Project management is IT

Pro

A certification in project management from the Project Management Institute (PMI) is the top IT certification for earnings in 2012, according to IT training specialist Global Knowledge.

In its report entitled "15 Top Paying IT Certifications for 2012", the PMI’s Project Management Professional (PMP) accreditation can attract salaries of $111,209 (€83,267). The report states that the accreditation "is recognised as the most important certification for project managers and is globally recognised and in heavy demand. The PMP credential demonstrates that you not only have the requisite, real-world experience, but that you also have the education to successfully lead and direct projects."

The next most lucrative IT certification is Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) with $110,342 (€82,639), which the report says is the "gold standard" for information security professionals. "Earning and maintaining a CISSP certification is required for many governmental, military, and civilian security positions", said the report. The CISSP was the first credential in the field of information security, accredited by the ANSI (American National Standards Institute) to ISO (International Organisation for Standardisation) Standard 17024:2003. "Earning a CISSP certification is not only an objective measure of excellence, but it is a globally recognised standard of achievement."

In third is a Cisco certification, the Cisco Certified Design Associate (CCDA) with $101,915 (€76,341). This qualification shows that the holder can design and implement a Cisco converged network.

In fourth is ITIL v3 Foundation Expert Level with $97,691 (€73,179). The ITIL Expert level certification is an advanced level of knowledge and implementation of ITIL Version 3 (v3), and a feeder for the Master Level which is the highest level of certification within the ITIL v3 scheme.

The highest Microsoft certification is the Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) at $91,650 (€68,661). The MCSE certification ended with Server 2003, but can still be earned due to the continued use of Windows Server 2003 in the market, says the report.

Other certifications in the top ten were VMware’s Certified Professional (VMP), Cisco Certified Design Professional, CompTIA Server+, with Cisco Certified Network Associate coming in in tenth place with $82,923 (€62,130).

The report said that the methodology required at least 200 submissions for each certification before it could be admitted to the ranking. It also said that there were other specialities which were reported to have earned more than the ranked certifications, but that due to their relative obscurity were omitted.

The full report is available here.