Top 5 Certifications ranked based on market request

When the conversation amongst IT professionals turns to IT Certifications, one of their first thoughts is of high salaries – different money signs dancing in their heads. While some certifications do command a six-figure salary, this is not true for all. With the recent completion of our annual IT Skills and Salary report, I thought it would be a great time to look at some of the more popular certifications – and their associated pay.

Note: The rankings below are based on certifications that received the minimum 200 responses required to derive a salary figure that is statically accurate. There are certifications that pay more that are not represented due to their exclusive nature. These include CCIE: Cisco Certified Internetworking Expert and VCDX: VMware Certified Design Expert, for example.

1. PMP® - Project Management Professional – ($111,209)

The Project Management Institute’s (PMI) Project Management Professional (PMP) credential is recognized as the most important certification for project managers and is globally recognized 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 PMP credential should only be attempted by experiencedproject managers as the qualifications and testing for this certification are very rigorous. In addition, the PMI requires continued validation through required continuing education requirements. All of these factors ensure
that the PMP credential is widely respected. The PMP experience and exam requirements focus on five process groups: Initiating, Planning, Executing, Controlling, and Closing.

2. CISSP® - Certified Information Systems Security Professional - $110,342

The Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) credential is for security managers and professionals who develop policies and procedures in information security. The CISSP certification has become the gold standard in information security certifications. Earning and maintaining a CISSP certification is required for many governmental, military, and civilian security positions. The CISSP was the first credential in the field of information security, accredited by the ANSI (American National Standards Institute) to ISO (International Organization for Standardization) Standard 17024:2003. Earning your CISSP certification is not only an objective measure of excellence, but it is a globally recognized standard of achievement.

3. CCDA® - Cisco Certified Design Associate - $101,915

The Cisco Certified Design Associate (CCDA) demonstrates that the individual who has passed the required exams has the requisite knowledge, experience, and understanding required to design a Cisco converged network.
A CCDA-certified individual has the skills to design a routed and switched network infrastructure and services involving LAN, WAN, and broadband access for businesses and organizations.

4. ITIL® v3 Foundation – ($97,691)

What is this ITIL that we hear so much about? The Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITILv3) is a foundational process that provides for quality IT Service Management. The success of ITIL is through the use of documented and proven processes that cover the entire Service Lifecycle. The ITIL Expert level is the third of four levels. The ITIL Expert level certification is aimed at those individuals who are interested in demonstrating a superior level of knowledge of ITIL Version 3 (v3) in its entirety. Once you have achieved ITIL Expert level, you will also satisfy the pre-requisite entry criteria for the ITIL Master Level. This is the highest level of certification within the ITIL v3 scheme, though the Master level is still under development

5. MCSE - Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer - $91,650

The Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) certification ended with Server 2003, though you can still earn it (as well as the MCSE on Server 2000, though many of the tests are retired). The continued use of Windows Server 2003 in the market suggests that the demand for related expertise will continue for some time. The MCSE certification demonstrates to clients and employers that you are skilled in designing, implementing, and administering infrastructures for business solutions based on Windows Server 2003 and Microsoft Windows 2000
Server. Implementation responsibilities include installing, configuring, and troubleshooting network systems. In order for you to earn your MCSE on Windows Server 2003 certification (or Windows 2000 Server), you must pass seven exams: four exams on networking systems, one exam on client operating systems, one exam on design, and one elective exam. One thing to be aware of is that many of the exams are retired or will be retiring soon. If one of the required exams is retired and you have not passed the exam, then you cannot earn the certification.
If you have passed the exam before it retired, than it still can be applied to the certification.

TS: Microsoft SQL Server 2008, Business Intelligence Development and Maintenance

TS: Microsoft SQL Server 2008, Business Intelligence Development and Maintenance

Skills Being Measured

This exam measures your ability to accomplish the technical tasks listed below. The percentages indicate the relative weight of each major topic area on the exam.The higher the percentage, the more questions you are likely to see on that content area on the exam. The information after “This objective may include but is not limited to” is intended to further define or scope the objective by describing the types of skills and topics that may be tested for the objective. However, it is not an exhaustive list of skills and topics that could be included on the exam for a given skill area. You may be tested on other skills and topics related to the objective that are not explicitly listed here.

Implementing an SSIS Solution (17%)
•Implement control flow. This objective may include but is not limited to: checkpoints; debug control flow; transactions; implement the appropriate control flow task to solve a problem; data profiling and quality
•Implement data flow. This objective may include but is not limited to: debug data flow; implement the appropriate data flow components
•Implement dynamic package behavior by using property expressions. •Implement package logic by using variables. This objective may include but is not limited to: system variables; user variables; variable scope
•Implement package configurations.
•Implement auditing, logging, and event handling. This objective may include but is not limited to: use system variables for auditing; use event handlers; propagate events; use log providers; data profiling
•Extend SSIS packages by using .NET code.

This objective may include but is not limited to: use the script task; use the script component; use custom assemblies Configuring, Deploying, and Maintaining SSIS (15%)
•Install and maintain SSIS components. This objective may include but is not limited to: implement disaster recovery for SSIS
•Deploy an SSIS solution. This objective may include but is not limited to: deploy SSIS packages by using DTUTIL; deploy SSIS packages by using the deployment utility; deploy SSIS packages to SQL or file system locations
•Manage SSIS package execution. This objective may include but is not limited to: schedule package execution by using SQL Server Agent; execute packages by using DTEXEC; execute packages by using SQL Server Management Studio; execute packages by using the SSIS .NET API
•Configure SSIS security settings. This objective may include but is not limited to: MSDB database roles; package protection levels
•Identify and resolve issues related to SSIS solution deployment.

This objective may include but is not limited to: validate deployed packages; deploy packages and dependencies between servers Implementing an SSAS Solution (21%)
•Implement dimensions in a cube. This objective may include but is not limited to: translations; attribute relations; hierarchies
•Implement measures in a cube. This objective may include but is not limited to: measure groups •Implement a data source view. This objective may include but is not limited to: named calculations; named queries
•Configure dimension usage in a cube. This objective may include but is not limited to: implement reference dimensions; implement many to many relationships; implement fact relationships; implement role-playing relationships; define granularity
•Implement custom logic in a cube by using MDX. This objective may include but is not limited to: actions; key performance indicators (KPI); calculated members; calculations
•Implement data mining.

This objective may include but is not limited to: implement data mining structures and models; query data mining structures by using DMX; data mining views
•Implement storage design in a cube. This objective may include but is not limited to: aggregations; partitions; storage modes; proactive caching Configuring, Deploying, and Maintaining SSAS (17%)
•Configure permissions and roles in SSAS. This objective may include but is not limited to: server roles; SSAS database roles; cube roles; enable client application access; implement custom access to data
•Deploy SSAS databases and objects. This objective may include but is not limited to: Deployment Wizard; BIDS; SSMS; SSIS Analysis Services Execute DDL task
•Install and maintain an SSAS instance. This objective may include but is not limited to: disaster recovery
•Diagnose and resolve performance issues. This objective may include but is not limited to: use SQL Profiler; performance monitor counters; DMVs; Usage Based Optimization Wizard
•Implement processing options. Implementing an SSRS Solution (17%)
•Implement report data sources and datasets. This objective may include but is not limited to: query types; dynamic data sources; filter location (dataset vs. query)
•Implement a report layout.

This objective may include but is not limited to: apply conditional formatting; page configuration; headers and footers
•Extend an SSRS solution by using code. This objective may include but is not limited to: custom .NET assembly; private code
•Create an SSRS report by using an SSAS data source. This objective may include but is not limited to: MDX in an SSRS report; DMX in an SSRS report
•Implement report parameters. This objective may include but is not limited to: databound parameters; multi-value parameters
•Implement interactivity in a report. This objective may include but is not limited to: drilldown; drillthrough; interactive sorting
•Implement report items.

This objective may include but is not limited to: matrix; table; chart; image; list; grouping
•Embed SSRS reports in custom applications. This objective may include but is not limited to: use the Windows Forms Report Viewer; use the Web Forms Report Viewer; use the SSRS Web service Configuring, Deploying, and Maintaining SSRS (13%)
•Configure report execution and delivery. This objective may include but is not limited to: subscriptions; report caching; schedules; snapshot history
•Install and configure SSRS instances. This objective may include but is not limited to: deploy an SSRS Web farm
•Configure authentication and authorization for a reporting solution. This objective may include but is not limited to: configure server-level and item-level role-based security; configure Windows authentication and custom authentication
•Deploy an SSRS solution. This objective may include but is not limited to: RS.exe scripts; Report Builder; BIDS
•Configure SSRS availability. This objective may include but is not limited to: key management; migrate SSRS databases