Now more than ever, professionals need certification and corporations need
individuals with certification. Statistics say you'll make more money MCP
Magazine has produced salary surveys for three years, tracking the average
salaries of Microsoft Certified Professionals. The verdict - MCP's make more
than their non-certified counterparts (of comparable age and experience). The
average salary of MCP's increased over 10% from 1996 to 1997. But network
administration isn't the only reason to become certified. Because NT has been
gaining steam in the corporate world, so have the Back Office suite of products
- SMS, Exchange, SQL Server, as well as Web-enabled products like Internet
Information Server and Merchant Server. These products offer enterprises a
turnkey solution to many IT needs, and these enterprises need people who know
them inside and out. Having certification on your resume greatly increases your
marketability to your current, or to a potential, employer. Why Become
Certified? Statistics say you'll make more money. MCP Magazine has produced
salary surveys for two years, tracking the average salaries of Microsoft
Certified Professionals. The verdict - MCP's make more than their non-certified
counterparts (of comparable age and experience).
The average salary of MCP's
increased over 10% from 1996 to 1997. Those who have attained Certification say
it is worth it. According to a white paper by Southern Illinois University,
ninety percent of MCSEs rated the Microsoft Certification as Useful or Very
Useful. Seventy percent rated Certification as Useful or Very Useful for
professional credibility. So how can a reseller differentiate by certification?
From a salary perspective, Cisco is the way to go. With so many Microsoft gurus
and Certified Novell (formerly NetWare) Engineers, these certificates are
becoming commodities. Cisco's top certification, the CCIE, is worth a starting
salary of $100,000. High-end CCIEs make $200k without breaking into a sweat.
Reseller profits are similarly high, assuming you can keep your CCIEs from
bolting to become independent consultants. The other Cisco accreditations--the
Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) and Cisco Certified Network
Professional (CCNP)--are also profitable for their holders and employers. Janet
Ruhl's Computer Consultant's Resource Page, a well-regarded Web salary survey
site, pegs these incomes in the mid-$80,000 range for certificate-holders with
substantial experience. As for MCSEs, starters earn around $40,000 a year. With
experience, system administrators and consultants jump to the high
$50,000-range. High-level positions such as a senior consultant command between
$70k and $90k. More lofty salaries are possible, but they're uncommon for
reseller MCSEs. The oldest certification, Novell's CNE, is worth the least. The
salary figures range from $35,000 to $80,000 annually, with the bulk of
middle-range employees at $50K or below. By and large, more Novell folks are in
the $35K to $45K range than MCSEs. Indeed, these Windows NT resellers seem to be
pulling in at least $5,000 more per year than their NetWare counterparts.
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