Top 10 highest paying IT certification for Tech professionals

IT certifications are very important for the career growth of tech professionals. If you start your career in IT industry, you must have a plan to get a professional path and the relevant credentials to achieve your desired position in IT industry.

Nowadays, tech professionals get a hefty salary, if they have the right background and relevant certification in that domain. One of the best ways to achieve a good position in your working area is to get a certification in that field. There are a lot of certificates in the IT industry i.e. security, networking and system administration etc.

A list of top 10 IT certifications in 2024:

• Cisco Certified Architect (CCAr)
• AWS Certified Solutions Architect
• Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)
• Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE)
• Certified Data Management Professional (CDMP)
• Project Management Professional (PMP)
• Cisco Certified Network Professional Wireless (CCNP Wireless)
• Oracle Certified Java Professional
• Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)
• AWS Certified DevOps Engineer

These all IT certifications are crucial and great for getting a great paying job in the IT sector and enhance your opportunity to increase your expected starting salary.

Cisco Certified Architect (CCAr)

There are different certifications available for different levels of expertise in Networking. If you want to make your career in the field of Networking or you're already in the Networking domain and looking to upgrade your skills, there is a certification available for each of your requirement.

Some most popular certifications in Networking are:

• Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) - Vendor - Cisco
• Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) - Vendor - Cisco
• Network+ - Vendor - CompTIA
• WireShark Certified Network Analyst (WCNA) - Vendor - WireShark

Employment Role: Network Architect

Median Salary: $137,500

Certification Cost: USD $300 - USD $400

AWS Certified Solutions Architect

AWS Architect Certification Training is curated by industry professionals as per the industry's requirements and demands. By clearing this exam, you can become an AWS Certified Solutions Architect (CSA). After completing this certification, you will be able to effectively deploy secure and robust applications on AWS. There are many courses available online on this technology which will help you identify the appropriate AWS service based on data, compute or security requirements.

There are a lot of certifications offered by giants like:

• Amazon Web Services
• Microsoft Azure
• Google Cloud Platform

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has the major market share.

Certifications offered by AWS (Associate):

• AWS Certified Solution Architect
• AWS Certified Developer
• AWS Certified SysOps Engineer

Certifications offered by AWS (Professional):

• AWS Certified Solution Architect
• AWS Certified DevOps Engineer

Employment Role: Applications Architect

Median Salary: $135,750

Certification Cost:

Associate Level AWS Certification Exams Fee: USD $150

Professional Level Exams Fee: USD $300

Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)

The role of an IT security manager in IT is to create a safe environment and protect their organization's computers, networks and data against threats, such as security breaches, computer viruses or attacks by cyber-criminals. These intrusions can disrupt an organization's information technology systems or lead to a loss of confidential information.

A list of the most popular security certifications:

• CISSP: Certified Information Systems Security Professional
• CISM: Certified Information Security Manager
• CISA: Certified Information Systems Auditor
• CEH: Certified Ethical Hacker

Employment Role: Information systems (IS) security manager

Median Salary: $139,000

Certification Cost: USD $600 - USD $800

Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE) Data Management & Analytics

Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE) is a big data and analytics training. This certification is for tech professionals who have already attained their Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA) certification.

Employment Role: Data Architect

Median Salary: $155,500

Certification Cost: USD $250 - USD $300

Certified Data Management Professional (CDMP)

There is a huge demand of data experts after the big data revolution. It involves relatively new technologies there's not a clear-cut qualification path to high-paying jobs like big data engineer.

Cloudera provides 3 certification exam at CCA level:

• CCA Spark and Hadoop Developer
• CCA Data Analyst
• CCA Administrator

Also, there are five Hadoop certifications provided by Hortonworks:

• HDP Certified Developer (HDPCD)
• HDP Certified Apache Spark Developer (HDPCD-Spark)
• HDP Certified Java Developer (HDPCD-Java)
• HDP Certified Administrator (HDPCA)
• Hortonworks Certified Associate (HCA)

Employment Role: Big data engineer

Median Salary: $155,500

Certification Cost: USD $250 - USD $300

Project Management Professional (PMP)

According to the Project Management Institute, Project Management Professional (PMP) is a general certification that can help you to get a salary hike up to 20 percent. PMP candidates must have at least 4,500 hours of project management experience and 35 hours of project management education before they can apply. This certification is not to a specific technology, many employers seek candidates and consultants who have proficiency and leadership in both IT and project management.

Employment Role: IT project manager/senior consultant

Median Salary: $115,500

Certification Cost: USD $400 - USD $500

Cisco Certified Network Professional Wireless (CCNP Wireless)

CCNP is a Cisco certification for wireless network engineers. They are high in demand as the business switches to Wi-Fi and cloud services to improve collaboration, automation and remote work. This Cisco Wireless certification CCNP is the gold standard certification for for the network security engineers. You can apply to take the four exams for the credential if you already hold a Cisco Certified Network Associate Wireless (CCNA Wireless) or any Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) certification. The tests include design, deployment, troubleshooting and security.

Employment Role: Wireless Network Engineer

Median Salary: $122,000

Certification Cost: USD $300

Oracle Certified Java Professionals

Java is one of the most popular programming languages from the last 2 decades. It is a good language for desktop and mobile application development. Its certification can give you a chance to get a high paying job or a great hike if you are already in the Java development job. This certification is offered by Java?s parent company Oracle. Oracle offers six certification levels, each with its own acronym.

Employment Role: Software Engineer

Median Salary: $124,500

Certification Cost: USD $245

Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)

The Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification covers eight domains ranging from security and risk management to software development security. Employers want to hire security analysts and network architects who have a security-related certification because that credential is shorthand for expertise in this field. There are many organizations offer IS certifications, with the most popular being the CISSP issued by (ISC)2.

Employment Role: Data Security Analyst

Median Salary: $125,250

Certification Cost: USD $699

AWS Certified DevOps Engineer

This certification is for site reliability engineer. We know that all DevOps roles, requires a well-rounded background in coding, analytics, testing, security and operational support. AWS offers one of the more established certifications in the DevOp field. To attain this certificate, candidates must already hold an AWS credential in development or SysOps, as well as having prior experience in an AWS environment.

Employment Role: Site Reliability Engineer

Median Salary: $118,500

Certification Cost: USD $300