http://www.eweek.com/
article2/0,1759,1954198,00.asp
By Deborah Rothberg
April 26, 2006
Long seen as a method to maximize employment opportunities
and
salaries in the post-dot-com-bust era, a study released
today finds
that pay for certified IT skills falls short of the pay for
non-certified skills.
The Q1 2006 Hot Technical Skills and Certifications Pay
Index,
released April 25 by Foote Partners, a New Canaan, Conn., IT
compensation and workforce management firm, found that pay
premiums
for non-certified IT skills grew three times faster than for
certified
ones in a six-month period spanning 2005-2006.
The study suggests that there has been a change in
employers'
acceptance of the value of non-certified tech skills versus
certifications in maintaining competitive pay for their
workers.
"This is the first time skills have trumped
certifications since our
firm began surveying tech skills pay in 2000," said
David Foote,
president and chief research office for the workforce
research and
consulting firm, in a statement.
"Eighteen months ago, it was all about certifications
for IT workers
as employers stumbled out of the wreckage of an economic
recession,
looking to start hiring again.
"This is a clear indication that employers are not
placing the same
emphasis on certification that they once did. Perhaps more
to the
point, they are finding other qualities of IT professionals
more
critical to their businesses going forward, and they are
willing to
pay more for those."
Tracking the market value of 212 IT skills and
certifications, premium
pay for 103 non-certified skills averaged 7.1 percent of the
base
salary for a single skill. This number was up from 6.8
percent in Q1
2005, and 6.6 percent in Q1 2004.
Pay for non-certified skills grew nearly 70 percent more
than
certifications, or 4.4 percent versus 2.6 percent
respectively.
Among "cooling" certified tech skills, those
that have lost their
value in the last year, the study lists nine, including
MCDST
(Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician), CISA
(Certified
Information Systems Auditor), and three Novell
certifications (NCDE,
MCNE, and CNA).
Fourteen certifications have grown in value, showing an 11
percent or
higher growth over the last year, including SCNP (Security
Certified
Network Professional), CISM (Certified Information Security
Manager)
and MCT (Microsoft Certified Trainer).
Highest-paid certifications include CISM (Certified
Information
Security Manager), CISA (Certified Information Systems
Auditor), and
five different Cisco certifications (CCDP, CCEA, CCIE, CCIP
and CCSP).
Skills categories showing the most growth in the survey
included
Applications Development/Programming Languages, Project
Management,
Training, Webmaster and Security.
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