The 5 Top Paying IT Certifications of 2024

IT certifications are credentials that demonstrate the individual’s knowledge, proficiency, and competence in a specific platform or area. Through passing standardized exams, completing coursework, or fulfilling practical requirements, your skills and relevancy in the fast-evolving tech industry are validated.

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What are the Key Benefits of IT Certifications?

IT certifications are a time commitment and can be costly, but they remain popular because they bring value to both IT professionals and employers. Here are some of the most common benefits:

• Career Advancement - Certifications help job seekers stand out to hiring managers or current employers and give them a competitive edge.
• Higher Earning Potential - Completing IT certifications can contribute to the employee receiving higher salaries than their non-certified counterparts.
• Strong Skills- Being certified helps employees to meet professional requirements and have the specific knowledge and skillset to be effective in their job.
• Staying Current - Technology and applicable skills evolve fast in the IT environment. A certification shows that you have stayed up to date with new technologies and have not fallen behind.

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What are the Highest Paid Certifications?

IT certifications can help you to land higher salaries in today’s highly competitive job market. In a recent survey , Skillsoft examined the reported salaries of individuals to find the highest paying certifications in the IT industry.

Here are the 5 top paying certifications?in the U.S. at the end of 2024:

1. AWS Certified Security – Specialty

Earning this certification validates the candidate’s ability to secure data in the AWS cloud and their expertise in creating and implementing security. Candidates who are certified can showcase their proficiency in navigating complex security challenges. AWS is the leading cloud service provider globally, so security expertise on this platform is in high demand.

2. Google Cloud - Professional Cloud Architect

This certification validates the holder’s proficiency in crafting, managing and implementing reliable, scalable, and secure solutions using Google Cloud technologies. Google Cloud is in the top three priority vendors globally, behind only Microsoft and AWS, so this certification is highly valued by employers seeking expertise in Google Cloud.

3. Nutanix Certified Professional - Multicloud Infrastructure

Completing this certification validates the skills and abilities to complete routine tasks, including deploying and managing virtual infrastructure and VMs, performing operational maintenance tasks, and initiating disaster recovery. Organizations often use multiple cloud providers so the ability to manage multiple cloud services is desirable to employers.

4. CCSP - Certified Cloud Security Professional

This certification focuses on cybersecurity within cloud environments. This certification demonstrates that professionals have the advanced technical skills and knowledge to design, manage and secure data, applications and infrastructure in the cloud. The CCSP does not focus on one specific cloud platform but instead covers principles and best practices that can be applied to various cloud environments. The versatility of this certification makes the holder a desirable candidate for employers in organizations that use multiple cloud services.

5.?Cisco Certified Network Professional - Security

Earning this certification proves skills in security infrastructure, including network, cloud, and content security, endpoint protection and detection, secure network access, visibility, and enforcement. This certification can demonstrate to an organization the ability to secure and protect its data as well as its on-premise and/or cloud networks.

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Key Takeaways

• In 2024 certifications centered around cybersecurity and cloud computing are some of the highest paying certifications available.
• The high earnings of holders of AWS, Google Cloud Platform and Nutanix credentials highlight the value that a diverse cloud skillset brings as organizations adopt hybrid or multi-cloud strategies.

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