IT certification pay continues to drop - but some faster than others

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Security experts are in a good position because companies are worried about the risk of data breaches following numerous high-profile leaks of customer information. Relatively new regulations like Sarbanes-Oxley are making skills in governance, risk management and compliance more valuable as well (Compare Network Auditing and Compliance products). “Regulation alone is never going to keep any kind of skill high,” Foote says. “[But pay] will be high until people feel they have met the basic compliance requirements.”

In addition to tracking 164 IT certifications, Foote monitors the value of 166 noncertified IT skills. The value of noncertified skills surpassed the value of certifications last year, and continues to rise, another 2% in the last six months.

The value of SAP skills has risen dramatically, as Network World’s Amy Schurr notes in a recent newsletter.

Other noncertified skills on the rise include network security management, up 25% in the last six months and 37% in the last year; wireless network management, up 22.2% in the last six months; and business intelligence and PHP, both up 20% in the last six months.

Interestingly, some noncertified skills rose in value while their certified counterparts declined. While the value of database certifications dropped, the value of noncertified database skills rose 9% in the last two years. Noncertified network skills rose 8.1%. Noncertified skills in enterprise business applications are highly prized, having risen 25.8% in value over the past two years.

I’m likely to write more on the value of skills and certifications in future newsletters and would like to hear from you. What types of questions do you want to see answered? Are there any certifications or skills that have greatly helped or hindered your career advancement? What about Windows Vista certifications, are they worth getting? Post a comment below or send me an e-mail.