Report: Cloud Certifications Bring Biggest Salary Payoff

• By David Ramel
• 11/04/24

It pays to be conversant in cloud, according to a new study from Skillsoft The company's annual IT skills and salary survey report found that the top three certifications resulting in the highest payoffs salarywise are for skills in the cloud, specifically related to Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud, and Nutanix.

The survey providing the report's data was distributed by Skillsoft and its partners, which include companies covered and noted for their high payoffs for related skills. Skillsoft said the survey "informs" the 18th edition of its IT Skills & Salary Report published late last year, with a new edition coming up. Meanwhile, the latest results were teased in a recent blog post.

"This year's list shows that cloud computing skills remain in high demand and can be quite lucrative for tech professionals," the post quoted Greg Fuller, vice president of Codecademy Enterprise, as saying. "Overall, the IT job market is characterized by a significant imbalance between supply and demand, which continues to drive salaries higher. Our data suggests that tech professionals skilled in cloud computing, security, data privacy, and risk management, as well as able to handle complex, multi-faceted IT environments, will be well positioned for success."

Here are the top 20:

1. AWS Certified Security — Specialty averages $203,597
2. Google Cloud — Professional Cloud Architect averages $190,204
3. Nutanix Certified Professional — Multicloud Infrastructure (NCP-MCI) v6.5 averages $175,409
4. CCSP — Certified Cloud Security Professional averages $171,524
5. CCNP Security averages $168,159
6. CISSP — Certified Information Systems Security Professional averages $168,060
7. CCIE Enterprise Infrastructure averages $166,524
8. CRISC — Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control averages $165,890
9. AWS Certified Developer — Associate averages $165,171
10. CIPP — Certified Information Privacy Professional averages $161,439
11. Microsoft 365 Certified: Administrator Expert averages $160,044
12. CISM — Certified Information Security Manager averages $157,189
13. CIPM — Certified Information Privacy Manager averages $155,976
14. AWS Certified Solutions Architect — Associate averages $155,597
15. CISA — Certified Information Systems Auditor averages $155,362
16. CGEIT — Certified in the Governance of Enterprise IT averages $152,838
17. Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate averages $148,849
18. Google Cloud — Associate Cloud Engineer averages $146,533
19. CEH — Certified Ethical Hacker averages $146,260
20. CDPSE — Certified Data Privacy Solutions Engineer averages $146,033

Skillsoft noted that No. 1 AWS skill actually ranked sixth the past couple of years before bumping up top this year with a big accompanying salary payoff. Here's how the company explained that surprising finding:

"Globally, AWS is the vendor most IT leaders plan to prioritize in the year ahead, just behind Microsoft," Skillsoft said. "What's more, cybersecurity is among the top skill areas they plan to invest in more. This is because it's exceedingly tough to hire candidates with the skills they need, according to the survey results. And when asked to assess their team's security skills, the lion's share feel ambivalent about their abilities. (AWS also reports job listings that show this certification as a requirement rose 73% from 2021 to 2022.)

"All these factors combined make professionals with this certification highly valuable."

For more details on each one of those certs and associated skills, along with IT educational advice, visit the Skillsoft blog.