If you are looking for top paying IT certs 2019, the struggle is real. With more and more people turning to the IT industry, finding a suitable job that offers you a great deal of fulfilment and financial security can be daunting. But before you turn away, it is also important to know that the demand for IT professionals is growing at a much rapid pace - more than the supply. And therefore, you may still find some of the best career opportunities if you are an IT enthusiast and looking forward to building a career here.
The task is even more complicated for employers. With the availability of so much talent and capacity, it is a tough choice to pick the right candidate for every open position in your organization. This is where the tech trends and shifting philosophies come in.
Information Technology is constantly evolving, and keeping up with the changing tech trends is the only way to stay valuable in the industry. These tech trends are not only crucial for IT departments around the world, but they are also changing the way employers shortlist the candidates they are willing to work with. Yes, we are talking about certifications. And not just any certifications, but the top paying certs 2019.
While some of these are the popular names you hear regularly, there are debutants too. Get ready to upgrade your knowledge and skills, and qualify yourself according to this year's top paying IT certs 2019 list. Check out the information below on the top 15 IT certifications that could earn you big money.
1. AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate
This Associate-level certification validates an individual's expertise in deploying and designing scalable AWS systems. This isn't the first time that the AWS Certified Solutions Architect (Associate) certification has made it to the list. It is, in fact, one of the most important certifications you need to check the box for. There's a constant requirement for certified and skills AWS solutions architect in the industry, and with the kind of growth in the cloud, it is hard to let go off it.
Also, if you are looking forward to the Professional level certification in the same, the AWS Certified Solutions Architect (Associate) works as a prerequisite.
Average salary per year: $132,800
2. Project Management Professional (PMP)
The PMP certification is administered by the Project Management Institute and is one of the most prominent and valuable certifications for individuals dreaming of a career as project managers. It offers both knowledge and experience to candidates, effectively preparing them to be capable of defining, planning, and delivering projects under a set deadline.
Most large organizations will instantly make up their mind to hire a candidate with PMP certification under their belt. The certification works as the key differentiator in decisions about who to entrust and hire for critical project initiatives.
Average salary per year: $135,800
3. Google Certified Professional Cloud Architect
The certification that came into being only two years ago also made it to this top paying IT certs 2019 list. And why not!
This certification is the ultimate validation that allows a cloud architect to perform on the GCP platform. Not only the candidate possesses the ability to develop and design cloud architectures, but they are also capable for managing a secure, reliable, and scalable cloud architecture with the help of Google Cloud Platform (GCP) technologies.
Most large organizations dominantly depend on cloud skills, which makes Google Certified Professional Cloud Architect certification one of the most valuable and highest paying certifications in the world.
Average salary per year: $139,500
4. Certified ScrumMaster
If that's the area of your expertise and interest, attaining a Certified ScrumMaster certification validates your thorough understanding of the Agile Scrum methodology as well as your skills of putting well-versed scrum into practical use.
Additionally, you can learn team-leadership skills under this certification and guide your teammates to learn the real Scrum framework to put it to optimal use. As a certified ScrumMaster, you will also be responsible for removing all kinds of external and internal distractions.
Average salary per year: $135,440
5. Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE)
Although the certification was discontinued in 2017, it can still play a major role in helping you grab the best and highest paying career opportunities in the IT industry. If you have a previously earned MCSE certification, you can still make the most out of it by putting it up on your transcript.
Alternatively, if you want to achieve similar career benefits, you can opt for the replaced version known as the MCSE: Cloud Platform and Infrastructure certification. The MCSE certification itself has been broken down into four different certifications to make the implication more role-based.
With the exponential growth in demand for cloud professionals and specialists, training for the new core roles by achieving the split up certifications can be a great decision.
Average salary per year: $121,300
6. AWS Certified Developer - Associate
Another popular certification on the list that you are probably going to find even in the years to come. The AWS Certified Developer (Associate) certification validates a candidate's expertise in the development and maintenance of AWS applications, as opposed to crafting the solutions - which is mainly the job of a Solutions Architect.
By obtaining this popular certification, you do not only boost your own chances of getting noticed in the crowd but also demonstrate yourself as the right person who can ultimately optimize AWS application performance. This certification is a great choice if you further wish to diversify your field and try out the explosive growth in mobile development and the Internet of Things.
Average salary per year: $130,400
7. ITIL Foundation
As far as IT management and the highest paying IT certifications are concerned, you cannot ignore the importance of ITIL Foundation certification. In fact, ITIL has secured its position as one of the most widely used frameworks for IT management. It is exactly what every organization needs: a set of best practices for perfect alignment of IT services.
The certification is popular and can give you an instant career boost as it covers everything from capacity and availability management to incident and change management. Moreover, it also covers IT operations management and application management. And even though it is an entry-level IT certification, it offers you a varied understanding of IT service lifecycle.
Average salary per year: $120,600
8. Certified in Risk and Information System Control (CRISC)
This certification is offered and managed by ISACA and often makes up to the list of top paying IT certs 2019. CRISC is widely recognized for its flawless evaluation, especially when it comes to risk management proficiency.
Individuals who opt for this certifications can offer services to businesses like understanding business risk, implementing practical measures to prevent the risk, and developing and managing information system controls.
It is important to gain at least three years of relevant experience in two of the major certification domains to obtain a CRISC certification.
Average salary per year: $117,400
9. Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)
CISM is another popular and valued certification under ISACA. The certification focuses on management and is ideal for professionals who are responsible for building and managing the information security system of an organization. The candidates are taught all the skills and expertise required to carry out this task with utmost efficiency. More importantly, CISM promotes the best practices associated with international security.
This computer-based exam can only be taken during a designated time during the year, so if you are planning to upgrade your career, make sure you are aware of the time window.
To become an ideal candidate for this certification, make sure you have at least five years of experience in IS, and at least three of those should be as a security manager. The experience speaks volume here so if you lag in that department, you might now qualify for the CISM certification.
Average salary per year: $118,420
10. Certified Information Systems Security Professionals (CISSP)
The CISSP certification is offered and managed by the International Information System Security Certification Consortium (ISC)2 and is basically a vendor-neutral credential. The purpose of this certification is to prepare the candidate with the best and most reliable security expertise. Just like most security-related certifications these days, the demand for the CISSP certification is predicted to grow at an impressive pace for several years to come.
If you are looking for a career in network security, CISSP could be your best bet. Not only it qualifies as one of the highest paying IT certifications in the world, but the kind of skills and expertise you learn here are also exceptional. CISSP covers experience, knowledge, and excellence in every way and can instantly upgrade the resume of any IT professional who decides to opt for it.
As for the employers, they are pretty clear about their requirement for a CISSP certified candidate to be able to deal with the IT security of their organizations. If you wish to be hand-picked by the best employers offering you the ideal job opportunity, CISSP certification it is!
Average salary per year: 117,000
11. Citrix Certified Associate - Virtualization (CCA-V)
If this is the area of your interest, gaining the CCA-V certification can earn you big money in the industry. There is a special place for candidates who are Citrix Certified, so you can be sure about hunting down great opportunities in the market. The certification is highly demanded since it covers some of the most important basics of maintaining, managing, troubleshooting, and monitoring.
The certification is suitable for both application and desktop administrators as well as for technical staff. If you are already working in that capacity, now could be your chance to up your game and increase your average salary by simply upgrading to the CCA-V certification.
Make guaranteed progress in your career by opting for this entry-level certification. However, if you are more focused on the Citrix Certified Professional - Virtualization (CCP-V), the CCA-V also works as a prerequisite. Having a hand on experience will work as the cherry on the top to help you clear your exam in the first attempt.
Average salary per year: $113,500
12. Certified Ethical Hacker
If being a hacker satisfies you, do it the ethical way. Yes, there's a legal way of working as a hacker if you pick the right path and opt for Certified Ethical Hacker certification instead. The certification is associated with the management body of the International Council of E-Commerce Consultants (EC-Council) and is an ideal additional credential for security auditors, security officers, site administrators, and other professionals responsible for data and network security.
The certification course is designed to enable a candidate to identify loopholes, vulnerabilities, and weaknesses in the network system and implement defenses using methods and techniques that usually a hacker would use. While you may be doing the same job as a hacker, you are doing it to protect the organization instead of causing it damage. Your role is not only to find and fix the deficiencies but also save your organization's critical data from getting stolen.
The certification will validate your advanced ethical hacking methodology that organizations can use on-premises as well on clouds. The best part? The job pays quite well and is both internationally-recognized and in-demand.
Average salary per year: $116,300
13. CompTIA Security+
This is among the most popular and talked-about CompTIA Certification. The intermediate-level certification is in high demand because of the areas it covers under foundational security. Since most businesses require this expertise, the certification always remains in great demand. The variety of topics include data hosting, data application, network, operational security, and physical security.
After obtaining this certification, you are perceived as capable of understanding access control, encryption, and secure and hardening of software development. In fact, this certification is considered the ultimate credential that every security professional must obtain at a minimum level to find opportunities in this area of the IT industry. The certification helps validate the baseline knowledge and skills you must possess in order to carry out core security functions.
Since it is an intermediate-level certification, it tests your skill set as well as your ability to perform security measures wherever necessary within the organization. Ideally, people who opt for the CompTIA Security+ certification must have at least two years of IT administration experience in the field. This does not only help with passing the exam but also gives the much-needed technical information that enhances the overall information security experiences.
Average salary per year: $110,200
14. Cisco Certified Networking Professional (CCNP) Routing and Switching
There's no way we can complete this list without a renowned Cisco certification. While there are several globally recognized certification programs under Cisco, it is the Cisco CCNP Routing and Switching that's recognized as one of the top paying IT certifications.
By obtaining this in-demand certification, you can validate your skills as trustable network administrators and engineers, who can plan, verify, implement, and troubleshoot wide and local area enterprise networks. Moreover, you further offer your service as a specialist who can collaboratively work on advanced security, video, voice, and wireless solutions.
However, it is important to note that all candidates opting for the Cisco CCNP Routing and Switching certification must have at least one year of networking experience to prove their ability to work independently on a variety of network solutions.
With this certification under your belt, there's no way you can lose the staying power in the industry. Routing and switching will remain in demand regardless of the organizations and specific network needs. Also, make sure you have already achieved the CCNA Routing and Switching certification before appearing for CCNP Routing and Switching certification.
Average salary per year: $107,000
15. CompTIA Network+
Last but not least, CompTIA Network+ certification is a great opportunity for junior network technicians, help desk technicians, and infrastructure installers to improve their chances to earn big. This entry-level exam covers the basic knowledge and implementation of installation, troubleshooting, and maintenance of networks, including wireless and Ethernet.
The exam covers topics that test the candidates on different protocols for both WAN and LAN, as well as network security. By obtaining this CompTIA Certification, you prove your exceptional skills and foundational knowledge associated with network protocols and network infrastructures.
If this is just the beginning of your career in the IT industry, the CompTIA Network+ can be your first step to get closer to other vendor-specific certifications. In the long run, you can opt for other entry-level and intermediate-level certifications to further push your career ahead and establish yourself as a professional in the industry.
However, before you sit for the exam, make sure you have already achieved your CompTIA A+ certification as well as the CompTIA IT Fundamentals certifications.
Average salary per year: $107,100