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Cheers!
2007 RedmondIT Salary Survey2007 RedmondIT Salary Survey
Cheers!IT celebrates 3 years ofraises, job growth. Plus: 10 hot certs that will boost your career.
IT celebrates 3 years ofraises, job growth. Plus: 10 hot certs that will boost your career.
Sponsored by
2 | September
hy is Jeffrey
Hansenhappy? “My
hobby is mycareer. I’m always
having fun,” he says. “It’s midnightand I am recovering data from a harddrive with bad sectors on one machineand processing evidence from adivorce case on another.”
A computer forensics specialist andowner of San Diego, Calif.-basedSDediscovery.com, Hansen’s salaryhovers near the six-figure zone. That’snot important, though. What’s impor-tant to him is that he’s building a busi-ness. He makes it clear, “I’m notworking for a paycheck, I’m workingto create something ... My goal rightnow is to pay the bills and reinvesteverything back into the company.”
Hansen’s attitude rings true for thetypical IT professional. Whether ontheir own or punching the corporateclock, the IT forces are problemsolvers, work long hours and are wellcompensated for their efforts.
Jobs are competitive, but plentiful,even in this sector of the job marketwhere getting paid well has beennormal for three years running.Salaries are likely to still go up asemployers have to keep up withtheir companies’ demands forskilled workers.
Numbers from the U.S. Depart-ment of Labor corroborate the evi-dence. Of the 797,000 jobs available
from 2004 through the year 2014,Labor foresees computer supportspecialist and systems administratorjobs growing 18 percent to 26 percent(source: “Occupational OutlookHandbook, 2006-07 Edition,”www.bls.gov/oco/ocos268.htm). Anemployee shortage in a specialist seg-ment means those entering the job
market have a decisive advantage withtheir first salary negotiation.
The employee shortage is just oneamong several factors that can affectsalary. As data from this year’s SalarySurvey of IT compensation shows,tenure, skills, education, regionaleconomies and—for some—certifica-tion all play a role in salaries.
Did your IT earnings get
kicked up a notch this
year? Redmond magazine’s
2007 IT Salary Survey
reveals that salaries, raises
and bonuses went up for
the third year in a row.
WBase
Salary$71,988
Raise/Increase$4,020
Bonus$5,985
Age41.6
years
Yearsin IT12.8
Education56.3% have
at least a4-year degree
Male vs.Female
6:1Mean:MCP orBetter
$70,906
Mean:Non-Microsoft
Cert$70,928
Mean:No
Certs$78,158
Overall Satisfactionwith Compensation,
5 Being Best3.33
Chart 1. Salaries, raises and bonuses went up slightly as of last year’s report. The surprise is that bonuses made the biggest gainfrom 2006, with respondents reporting payouts by 46 percent. Changes were negligible in years of experience of respondents(12.7 in 2006), as well as sex (11:2 in ’06).
2007 Compensation
3 | September 2007 | Redmond | Redmondmag.com
The Numbers Game from AboveThe 30,000-foot view shows thatsalaries, raises and bonuses went upslightly. See Chart 1 (on the previouspage) for a comparison with the resultsreported last year. The overall 2007base salary, which excludes raises,bonuses and other compensation, cameup to $71,988. That figure represents apercentage decrease from the2005/2006 results, which came in at 3.3percent. Still, the 2007 result representsan increase of 2.7 percent from 2006base compensation.
There’s even better news this year.Salaries have kept in line with inflation.In year’s past, we’ve pointed to the U.S.Department of Labor’s Consumer PriceIndex (CPI) as a gauge of the real world.This year’s salary increase matches theCPI’s 2.7 percent rate as of June 2006.(For the latest CPI and labor data, seewww.bls.gov/cpi/home.htm.)
Though small, this year’s salaryincrease means it’s a positive trend and79 percent of respondents believe the
trend will continue into 2008. “As longas inflation keeps going up, salaries willalways rise,” believes Chris Brandt, asenior network consultant for an ITconsulting firm in Chicago.
Tim Wilson, a network specialist inTennessee, believes future demand willplay a factor “because of all the [open]positions available in [most compa-nies].” Only 2 percent are writing offthe next 12 months as a salary rebuild-ing year, while 19.4 percent expect nochange at all.
The age of the average IT workersurveyed has changed negligibly, at41.6, which is just slightly youngerthan last year’s 41.7 years. As the IT populace continues to age, it fol-lows that years of experience mightadd up. Those surveyed said they’vebeen at it for an average of 12.8 years,which makes for a sizable uptick ofabout five more months from 2006(12.1 years).
An interesting statistic from Chart 1shows that fewer women, at leastamong those we surveyed, were work-ing alongside men. This year’s ratio is6-to-1. Women fared better only in2006 at 11-to-2, but this year’s figurebeats out 2005, where women wereoutnumbered 8-to-1.
Reeling in the YearsAs workers pile on tenure and get bet-ter salaries, the natural career progres-
Management (Supervisory) $87,103Programming Project Lead (Non-Supervisory) $84,004Networking Project Lead (Non-Supervisory) $82,725Database Administrator/Developer $73,377Webmaster/Developer/Producer $71,610Programmer/Analyst $71,175Network Engineer $70,211Trainer $68,396Systems Administrator $64,157Help Desk/User Support $52,824
Base Salary, Job Title
Job Title $
0 20,000 40,000 60,000 80,000 100,000
Chart 3. Job title plays a major factor in salaries. Respondent salaries show that, unlike last year's anomaly(in 2006, programmers took the top spot), management salaries come back out on top.
Less than $20,000 0.3$20,000-$29,999 1.4$30,000-$34,999 2.6$35,000-$39,999 3.6
$40,000-$44,999 5.4$45,000-$49,999 5.1$50,000-$54,999 6.1$55,000-$59,999 7.0$60,000-$64,999 7.8$65,000-$69,999 8.1$70,000-$74,999 9.2$75,000-$79,999 8.0
$80,000-$84,999 5.6$85,000-$89,999 6.6$90,000-$94,999 4.1$95,000-$99,999 4.2
$100,000-$124,999 9.4$125,000-$149,999 3.2
$150,000 or more 2.2
0 2 4 6 8 10
2007 Salary of All Respondents by Range
Range %
Chart 2. We asked respondents to select a range for their base salary, sans bonuses and other compensation.Most salaries for 2007 fell between $55,000 and $89,999. Interestingly, the number of those claiming six-figure incomes has risen from last year. The mean salary was $71,988.
2007 Salary Survey
5 | September 2007 | Redmond | Redmondmag.com
sion often means employees continueto climb the career ladder. This year’ssurvey was a mixed bag, with half ofthe titles coming up winners. Trainersreported the best result at $68,396—an increase of better than 14 percentover 2006. The other networkingtitles—networking project lead, sys-tems administrator, help desk sup-port—as well as the webmaster/
developer/producer title saw increasesranging between $2,000 and $5,000.
Management held the top spot as ithas in most years past at $87,103. Eventhough management swept back to thetop, respondents who held this titlewere making less than last year’s man-agers, who claimed $89,603.
The programming project lead titleexperienced a salary nosedive of 7percent, from $90,000 in 2006 to$84,004 this year, as did databaseadministrator/developer, whichshrank by 8 percent, or $6,559, fromthe 2006 average of $73,377. Weexpected as much, because the surveythis year included many readers ofRedmond Developer News, who may
have slightly skewed the numbersdownward.
An Unexpected Bonus Bonus amounts were one big surprisethis year. Respondents said they madesignificant gains from the 2006 resultof $3,223, with an average bonus of$5,985. That represents a bonus pay-out that’s bigger by almost 86 percent.
For 2008, 59 percent of respondentsthink they’ll be up for bonuses again. Ofthose, nearly 36 percent believe they’llsee a modest bonus in the range of$1,000 to $5,000, while almost a quarterexpect more than $5,000. Robert K., anetwork analyst in northern California,was one of the lucky ones. He got close
Base Salary,Microsoft CertificationCertification $
0 30,000 60,000 90,000 120,000 150,000
No Microsoft Certification
MCP
MCP+Internet
MCP+Site Building
MCSA, Windows 2000
MCSA, Windows 2003
MCSA: Messaging, Windows 2000
MCSA: Messaging, Windows 2003
MCSA: Security, Windows 2000
MCSA: Security, Windows 2003
MCSE, NT 4.0
MCSE, Windows 2000
MCSE, Windows 2003
MCSE: Messaging, Windows 2000
MCSE: Messaging, Windows 2003
MCSE: Security, Windows 2000
MCSE: Security, Windows 2003
MCSE+Internet
MCAD, VS .NET
MCSD, VS 6.0
MCSD, VS .NET
MCDBA, SQL Server 7
MCDBA, SQL Server 2000
MCT
MCDST
MCTS: SQL Server
MCTS: SQL Server BI
MCTS: .NET Web
MCTS: .NET Windows
MCTS: .NET Distributed Apps
MCTS: BizTalk 2006
MCTS: Office Live Comm. 2006
MCTS: Exchange 2007 Config.
MCTS: SharePoint (any version)
MCTS: Windows Mobile 5.0
MCTS: Windows Server 2003 Hosted
MCTS: Vista Config.
MCTS: Vista/Office Desktops
MCITP: Database Developer
MCITP: Database Administrator
MCPD: .NET Web
MCPD: .NET Windows
MCPD: .NET Enterprise
Microsoft Certified Architect
MCITP: BI Developer
MCITP: Enterprise Support Tech.
$78,158
$70,906
$78,411
$79,150
$68,582
$71,691
$73,056
$70,383
$71,493
$77,079
$73,898
$74,273
$78,656
$74,308
$73,472
$72,673
$78,535
$82,323
$85,539
$91,124
$86,225
$80,511
$82,322
$57,595
$85,056
$132,000
$78,266
$71,440
$70,800
$108,300
$71,000
$52,000
$83,156
$118,400
$65,000
$64,167
$95,750
$102,643
$105,188
*
* Insufficient data to report results.
$54,750
$74,079
$74,125
$85,285
$95,000
$73,089
Chart 4. It pays to work with data warehouses, as this year's results show:Those who claim the MCITP: SQL BI certification made $132,000. MCPs withBizTalk and Windows Mobile titles also did well. Those with an MCDST andMCSA on Windows 2000 brought up the rear.
Years of Experience, Job Title
$2
0K
$4
0K
$6
0K
$8
0K
$10
0K
Chart 5. We asked respondents how many years they've been working in the IT profession. It appears that the more years you've toiled, the more you earn. Where that theory fails is for trainers, where the salary curve looks like an inverted bell.
Database Administrator/Developer
Help Desk/User Support
Management (Supervisory)
Network Engineer
Networking Project Lead (Non-Supervisory)
Programmer/Analyst
Programming Project Lead (Non-Supervisory)
Systems Administrator
TrainerWebmaster/Developer/Producer
Overall
1-2 Years 3-5 Years 6-9 Years 10+ Years
2007 Salary Survey
6 | September 2007 | Redmond | Redmondmag.com
to the upper range: “With a strongereconomy in the last year, it’s only natu-ral that companies have more money togive back to employees,” he says.
Skills Pay BillsBecoming an expert in implementingtechnology is a critical component to abetter salary.
“It took quite a while, but I believeI’m now compensated commensuratewith my responsibilities,” explainsMark W. He says his responsibilitieshave grown in the last year to wherehe’s now helping architect his compa-ny’s hosting services.
Although Mark can’t reveal his salary(or his name, due to corporate policy),as someone with strategic planningexpertise he says he comes close to the
average salary of $82,149. That seg-ment was also one of the big moversthis year, jumping up by more than 9percent from last year. Strategic plan-ners came in second only to data ware-housing experts.
While those with data warehousingexpertise topped the list at $82,201,salaries for the top spot dropped 3 per-cent from 2006. (Side note: outsourcingtopped the list last year. In 2007, itnudged lower to $78,963.)
Those with Oracle, software design,e-commerce and extranets expertisealso come out above the $80,000 markthis year. At the bottom rungs you’llfind dime-a-dozen skills like help desksupport, at $66,062, and backup andstorage management, at $70,855.
Becoming a Microsoft technologyspecialist also has its benefits. Thosewho claim expertise in Identity Integra-
tion Server, for example, can walk awaywith a relative king’s ransom at$104,333. That figure, the top of thelist this year, is just a bit better than lastyear’s $103,125.
Those with Commerce Server expert-ise, which held last year’s top spot at$108,125, came back down to earth to$86,983. BizTalk rounds out the topthree as it did last year at $92,412, com-pared to $99,583 in 2006.
What a Difference a Piece of Paper Makes The shine of certification has neededrebuffing in the last few years. Mostrespondents have indicated thatobtaining the title carries no weightwith employers beyond hiring: “It’shelped me get better jobs,” Tim Wil-son adds, “but did not improve mysalary where I worked.”
Salary by MicrosoftProduct ExpertiseProduct $
0 20K 40K 60K 80K 100K 120K
Application Center
BizTalk Server
Commerce Server
Content Management Server
Exchange
Forefront
Host Integration Server
Identity Integration Server
Internet Information Server
Internet Security/Acceleration Server
Visual Studio
Live Communications Server
Microsoft Operations Manager
Office/Visio/FrontPage
Project Server
SharePoint Portal Server
Small Business Server
Speech Server
SQL Server
Storage Server
Systems Management Server
Systems Center
Terminal Services
Windows 2000
Windows 2000, Datacenter Server
Windows Client Support
Windows NT Server
Windows Server 2003 Standard/Enterprise Edition
Windows Server 2003 Web Edition
Windows Server 2003 Datacenter Edition
Windows Server 2003, 64-bit
Windows XP
Windows Vista
Windows Server 2008
$69,929
$92,412
$86,983
$81,147
$70,960
$68,767
$104,333
$73,602
$71,836
$77,626
$77,721
$74,816
$70,983
$84,334
$77,970
$67,397
$73,866
$74,440
$68,571
$73,819
$71,690
$71,362
$69,225
$78,307
$68,204
$72,363
$70,501
$76,407
$74,814
$76,457
$69,534
$70,424
$75,123
$70,120
Chart 6. Respondents were asked which Microsoft technologies they worked with on a regular basis. Specializing in Microsoft's more esoteric software, such as Identity Integration Server or BizTalk Server, can easily push your salary into the realm of six figures.
2007 Salary Survey
IT Profile: Pamela Greaves
Information Technology Specialist IIFairfield, Calif. Certifications: MCP+I, MCSE NT4Salary: $70,824Years in computer field: 8
Pamela Greaves got her MCSE on Win-dows NT. She hasn’t upgraded since then, anddoesn’t intend to. She says it hasn’t helped her career. The other reason ismore personal, and should be a warning to Microsoft: She doesn’t thinkthe company treats its certified pros very well.
Greaves is an Information Technology Specialist for a Northern Califor-nia public library system. She’s been in IT eight years. In her current posi-tion, she’s responsible for the library system’s 19 Windows Server 2003servers, as well as security for its Windows XP SP2 desktops. When shefirst transitioned from her former job as an aircraft mechanic, she went toschool for nine months to get her NT MCP and MCSE. That was a hotcertification in the late 1990s.
Greaves says the certs didn’t help her land her first job, which was a helpdesk tech for ISP Earthlink. What really soured her on Microsoft certifica-tion, though, was when the company decided to decertify MCSEs on NTunless they upgraded their certifications to Windows 2000 Server within acertain timeframe.
“Because of Microsoft’s treatment of MCSEs at the beginning,” Greavessays, she decided not to pursue any more. Microsoft eventually rescindedthat threat, but the damage was done for Greaves. Now certification is some-thing she rarely thinks about. Even beyond the personal reasons, Greavesdoesn’t see much value in certification in terms of climbing the IT ladder.
“I’m uncertain of the ability of certification to boost my resume. I’m notsure employers are looking for that certification.” —Keith Ward
7 | September 2007 | Redmond | Redmondmag.com
Andy E., a LAN technician in Mis-souri, agrees. He explains another ben-efit to certification: “It pushes me tolearn new technologies.”
On the other side, Eric K., a LAN
administrator in Grosse Pointe, Mich.,claims that his salary increased “almosttwo-fold since I started in the industry.”He attributes that to certification, andhe hasn’t been sitting idly by. He’s in themidst of completing his bachelor’sdegree in IT security.
Mark W., who’s a senior systemsadministrator near Phoenix, understands
the value of a career backup plan. “Ikeep my certifications current for peaceof mind [in case] I ever get laid off.”
Mark has work to do if he wants to stayon top of new technologies, as well as hiscertifications. Since last year, Microsofthas updated its program with a numberof new certifications tied to its latest lineof software: SQL Server 2007, BizTalk
Survey MethodologyThis year marks the second year we’ve conducted this survey internally at the Redmond Media Group. Special thanks goesout to Rita Zurcher, who compiled and crunched the results yet again.
This year’s survey contained about 120 questions, which were sent out to newsletter subscribers for Redmond, Redmond Channel Partner, Redmond Developer News and MCPmag.com. A general call for survey respondents was also linked from several editions of the MCPmag.com newsletter. The survey period was from June 24 to July 13, during whichwe received 1,720 responses. Of those, we removed all non-U.S. answers and ended up with a total of 1,453 valid responses(slightly higher than last year), with a margin of error better than 3 percent. The survey itself focuses on several topics: • Salaries and Benefits • Certification• Position and Experience • Work Environment• Job Satisfaction • Economic Environment
Over the next several months, we’ll revisit the data to glean other interesting facts about respondents and report back to you. —M.D.
Salary by TechnologyExpertiseTechnology $
0 20,000 40,000 60,000 80,000 100,000
Accounting Software
Backup and Storage Management
Customer Relationship Management
Data Warehousing
Database Administration
Database Development
E-Commerce
Extranets
Hardware Design
Help Desk Support
Intranets
LAN/WAN Interworking
Linux
Messaging/E-Mail
Novell
Oracle
Outsourcing
Portable/Embedded Computing
Research/Development
Routers and Switches
Security
Software Design
Strategic Planning
Systems Integration
Systems Management
Telephony
Training
Unix
VPN/Remote Management
Web Services
Web Site Development/Management
Windows 2000/2003 Testing/Planning/Pilot
Wireless/Mobile Computing
$72,603
$70,855
$75,547
$82,201
$75,105
$81,959
$81,516
$74,763
$66,062
$73,903
$70,156
$72,146
$72,143
$74,056
$81,889
$78,963
$75,562
$81,159
$71,023
$72,978
$80,835
$82,149
$78,889
$73,256
$70,812
$81,116
$70,876
$77,870
$75,147
$74,027
$70,624
*
* Insufficient data to report results.
$78,761
Chart 7. We asked respondents to tell us the type of technology they specialized in. The more specialized the skill, such as strategic planning or research and development (which, in 2006, topped the list), the better the compensation.
2007 Salary Survey
IT Profile: Gar Nelson
Information Technology Officer Glasgow, Mont.Salary: $77,928.00Years in computer field: 22
Gar Nelson has no IT certifications of anykind. That may not be surprising, consideringthat he’s only been on the software end of ITfor a few months. Nelson has no desire to get any in the future, either.
Nelson is the information technology officer for the National WeatherService at its Glasgow, Mont., outpost. He appears to make very goodmoney for someone who’s been in the field for a quarter of a year. He’s ahardware veteran, having been involved on that side for 22 years, includingas an electronics technician in the Navy.
As for certification, Nelson said he’s more interested in the educationalbenefits than career enhancement. “There’s no requirement in my agencyfor certification,” he says. For him, “certification has never been a realincentive. I can see merit in certification as a tool to further your educationbecause studying certification books has value,” he explains. He won’t getany promotions out of certification, so he’s lukewarm about the idea of get-ting one for personal gratification.
Glasgow, Mont. is an out-of-the-way place to make your career movefrom hardware to software, but Nelson believes it was the right choice.He’s been on the hardware side “for a long time and there aren’t very manychallenges now,” he says.
Even though he believes the IT industry is “in flux right now,” and isn’tsure of a rosy future job outlook, he took the plunge anyway. “I was opti-mistic enough that I transitioned.” —Keith Ward
8 | September 2007 | Redmond | Redmondmag.com
Server 2007, Visual Studio 2007, Office2007, Windows Vista and even theupcoming Windows 2008 (with examscurrently in development). Employersare starting to come around, but it’s
still too early to tell if those certifica-tions will impact salaries for a fewmore years.
The results this year have finallytrickled in and so, for the first time, wecan offer initial insights into theimportance of those new certifications(see Chart 4 on p. 5). Topping the listis the MCTS: SQL Server BI, at$132,000. That’s one of four to breakthrough the six-figure barrier. Oursurvey this year didn’t capture enoughdata on those holding the relatedMCITP: BI Developer, but MCITP:Database Administrator came instrong, at $105,188. Other specialisttitles, like the MCTS titles forBizTalk and Windows Mobile 5.0made the cut, at $108,300 (a majorjump from $47,500 in 2006) and$118,400 respectively. In the comingyears, we will fully report on the manynew Microsoft certifications.
Comparatively, salaries for the tradi-tional “old-generation” titles, like theMCP NT 4.0, MCSA and MCSE,
their associated specialist titles, and allthe programmer titles, experienced ajump up in salaries. The anomaly,MCDST, took a profound drop from$71,466 last year to $57,595 this year.We chalk this up to more MCDSTtitleholders this year that truly fit thejob role of that certification.
The IT MagnetSo where does that leave us? IT pro-fessionals continue to draw exception-al pay, as proven by numbers from theBLS, our own survey and even surveysyou’ll find elsewhere online. With astrong U.S. economy to boot, theycan’t help but feel upbeat about theirjob prospects and the money they’llbe making in the coming year.
“It’s hard to think of anything thatpresents as many challenges and oppor-tunities as IT,” says Hansen. —
Michael Domingo ([email protected]) is the executive Webeditor of the Redmond Media Group.
Base Salary,By Other CertificationsCertification $
0 20,000 60,00040,000 80,000 100,000 120,000
ISC2 CISSP
ISC2 SSCP
ISC2 (any other than above)
Apple (any)
Certified Wireless Network Professional (any)
Check Point CCSA
Citrix CCA
Citrix CCEA
Cisco CCDA
Cisco CCNA
Cisco CCNP
Cisco Specialization
CompTIA A+
CompTIA CTT+
CompTIA Linux+
CompTIA Network+
CompTIA Project+
CompTIA Security+
CompTIA Server+
Dell (any)
EC-Council (any)
EMC (any)
Help Desk Institute (any)
Hewlett Packard (any other than above)
IBM (any other than Lotus)
Linux Professional Institute Level I
Linux Professional Institute Level II
MySQL (any)
Novell CNA
Novell CNE
Novell Master CNE
Oracle OCA
Oracle OCP DBA
PMI Project Management Professional
Red Hat RHCT
Red Hat RHCE
SANS GIAC Certification (any)
Other
Sun SCJP
Sun Solaris (any)
Hewlett Packard ASE
IBM-Lotus (any)
Sun (other Java)
Symantec (any)
Prosoft CIW (any)
$88,474
$58,250
$69,000
$74,393
$73,455
$77,712
$88,325
$70,667
$71,425
$73,408
$71,294
$63,148
$85,727
$66,922
$62,687
$80,723
$65,828
$72,528
$66,107
$73,500
$77,157
$65,067
$56,926
$74,475
$73,000
$71,958
$70,235
$72,491
$77,439
$98,817
$88,250
$77,631
$99,522
$101,100
$83,700
$78,719
$75,878
$74,342
$73,709$71,867
$70,786
$67,958
$66,921
$66,800
$88,594
Chart 8. Respondents have told us that certifying with technologiesother than Microsoft canbe one way to get an interview, while others get certified as a wayto provide personalfeedback of a technology well learned. Here’s how respondent salarieslook based on non-Microsoft certifications. (Note: Certifications with fewer than fiverespondents were omitted from this list.)
Up to $999 9.9$1,000 to $1,999 17.8$2,000 to $2,999 16.9$3,000 to $3,999 12.7$4,000 to $4,999 6.9$5,000 to $6,999 10.7
$10,000 to $14,999 5.0$15,000 to $19,999 1.7
$20,000 to $24,999 1.6$25,000 or More 1.5
No increase 14.0Decreases 1.5
0 5 10 15 20
Amount %
Chart 9. Respondents reported a mean raise of $4,020, a bit lower than in 2006. In 2006, a quarter of respondentsreported a decrease or no increase in salary.
2007 Salary Survey
2007 Salary Survey
10 | September 2007 | Redmond | Redmondmag.com
2008 Bonus Expectations
Chart 11c. When Bonuses Are Paid
Monthly 6.7%
8.0%
Quarterly
Semi-Annually
Annually
10.9%
74.4%
2008 Bonus Expectations
Effect
Chart 11b. How Bonuses Are Calculated
Both 32.9%
Based on Company’sProfitability 18.3%
Other 10.9%
Based on PersonalPerformance
22.0%
2008 Bonus Expectations
Effect
Chart 11a. Expected Bonuses for 2008
$20,000 or More 4.1%
$15,000 to $19,999 2.7%
$10,000 to $14,999 4.7%
$5,000 to $9,999 12.3%
$1,000 to $4,999 23.6%
Up to $1,000 12.1%
No Bonus 40.5%
Effect of Microsoft Certification on Salary
Effect
Chart 10. Effect of Microsoft Certification on Salary
No Change
Drop in Income
Less than 5% Increase
5% to 10% Increase
11% to 15% Increase
16% to 20% Increase
21% to 25% Increase
More than 25% Increase
Unsure of Any Change
38.4%0.6%7.9%9.8%5.2%4.8%1.3%6.9%25.0%
2007 Salary Survey
11 | September 2007 | Redmond | Redmondmag.com
Hiring IT Professionals
Chart 13b. How Many Will Be Hired?
More than 30 6.4%
21-30 1.1%
11-20 3.0%
6-10 7.0%
1-5 41.7%
Unknown 40.8%
Outsourcing
Chart 15a. What’s the Impact of Outsourcing on Your Job?
Found Job with Outsourcer 2.4%
Lost Job to Outsourcing 4.0%
No Impact 93.6%
Outsourcing
Chart 15b. Will Outsourcing Impact You Next Year?
Will Find Job with Outsourcer 2.2%
Will Lose Job to Outsourcing 6.8%
No Impact 91.9%
Hiring IT Professionals
Chart 13a. Hiring Plans, Next 12 Months
Unsure 23.1%
No 29.4%
Yes 47.5%
Salary Survey: Resources to Help You Get Well-CompensatedRedmond magazine has been running this survey for 12 years now. We like to think we have a handle on IT professionals’salaries. Still, it’s always a good idea to check other resources for salary information if you’re going to walk into yourboss’s office to ask for a raise. Check out this list: Free:• Salary.com provides frequent updates to its salary information and has a search engine for looking up myriad number of
salaries by specific IT titles, all of it customizable: www.salary.com • Computerworld also publishes its annual survey in November each year; the latest is 2006:
www.computerworld.com/action /article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=269951 • Recruiting firm Robert Half Int’l publishes a salary guide for more than 60 IT positions in the United States and Canada,
all of it available when you register on its site: www.roberthalftechnology.com/freeresources • While the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics has lots of information, the information comes in layers
that need to be peeled back. Start at www.bls.gov/home.htm and work your way in.Fee-based: • InformationWeek has an online tool similar to the one you’ll find on Salary.com, with filtering based on job function and region
that you can use for free, with a comprehensive version for $299: http://informationweek.com/advisor • Foote Partners LLC’s comprehensive, fee-based reports span the United States and Canada: www.footepartners.com • Participate in research firm Janco Associates Inc.’s salary survey and get a summary for free; the whole enchilada is
$199: www.e-janco.com/Salary.htm• Use CareerBuilder’s free Salary Calculator to generate a fee-based report on your IT job title based on your region and
education: www.cbsalary.com/salary-calculator.aspx
2007 Salary Survey
12 | September 2007 | Redmond | Redmondmag.com
Paid Medical/Dental
Paid Training
Paid Life Insurance
Bonuses
College Education Reimbursement
Paid Technical Conference Attendance
Paid Certification Exams
Practice Equipment (computers, switches, etc.)
High-Speed Home Internet Connection
Software for Personal Use
Expense Account
Stock Purchase
Profit Sharing
401(k) Without Company Contribution
Stock Option Program
Car Allowance
Other (please specify)
Sabbatical (One Month or Longer)
Additional Compensation Offerings
10%
40
%5
0%
60
%2
0%
30
%
Chart 12. Additional Compensation Offerings
56.6
%
58.1%
52.2
%
46.9
%
43.9
%
42.2
%
30.3
%
21.1%
33.4
%
16.0
%
16.2
%
12.1%
14.8
%
10.7%
9.3%
6.5%
4.7% 1.9
%
Hiring IT Professionals
Chart 14a. Have You Been Laid Off in the Last 12 months?
Yes 4.7%
No 95.3%
Hiring IT Professionals
Chart 14b. Rehired/Found a New Position? Of the 66 who were laid off, the majority were rehired, while the rest found new employment.
Found Job 13.7%
Rehired 86.3%
Job SatisfactionBase Salary
Chart 16a.
Average:
Dissatisfied
6.9%
12.6%
4.35
35.2%
32.1%
13.2%
Not Too Satisfied
Somewhat Satisfied
Satisfied
Very Satisfied
Job SatisfactionPaid Time Off
Chart 16d.
Dissatisfied
Average: 4.71
Not Too Satisfied
Somewhat Satisfied
Satisfied
Very Satisfied
4.3%
8.6%
21.7%
44.4%
20.9%
Job SatisfactionRaises/Bonuses, Etc.
Chart 16b.
Average:
Dissatisfied
12.2%
15.7%
4.14
30.1%
30.3%
11.8%
Not Too Satisfied
Somewhat Satisfied
Satisfied
Very Satisfied
Job SatisfactionFlexible Work Schedule
Chart 16e.
Dissatisfied
Average: 4.89
Not Too Satisfied
Somewhat Satisfied
Satisfied
Very Satisfied
3.3%
7.3%
30.3%
41.9%
17.1%
Job SatisfactionOther Fringe Benefits
(cars, Assoc. fees, etc.)
Chart 16c.
Dissatisfied
Average: 3.88
Not Too Satisfied
Somewhat Satisfied
Satisfied
Very Satisfied
15.2%
23.2%
25.2%
28.3%8.1%
Job SatisfactionPaid Training
Chart 16f.
Dissatisfied
Average: 4.12
Not Too Satisfied
Somewhat Satisfied
Satisfied
Very Satisfied
10.7%
21.0%
11.9%
30.7%
25.7%
2007 Salary Survey
13 | September 2007 | Redmond | Redmondmag.com
Job SatisfactionAccess to New Tech.
Chart 16k.
Dissatisfied
Average: 4.62
Not Too Satisfied
Somewhat Satisfied
Satisfied
Very Satisfied
4.6%
9.6%
19.6%
42.0%
24.2%
Job SatisfactionWork Responsibilities
Chart 16j.
Dissatisfied
Average: 4.68
Not Too Satisfied
Somewhat Satisfied
Satisfied
Very Satisfied
2.7%
7.7%
16.2%
49.0%
24.4%
Job SatisfactionJob Security
Chart 16h.
Dissatisfied
Average: 4.72
Not Too Satisfied
Somewhat Satisfied
Satisfied
Very Satisfied
4.2%
8.1%
22.6%
43.3%
21.7%
Job SatisfactionOverall Compensation
Chart 16k.
Dissatisfied
Average: 4.33
Not Too Satisfied
Somewhat Satisfied
Satisfied
Very Satisfied
6.3%
12.1%
10.1%
37.8%
33.8%
Job SatisfactionCorporate Culture
Chart 16i.
Dissatisfied
Average: 4.33
Not Too Satisfied
Somewhat Satisfied
Satisfied
Very Satisfied
7.8%
14.1%
14.2%34.1%
29.7%
14 | September 2007 | Redmond | Redmondmag.com
2007 Salary Survey
Chart 16a-k. Job Satisfaction. This is thethird year where we asked how satisfied youfelt with certain aspects of your career, com-pensation and job. By ranking, Very Satisfiedis a 5, while Very Dissatisfied was a 1. TheAverage Overall column indicates the aver-age ranking for each aspect.
2007 Salary Survey
15 | September 2007 | Redmond | Redmondmag.com
Doctoral Degree $86,727Master’s $81,438Post-Graduate Study (No Degree) $78,025Four-Year Degree $72,444Two-Year Degree $61,445Attended Some College $70,067Graduated High School $69,778Some High School or Less $56,250
Salary by Education Level
0 $20,000 $40,000 $60,000 $80,000 $100,000Chart 17. Salary by Education Level. The high bar for salaries appears to start at the four-year college level.Theanomaly this year is that those with two-year degrees report making $8,000 less than those right out of high school.
Personal Goal
To Get a Better Job
To Distinguish My Skills from Others
Promotion/Raise from Current Employer
To Obtain Employment
Required for Job
OtherRecommended by Friend/Boss/Co-Worker
Required to Attain Microsoft Partner Status
For Project I’m Working On
Peer Pressure
To Access Priority Support
Reasons for Certification
10%
40
%5
0%
60
%2
0%
30
%
Chart 19. Reasons for Certification. While certification always helps when job prospecting,respondents overwhelmingly choose "personal goal" as their reason for pursuing or maintaining their title(s).
57.7%
38.2
%
24.4
%
14.7%
10.7%
9.2%
8.2%
5.8%
5.2%
3.7% 2.
3%
2.1%
Will You Be in IT in 5 Years?
Chart 18. Will You Be in IT in 5 Years?
Yes 91.3%
No 8.7%
16 | September 2007 | Redmond | Redmondmag.com
Books 84.2On-The-Job Training 60.4
TechNet 47.2Disk or CD-based Software 39.0
Microsoft Press Materials 35.0Documentation Other Than TechNet 36.6
Conferences 28.6Microsoft Practice Test Provider exams 27.7
Web on Magazine Articles 28.9Webinars/Webcasts 31.0
Certification Web sites 26.1Exam Software Not from a Microsoft Practice Test Provider 24.2
CTEC Instructor-Led Training 22.6Online/Distance/Web Training/e-Training 22.5
College or University Courses 16.1Braindump Sites 15.0
User Groups 15.8Boot Camps 14.6
Non-Microsoft Partner Training 17.9Videos 10.1
Study Groups 6.3
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Means of Certification Preparation
Chart 20. Means of Certification Preparation. Most respondents continue to rely on books and work experience to get them ready for exams.
Who Pays for Training?
Chart 21. Who Pays for Training? As in years past, companies are willing to help their IT professionals when it comesto maintaining their skills or upgrading as new technologies are adopted.
Jointly 11.2%
Self 30.7%
Company 58.1%
2007 Salary Survey
17 | September 2007 | Redmond | Redmondmag.com
2007 Salary Survey
By Becky NagelWhen it comes to IT certification,there’s no such thing as a perfect,“one-size-fits-all” title for every can-didate or every job. Some employersdon’t even care if their candidates arecertified (see “Certification: NoMagic Bullet,” p. 42).
Still, it’s helpful to know what yourpeers, coworkers and competition areplanning in the next year. That’s whywe’re taking a stab at predicting the10 certifications we think will be“hot” over the next year. By hot, wedon’t necessarily mean the most popular. If that was the criteria,Microsoft’s MCP would always befirst. We’re talking about the ones wethink will climb the fastest over thecoming year, like “hot singles” onBillboard’s charts.
With all the new certificationsMicrosoft has launched in the last year(28 and counting) and most of youbeing Microsoft-focused, it’s no sur-prise that the company’s new titleswould dominate our top 10 hot certsfor 2008. So what exactly is Microsoft’s
new certifica-tion structure?Here’s a quick primer if you aren’tfamiliar with the next generation ofcertifications from Redmond:
• Microsoft Certified TechnologySpecialist (MCTS): This is the newfirst level of Microsoft’s certificationprogram. It’s basically the company’snew Microsoft Certified Professionaltrack, with entry-level titles that takefrom one to three exams to earn.
• Microsoft Certified IT Profes-sional (MCITP): This is the nextstep up for networking professionals,with its titles roughly equivalent toMCSE. There are currently fiveMCITP titles. These are consideredhigher-level because of the technologythey cover and their focus on job roles.
• Microsoft Certified ProfessionalDeveloper (MCPD): This is theother group of mid-level certificationsMicrosoft is offering for developers.Right now, there are three MCPDtitles, all for specific job roles: Webdeveloper, Windows developer andenterprise applications developer.
• Microsoft Certified Architect:This is the brand-new, high-level cer-tification. Architecture professionalsearn this title based on an intensepeer-review process. That and its$10,000 price tag will ensure that itremains elite for years to come.
That’s the basic framework. Sohere’s our best guess at what we thinkwill be the top 10 hottest certifica-tions over the next year. Let us know what you think—post your per-sonal top 10 on Redmondmag.com.FindIT code: RedHotCert.
10: MCPD: Web Developer: Thisis the only MCPD certification to makeour top 10 list. This will be the title toidentify yourself as a Web developerwith well-rounded .NET skills. And formost who get the MCTS: .NET Web2.0 title, it requires passing only oneadditional exam.
9: MCTS: Vista Configuration:This one-exam title is basically theequivalent of an MCP or Microsoft’s
What Do Hiring Managers Want?While the top 10 hot certs list iscompiled of up-and-coming certifications, many hiring man-agers’ top choices are still “oldiesbut goodies.” Here are the top 10certs they told us they look for:
1. Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP)
2. Microsoft Certified SystemsEngineer (MCSE): Windows2003
3. Microsoft Certified SystemsAdministrator (MCSA): Windows 2003
4. Cisco Certified NetworkAssociate (CCNA)
5. CompTIA A+ 6. Microsoft Certified Desktop
Support Technician (MCDST) 7. MCSE: Security 8. Microsoft Certified Database
Administrator (MCDBA):SQL 2000
9. CompTIA Network+ 10. MCSE: Messaging
—B.N.
Survey MethodologyWe asked readers responding to our salary survey to tell us what certificationsthey hold, plus what they plan to earn during the next 18 months. We convertedthis data into a point scale, which is the biggest part of our scoring equation.We also added data culled from a survey of 408 hiring managers to see whichof these titles they wanted most, and included general buzz from the industryto make sure the final 10 titles are truly worthy of being “hot certs.” (For moreon what hiring managers are thinking, see “What Do Hiring Managers Want?”on this page.) —B.N.
Redmond’sTop 10 HotCerts for2008
18 | September 2007 | Redmond | Redmondmag.com
Certified Desktop Support Technician(MCDST) for Vista. It’s one of only ahandful of titles in Microsoft’s new cer-tification lineup that’s Vista-specific.Look for this cert to pick up steam.
8: MCSE: Messaging: This is theonly “old-school” Microsoft designa-tion to make our list. Thanks to itsrecognizable MCSE brand along withthe well-documented need forExchange and messaging experts, thistitle blasted past fierce competitionfrom newer Microsoft certifications.If you want a certification tied to yourExchange skills, go for this MCSE.
7: Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP): This long-running and highly respected mid-level certification from CiscoSystems Inc. is the only title to breakthe Microsoft juggernaut on our top10 list. All of Cisco’s certificationshave an excellent reputation, thanksto lots of hands-on questionsthroughout almost every exam, highvisibility with hiring managers andIT professionals alike, and coveringhardware that’s basically ubiquitousacross all networks.
5 (Tie): MCITP Database Devel-oper and MCTS .NET Web 2.0:These are two new Microsoft certifi-cations you may not have heard of—
yet. The MCTS: .NET Web 2.0 titleis the first step for any Web developer’s2.0-certification path, and requires justtwo exams. Considering the Web-based direction development is head-ing, it’s not surprising the only twodevelopment-related titles to makethis list are both Web-focused. TheMCITP Database Developer is one ofseveral database-related titles to makethe top half of this list.
4: MCTS: SQL Server 2005 Business Intelligence: How did asuch a specialized SQL certificationland so high on this list? SQL is hot,and BI is where the real money iscoming. If you’re going to certifyyour SQL BI skills, this is the perfectsolution. Few IT hiring managersrecognize this title yet, but the com-bination of high reader-desirabilityplus excellent buzz make this theSQL specialization title to get in 2008.
3: MCITP: Enterprise SupportTechnician: How do you get aheadas a support technician? Focusing onthe enterprise may be one way.
Enterprise shops by nature havemore complicated environments, andsince they’re generally larger, theytypically pay more.
2: Microsoft Certified Architect:This is the be-all, end-all of the new Microsoft certifications: a$10,000 price tag, rigorous testingthrough a live peer-review panel,and pre-qualifications that exclude all but the most experienced IT professionals. With experiencedMicrosoft architects earning morethan $100,000 per year, expect to seethis title in this lofty position foryears to come.
1: MCTS: SQL Server 2005: SQLis the perfect specialization for mostany IT pro, as only the purest net-working and hardware tasks don’thave some sort of back-end database.Hiring managers love it, and it’s alow-level MCTS title, so you can addthis SQL specialization to yourresume by passing only one exam.
Other titles that made this listmight have given us pause, but we’refirmly behind any plans you mayhave to specialize in SQL in theupcoming year. —
Becky Nagel ([email protected])is the editor of Redmondmag.com as wellas CertCities.com.
Where’s No. 6?This is a list of top 10 certificationstotal, and two certifications tiedfor fifth place—so we skipped sixthplace on the list.
Certification:No Magic BulletWhile many of our IT manager read-ers expressed a preference for one ormore certifications, a full 25 percentsaid they don’t look for any credential.A few even ventured to say that certi-fication can be a negative.
“Certifications only prove that thecandidates can pass tests—nothingmore,” comments one reader. “Hold-ing a certification doesn’t correlate[with] the ability to do the work, andoften indicates an inability to do thework,” says another.
The fact that many IT and hiringmanagers don’t consider certificationa plus shouldn’t come as much of asurprise. Back in the certification hey-days of the late ’90s, many compa-nies were burned when candidateswere hired based on their certifica-
tions and little else. Employers sooncaught on to “paper certifications”—those who learned only throughbooks and training.
While many certification vendors,including Microsoft, have taken stepsto improve the difficulty and securityof exams, anyone getting certifiedshould know that the value of any titlewill vary significantly from employerto employer. Here are three basic tipsto ensure you make the most out ofyour certification investment:
1. Don’t spend a lot to get certified.Consider self-study books, home labsand online user groups in lieu ofexpensive, in-person training. If youdecide to go the instructor-led route,consider attending a local communitycollege. This will take longer, but you’llmost likely pay a lot less.
2. Don’t overreach. Many newcom-ers to IT think if one acronym behind
their name is good, five must be bet-ter. That thinking couldn’t be morewrong. Many IT managers see anacronym soup of certifications as ared flag that the candidate is “papercertified.” Most experts recommendlooking at the job market in your area,seeing which certifications are mostdesirable and then pursuing one ortwo titles at your current level or onestep above.
3. Get experience any way you can.Experience is the key for any IT job,but it’s a catch-22 for anyone new tothe industry. How can you get experi-ence without having a job? Any wayyou can. Volunteer for a local commu-nity organization or school, networkwithin IT user groups and help othermembers with projects or tinker witha home lab. It’s better than walkinginto a job interview with nothing morethan a vendor credential. —B.N.
TOP 10 HOT CERTS
