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On your path to career growth in the energy field, it is likely that you have found yourself asking the same question as countless other candidates and professionals ask, “What can I do to increase my salary and ensure my career continues to grow?” There are many answers to that question, but time and again we have seen candidates benefit from investing in furthering their education and gaining the certifications that get them noticed on the job, particularly as those certifications relate to IT.

While there are probably more IT certifications than there is time to fully explore in one blog post, the question is really one about return on investment. Today we look at the IT certifications that are most likely to increase your salary.

Security Certifications

Cyber security is now a line item on budgets for all businesses. It has moved from an expenditure of compliance to one necessary for the continued growth and profitability of every company with an online presence (including the use of email, the internet, websites, cloud computing, etc.) In response, companies are more willing to invest in the talent that will help protect them from the dangers of lax digital security. More businesses are looking to expand their security offerings and internal processes, and in turn that is driving up the value of security certifications.

The three security certifications that employers are most keen to hire talent with include:

  • GIAC Enterprise Defender (GCED)
  • GIAC Certified Firewall Analyst (GCFW)
  • EC-Council Certified Security Analyst (ECSA)

According to a survey done by Foote Partners LLC, employers are willing to boost pay for these certifications by up to 50 percent of their previous offerings in the past year alone.

General IT Certifications

The following certifications may have not seen the same dramatic increase in profitability as the three security certifications mentioned above, but they are also noteworthy in the projected value they add to an IT professional’s resume.

The Linux Professional Institute certification (LPIC-Level 3), the EC-Council Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator (CHFI) certification, the CompTIA Server+ certification, and the Microsoft Certified Professional Developer certification increased in value by 25 to 33 percent.

The PMI Program Management Professional (PgMP), Certified Cyber Forensics Professional (CCFP), Certified Forensic Computer Examiner (CRCE), GIAC Secure Software Programmer-Java (GSSP-JAVA), and Six Sigma Master Black Belt certifications all noted gains in value of between 18 and 26 percent.

Skills Pay Premiums

The Foote Partners survey also notes that certain IT skills have also seen an increase over the past year. These aren’t necessarily certified skills, but they are still noteworthy for the growing value employers are finding in their talent pool. Market values for a wide variety of noncertified IT skills rose 2.5 percent in the previous year. Those skills include Applications Development, Management/Methodology/Process skills, Messaging and Communications skills, Operating Systems skills, Web/eCommerce Development, Systems/Networking skills, and Database skills.

It is clear that, in a digital economy, the education of our candidates can result in better pay for those with the unique skills that the market is looking for.

Work with a Leading IT Recruiter

With more than 30 years of staffing excellence, ESGI is ready to help your information technology career take off. Contact our team of IT recruiters today to get started!

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