Has your salary stayed stagnant while costs keep rising? Do you feel stuck in your career with a clear path for advancement? Many professionals find themselves in this frustrating position, wondering how to increase their income.
The good news is that you can earn several high-value certifications to make yourself more valuable to employers and command a higher salary. Obtaining just one of these four certs can translate to a $10,000+ pay bump.
Could you keep reading to find out what they are?
How Will These Certifications Lead to a Bigger Salary?
There are a few key ways:
● They make you eligible for higher-level roles. Certifications show you have the precise skills for specialized positions that pay more.
● They help you compete. When applying alongside equally experienced candidates, credentials make you stand out.
● They increase your negotiating leverage. Certifications give you an ironclad reason to ask for that salary bump you deserve.
In other words, these high-ROI certs provide concrete proof to your boss (or future boss) that you offer premium value deserving more significant compensation. Pretty compelling.
Now let's look at which four certifications can deliver these great benefits:
1.Earn Your Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)
The versatile, widely respected Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) credential proves you have strong competencies for managing all aspects of projects. This includes overseeing budgets, resources, timelines, quality control, risk mitigation, etc.
Earning your CAPM establishes that you can effectively run projects end-to-end, regardless of industry. Whether it's engineering initiatives, construction programs, IT deployments, business expansion efforts, healthcare system upgrades, or anything else, the CAPM covers it all.
This certification shows current and future employers you possess in-demand leadership abilities. You understand how to successfully handle any project using best-in-class project management principles and methodologies that get results.
Credential holders generally receive $10-15k or more in additional salary compared to non-certified project managers.
2.Become an AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate
Cloud-based systems and services now dominate business technology landscapes. By attaining an AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate badge, you prove your expertise regarding the world's most widely used and flexible cloud platform – Amazon Web Services (AWS).
This lucrative certification is Amazon's entry-level designation for solutions architects working with AWS. The exam and preparation content covers everything from foundational cloud architecture principles to robust, real-world systems design considerations and tradeoffs.
You have this hugely respected industry credential under your belt, which signals to employers your ability to properly architect cloud-based solutions tailored to their business needs.
Salary-wise, the AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate certification yields around a $15k average annual boost to total compensation compared to uncertified peers.
3.Become a Certified ScrumMaster (CSM)
In the fast-growing field of agile software development, more employers want qualified professionals who can effectively lead Scrum teams and projects. That's precisely the skillset the Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) credential confirms you have.
This respected designation issued by the Scrum Alliance establishes that you correctly understand vital agile concepts and can competently facilitate Scrum processes like sprint planning, daily standups, reviews, retrospectives, and more.
Obtaining your CSM certification proves to hiring managers that you can successfully motivate and guide development teams that build high-quality applications quickly and efficiently. This ability commands much higher salaries.
On average, Certified ScrumMasters receive roughly $ 10- $ 15k higher compensation packages than uncertified candidates. The CSM also paves the way to further lucrative Scrum certifications like the PSM, PSPO, and beyond.
4.Earn Your CISSP - Certified Information Systems Security Professional
Cybersecurity skills remain in enormous global demand across practically every industry. By attaining a CISSP certification, you demonstrate deep technical expertise and managerial competency regarding IT systems and network security disciplines.
Issued by (ISC)2, this gold standard credential covers security engineering principles, risk analysis and mitigation, governance frameworks, disaster recovery planning, auditing processes, and more.
Given how critical and robust cybersecurity has become, CISSP-certified professionals often enjoy salaries over $15k higher than those of their non-certified peers. When compliant data and operations are on the line, companies will heavily invest to ensure they're protected.
Take Action to Start Earning More
As highlighted above, obtaining just one of these five premium certifications can translate to tens of thousands of dollars per year in extra compensation. The salaries for credentialed professionals certainly validate the ROI.
So what's stopping you from committing to reach that next level? Every month, money is left on the table. The time is now to get paid what you deserve finally. Let one of these certs be the catalyst!
