lengthy resume of established IT experience, an IT certification can be a way to get in the door.

The PMP certification is often a specific job requirement to qualify for mid- to senior-level project management roles. The CISSP certification is a common requirement for cybersecurity roles. And, in the area of auditing -- for both compliance and risk -- the CISA certification is often a prerequisite for employment.

For areas of expertise regarding specific vendor technology, an IT certification can be highly beneficial. For example, those who work specifically with AWS would benefit from an AWS cloud certification. The same is true for those who use Google Cloud, where the Google Certified -- Professional Cloud Architect certification is highly sought after. In the networking sector, CCNP is often a job prerequisite. It can help an employer validate a candidate has a certain level of expertise and skills.

While an IT certification does not guarantee that an employer will hire a candidate -- or offer them a higher salary -- it is never seen as a negative. It provides both a validation of skills and continuing education to IT professionals.

Next Steps

Best cities for tech jobs

Top cloud computing careers and how to get started

Dig Deeper on Certifications

Networking
  • firewall as a service (FWaaS)

    Firewall as a service (FWaaS), also known as a cloud firewall, is a service that provides cloud-based network traffic analysis ...

  • private 5G

    Private 5G is a wireless network technology that delivers 5G cellular connectivity for private network use cases.

  • NFVi (network functions virtualization infrastructure)

    NFVi (network functions virtualization infrastructure) encompasses all of the networking hardware and software needed to support ...

Security
  • virus (computer virus)

    A computer virus is a type of malware that attaches itself to a program or file. A virus can replicate and spread across an ...

  • Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)

    Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) is an advanced certification that indicates that an individual possesses the ...

  • cryptography

    Cryptography is a method of protecting information and communications using codes, so that only those for whom the information is...

CIO
  • B2B (business to business)

    B2B (business-to-business) is a type of commerce involving the exchange of products, services or information between businesses, ...

  • return on investment (ROI)

    Return on investment (ROI) is a crucial financial metric investors and businesses use to evaluate an investment's efficiency or ...

  • big data as a service (BDaaS)

    Big data as a service (BDaS) is the delivery of data platforms and tools by a cloud provider to help organizations process, ...

HRSoftware
  • talent acquisition

    Talent acquisition is the strategic process an organization uses to identify, recruit and hire the people it needs to achieve its...

  • human capital management (HCM)

    Human capital management (HCM) is a comprehensive set of practices and tools used for recruiting, managing and developing ...

  • Betterworks

    Betterworks is performance management software that helps workforces and organizations to improve manager effectiveness and ...

Customer Experience
  • martech (marketing technology)

    Martech (marketing technology) refers to the integration of software tools, platforms, and applications designed to streamline ...

  • transactional marketing

    Transactional marketing is a business strategy that focuses on single, point-of-sale transactions.

  • customer profiling

    Customer profiling is the detailed and systematic process of constructing a clear portrait of a company's ideal customer by ...

Close