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 These posts contain previously unpublished Salary Survey data.

With a new year comes a whole new Deep Focus series. And what better place to kick things off than at the top? Last year, the No. 1 credential on our Salary Survey 75 list was an associate-level Amazon Web Services cert, and the same is true this year. Last year's Certified Solutions Architect, however, has been surpassed by its close cousin: Amazon Web Services (AWS) Certified Developer - Associate.

The new No. 1 is for cloud specialists capable of developing, deploying, and debugging cloud-based applications in the AWS ecosystem. It's recommended that exam candidates have at least one year of hands-on AWS experience, as well as in-depth knowledge of at least one programming language. AWS dominates the cloud services realm, so this is a potent skill set to either acquire or refine.

Here's what the salary picture looks like for AWS Certified Developer holders who responded to the Salary Survey:

All U.S. Respondents
Average Annual Salary: $155,000
Median Annual Salary: $153,750
How satisfied are you with your current salary?
Completely Satisfied: 18.2 percent
Very Satisfied: 17.1 percent
Satisfied: 35.3 percent
Not Very Satisfied: 23.5 percent
Not At All Satisfied: 5.9 percent

All Non-U.S. Respondents
Average Annual Salary: $81,930
Median Annual Salary: $71,250
How satisfied are you with your current salary?
Completely Satisfied: 11.2 percent
Very Satisfied: 30 percent
Satisfied: 50 percent
Not Very Satisfied: 8.8 percent
Not At All Satisfied: [No responses]

The largest single body of AWS Certified Developer holders to participate in the survey is made up of U.S. residents: 58.6 percent of those surveyed. We also heard from credential holders in 7 other countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Finland, the Netherlands, Singapore, and the United Kingdom.

Nearly all of the AWS Certified Developer holders we heard from are men (92.6 percent), with just a handful of women participating. The AWS Certified Developer crowd also skews old, with the youngest credential holders surveyed (11.5 percent) between the ages of 25 and 34, a further 29.6 percent between the ages of 35 and 44, and nearly half (44.4 percent) between the ages of 45 and 54. The rest are either between the ages of 55 and 64 (10.7 percent of those surveyed), or between the ages of 65 and 74 (3.7 percent).

Nearly 85 percent of the AWS Certified Developer holders who participated in the survey have an educational background that includes an institution of higher learning. The highest level of education completed by most AWS Certified Developer holders is either a bachelor's degree (37 percent of respondents), master's degree (33.3 percent), or associate's degree (24.8 percent). The outliers are the 11.1 percent of those surveyed who completed some level of post-high school technical training, and the 3.8 percent who rose no higher up the formal education ladder than to complete high school.

Among all AWS Certified Developer holders surveyed, 93.1 percent have full-time jobs, while 3.6 percent are currently taking a sabbatical, and 3.3 percent are unemployed. Among those who have full-time jobs, most are at work either for the standard 40 hours per week (33.3 percent of respondents), or have a work week of between 41 and 50 hours (37 percent). The rest have a weekly schedule that calls for them to put in either more than 50 hours (18.5 percent of those surveyed), between 31 and 39 hours (7.4 percent), or between 20 and 30 hours (3.8 percent).

In terms of workplace standing, the largest single group of AWS Certified Developer holders in the survey are at the senior specialist level (47.1 percent of respondents). The rest, in descending order, are either specialists (14.7 percent of those surveyed), rank-and-file employees (11.8 percent), managers or directors (both 8.8 percent), senior managers (5.9 percent), or executives (2.9 percent).

Slightly more than half (52.9 percent) of AWS Certified Developer holders to participate in the survey are veterans, having worked in a role that directly utilizes on or more of the 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 2 years (14.7 percent), between 3 and 5 years (7.6 percent), between 6 and 8 years (6 percent) or between 9 and 10 years (8.8 percent).

Finally, here's the view of AWS Certified Developer 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: 55.9 percent
Several times a week: 29.4 percent
Several times a month: 11.8 percent
Occasionally: [No responses]
Rarely: 2.9 percent

Since becoming certified, I feel there is greater demand for my skills.
Strongly agree: 41.1 percent
Agree: 35.3 percent
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 20.6 percent
Disagree: 2.9 percent
Strongly Disagree: [No responses]

Becoming certified has increased my problem-solving skills.
Strongly agree: 29.4 percent
Agree: 47.1 percent
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 17.7 percent
Disagree: 8.8 percent
Strongly Disagree: [No responses]

Becoming certified has increased my workplace productivity.
Strongly agree: 29.4 percent
Agree: 47.1 percent
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 14.7 percent
Disagree: 2.9 percent
Strongly Disagree: 2.9 percent