Salary Survey Extra is a series of periodic dispatches that give added insight into the findings of our most recent Salary Survey. These posts contain previously unpublished Salary Survey data.

Cloud computing has already had a massive impact on the evolution of IT and the cloud revolution is likely far from over. Amazon Web Services (AWS) is leading the charge with the most widely used cloud platform in the industry. Cloud certifications are hotter than hot, and Amazon's cloud credentials aren't just the most sought-after cloud certs — they might be the most sought-after certs in all of IT.

The Amazon Web Services Certified Cloud Practitioner credential (No. 3 on our most recent Salary Survey 75 list) is where it all begins. It's the trunk of the AWS cloud certification tree, and a great place to start if you'd like to become a master of the AWS certification universe.

As is the case with a number of credentials in the Salary Survey 75, we didn't field a strong international response here. Hence, we only have data to report from U.S. credential holders. Here's what the salary picture looks like for AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner holders who responded to the Salary Survey:

All U.S. Respondents
Average Annual Salary: $150,740
Median Annual Salary: $157,500
How satisfied are you with your current salary?
Completely Satisfied: 4.8 percent
Very Satisfied: 33.3 percent
Satisfied: 33.3 percent
Not Very Satisfied: 28.6 percent
Not At All Satisfied: [No responses]

Most of the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner holders who responded to the survey are men, with women representing just 9.1 percent of all respondents. Our survey population is a surprisingly seasoned group, with 33.3 percent of those surveyed between the ages of 55 and 64, 28.6 percent between the ages of 45 and 54, and 4.8 percent between the ages of 65 and 74. The rest are either between the ages of 35 and 44 (23.8 percent of those surveyed) or between the ages of 25 and 34 (9.5 percent).

Roughly 71 percent of AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner holders who participated in the survey have an educational background that includes time spent at a college or university. The highest level of education completed by most survey participants is either a bachelor's degree (38 percent of respondents), master's degree (28.6 percent), or associate's degree (4.8 percent). The rest either exited the realm of formal education after completing some level of post high-school technical training (14.3 percent of respondents), topped out with a high school diploma (9.5 percent), or are currently in school (4.8 percent).

Among all AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner holders in the survey, 95.5 percent have full-time jobs, with the remaining 4.5 percent presently out of work. Among those who have full-time jobs, most are putting in either between 41 and 50 hours per week (57.1 percent of those surveyed) or find themselves at the office more than 50 hours per week (23.8 percent). The outliers are the 14.3 percent of those surveyed who have a standard 40-hour work week, and the 4.8 percent who are at work between 31 and 39 hours per week.

In terms of workplace standing, the largest single group of AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner holders in the survey are at the senior specialist level (45.5 percent). The rest, in descending order, are either directors (27.3 percent of those surveyed), rank-and-file employees (13.6 percent), executives (9.1 percent), or specialists (4.5 percent).

Nearly 64 percent of the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner holders who participated in the survey are veterans, having worked in a role that directly utilizes one or more of their certified skills for more than a decade. The rest have been plying their certified skills for either between zero years (1 to 11 months) and two years (4.5 percent of respondents), between 3 and 5 years (9.1 percent), between 6 and 8 years (18.2 percent), or between 9 and 10 years (4.5 percent).

Finally, here's the view of AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner holders on key questions from the survey about how certification impacts job performance:

At my current job I use skills learned or enhanced through certification:
Several times a day: 50 percent
Several times a week: 36.4 percent
Several times a month: 4.5 percent
Occasionally: 9.1 percent
Rarely: [No responses]

Since becoming certified, I feel there is greater demand for my skills.
Strongly agree: 31.8 percent
Agree: 40.9 percent
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 27.3 percent
Disagree: [No responses]
Strongly Disagree: [No responses]

Becoming certified has increased my problem-solving skills.
Strongly agree: 22.7 percent
Agree: 50 percent
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 22.7 percent
Disagree: 4.6 percent
Strongly Disagree: [No responses]

Becoming certified has increased my workplace productivity.
Strongly agree: 18.2 percent
Agree: 54.6 percent
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 22.7 percent
Disagree: 4.5 percent
Strongly Disagree: [No responses]