15 Top Paying IT Certifications In 2016: AWS Certified Solutions Architect Leads At $125K

• Each of the five Amazon Web Services (AWS) certifications brings in an average salary of more than $100,000.
• There are more than 685,000 Project Management Professionals (PMPs) worldwide, and their average annual salary is $116,094.

• Each of the five Amazon Web Services (AWS) certifications brings in an average salary of more than $100,000.
• There are more than 685,000 Project Management Professionals (PMPs) worldwide, and their average annual salary is $116,094.
• Four of the 15 are Cisco certifications, solidifying the value of these certifications in enterprise IT.

These and many other insights about the highest-paying certifications this year are from Global Knowledge’s latest report, 15 Top-Paying Certifications of 2016 (free, no opt-in, 8 pp., PDF). Global Knowledge derived the salary levels for each certification by using the 2016 IT Skills and Salary Survey, completed in the fall of 2015.  The survey is national in scope and reflects variations based on where IT professionals work, years and experience and type of company worked for.

Key takeaways from the study include the following:

• Most valuable IT certification skills involve creating apps on AWS and managing costs. AWS Certified Solutions Architects are required to have expertise in AWS cost analysis, demonstrating the ability to orchestrate AWS- advanced cost management and control features. This certification also covers ingress and egress of data to and from the AWS.

• Six of the 15 are focused on security, making this area the most in-demand in IT in 2016. Following security, cloud computing, networking and enterprise IT have three certifications in the top 15.

• Average income across the top 15 IT certifications is $110,400. Certifications that concentrate on auditing, security and risk pay above-average incomes with the lowest being $113,320. The following table provides a breakout of the top 15 IT certifications in 2016 according to Global Knowledge’s salary study.

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