7 High Paying IT Certifications

IT certifications play a very important role in the careers of both new and experienced IT professional. Getting IT certified is a great way to advance your career in the ever competitive field. With IT certificates, it means that you are validating your skills, abilities, and knowledge to perform particular IT task assigned to you. There are numerous of these certifications currently, but you need to first do a research to find out which ones are relevant to you and will make you stand out in your IT niche. One of the benefits of acquiring this credential is that you stand a higher chance of getting paid well. According to the Global Knowledge IT skills and Salary Report of 2017, the top paying IT certification had an average salary of $100,000 and this is sure good money for a top-rated professional. So if you are seeking that fat paycheck from your IT company, it is time to ditch those outdated credentials in your files and get new ones.

According to the Global Knowledge IT skills and Salary Report of 2017, there are several IT certifications that are considered to be in very high demand in terms of the skills they offer and the average salary they pay. In addition, these certificate range from IT areas, such as cloud computing, business security, and cyber security. More IT professionals are being required to meet the demands of the competitive IT industry and for you to get selected for the opportunities you need to acquire several certifications. They are not an easy feat, but once you lay your hands on them you will be in for some good money.

Below are 7 best paying IT certifications that you can seek to pursue in this year.

1. Certified in the Governance of Enterprise IT (CGEIT)

This certification is offered by the ISACA group and is for the professionals who manage advice and provide assurance services in IT governance. The CGEIT credential was introduced back in 2007 to ensure that IT investments are managed in the right way through a basic framework for strategic management and governance. The certification further ensures that the available company or business resources are used optimally to ensure that the set-out goals are achieved. Since its inception, over 6000 professionals have acquired the certificate. This credential is high in demand and this makes it a very lucrative certification.

To attain the CGEIT certification, one is required to have at least five years working experience with three of the five years being in five areas that the certifications cover. A further one year experience in IT governance is also required. The exams are computer-based and are done in three 8 weeks period every year. To maintain the CGEIT credential one is required to poses continuing professional education credits each year. According to the Global Knowledge, the mean salary of a CGEIT certified specialist is $121,363 per year.

2. Project Management Professional (PMP)

This certification was specifically introduced to validate the competency levels of professional project managers and their abilities to develop teams and manage projects. Over 500,000 project managers have acquired this credential around the world. To complete the PMP, you will be tested in five key areas that include project initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and evaluation and closing. These five areas are the key basic areas of a project. It is aimed at ensuring that the professionals are competent in managing projects successfully irrespective of the industries they work in.

To qualify for this certificate, one will need to have 35 hours of PMP related training or have a basic degree in PMP. In addition, one who does not have the full training should at least have 7500 hours of experience in project management. Those with full PMP training will need 4500 hours of work experience in project management.

Should you want to get the PMP certification, then you will first submit your application online via the PMI website and if it is accepted, then you will proceed to enroll for the actual exam. To maintain your PMI certification then you are required to maintain good scores in 60 professional developmental units. Expect to earn a salary of around $115,000 with this certificate per annum.

3. AWS Certified Developer – Associate

According to the Global Knowledge, this certification has become a hot cake in the recent years and is considered among the highly sought after credentials. It seeks to test and validate the professional’s competence in developing and maintaining applications on the AWS. The high demand for experts who have the ability develop and manage cloud-based applications is the reason behind the uptake of this certification. Cloud-based applications are being used by companies to advance their services and stay relevant and competitive.

To attain this certification, one will need to have a good background with a couple of programming languages and knowledge in AWS. The AWS certificate covers different areas, including Interactions between the AWS services and SDKs, code creation to optimize the AWS services performance, and coding security measure to access the AWS services. The AWS certification exams are computer-based and are conducted at the PSI testing centers. With this credential, you will be set to earn a good salary of around $114,148 per annum.

4. Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC)

This ISACA certification to the list as one of the IT certificates you should have with you. It is mainly designed for various IT experts, project managers and any other job that deals with managing risks and IT related issues. It was introduced in 2010 and it mostly entails covering an entire project life cycle right from the design phase to the implementation face.

It is estimated that more than 15,000 professionals have attained this certification with most of them keeping their certifications up to date. For one to acquire this credential, then he or she must have at least three years of working experience in at least two of the four areas that are covered by the certification. It is mandatory for one to pass the exams which are computer-based. You can enroll during any of the three set exam periods each year. With the CRISC certification, you will be sure to get a good paying job in the region of $110,000 per year.

5. Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)

This certification is designed for professionals who are in security management so as to prove their security expertise. The demand for this credential has been high and it is expected to be high in the coming years. The good thing about this certificate is that even if you have not attained the required experience level you still can sit for certain exams as you see to it that you attain the CISSP certification. It is a valuable credential, especially for those who are working their way up the security industry.

Being a competitive certification, over 100,000 professionals have so far sat for it and the numbers are expected to grow in the foreseeable years. For one to attain it then a five-year experience in the IS field is mandatory with at least three years working experiences as a security manager. The exam is computer-based and covers several areas including asset security, network security, communication security, software development security, and risk management. As with other certifications, you will need continuing education credits each year to maintain it. Professionals with the CISSP credential earn in the region of $110,000 per year.

6. Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)

This certification is designed for professionals at the management level with a strong focus on security strategy and systems assessments together with policy-making. To date, it is estimated that over 30,000 people have acquired this certification since it was introduced back in 2002. The exam is computer-based and it is done within a three eight week period. For one to sit for this credential, then he or she must have at least a five-year experience in IS with three solid working experiences in security management. To maintain your CISM certification, then you will need to continue performing in your education credits. According to the Global Knowledge, the salary expectation for one with this certificate is around $108,000 per annum.

7. Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA)

This certification is intended for those professionals whose job includes auditing, monitoring and controlling Business and IT systems. It basically helps to determine if the professionals have the competencies of managing vulnerabilities and propose and manage controls. It also tests the candidates’ abilities to understand company’s policies so as to ensure that all business and IT standards are complied with.

This credential is one of the oldest certifications since its introduction in 1978. To date, over 125,000 professionals have successfully acquired it. To qualify, one must have at least five years’ experience in IS control, security or auditing. The exam is computer-based and it is offered during a three eight week period every year. To maintain the CISA certificate, one will need to earn professional education credits every year. With this certification, you will be sure to at least earn a good paycheck of around $105,000 per year.

Conclusion

The world is continuing to evolve and so is the employment sphere. As an IT professional, you need to change with it and that is through constant updating of your skills and knowledge base by acquiring several IT certifications. Depending on your field, we are now appreciative of the fact that there are now numerous IT certifications one can get to do. All you need is just to do a detailed research of all of them and then match with your career goals and set yourself to acquire them. The certifications will go a long way in boosting your professional image and capabilities. This year make an effort to at least attain a couple of IT credential. Its importance cannot be overemphasized. Just assess your career goals and expectations and then set out to acquire these IT certifications. Earning one of these certificates can make you change your future and open up for your countless opportunities.