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 These posts contain previously unpublished Salary Survey data.

In June, the Cisco certification braintrust briefly turned into the Grim Reaper, sweeping a scythe through its own long list of certifications. To wit, coming up in February 2020, Cisco will unveil a Lord of the Rings-style approach to its flagship CCNA credential in particular: There will be one CCNA to rule them all, with a whopping nine Associate-level credentials getting Reaper-ized.

Interestingly enough, however, there is a sole survivor: Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) CyberOps — No. 50 on our most recent Salary Survey 75 list — will carry forward under the new regime, becoming Cisco's only other Associate-level credential. So if you have a CCNA CyberOps credential, then you sort of just dodged a bullet (or a scythe).

Here's what the salary picture looks like for CCNA CyberOps holders who responded to the Salary Survey:

All U.S. Respondents
Average Annual Salary: $102,020
Median Annual Salary: $98,330
How satisfied are you with your current salary?
Completely Satisfied: 4.2 percent
Very Satisfied: 20.8 percent
Satisfied: 37.5 percent
Not Very Satisfied: 29.2 percent
Not At All Satisfied: 8.3 percent

All Non-U.S. Respondents
Average Annual Salary: $45,740
Median Annual Salary: $31,250
How satisfied are you with your current salary?
Completely Satisfied: 14.8 percent
Very Satisfied: 14.3 percent
Satisfied: 13.8 percent
Not Very Satisfied: 29 percent
Not At All Satisfied: 28.1 percent

The largest single body of CCNA CyberOps holders to participate in the survey is made up of U.S. residents (53.3 percent), but we also heard from credential holders in 18 other countries: Australia, Brazil, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, Ethiopia, Ireland, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Panama, Romania, Singapore, South Africa, and the United Kingdom.

Almost all of the CCNA CyberOps holders who responded to the survey are men (95.7 percent), with just a handful of women chiming in. Exactly 60 percent of those in the survey group are locked into middle age, with 35.6 percent of those surveyed between the ages of 35 and 44, and 24.4 percent between the ages of 45 and 54. Of the remaining 40 percent of respondents, 26.7 percent are between the ages of 25 and 34, with 13.3 percent between the ages of 55 and 64.

A bit more than 95 percent of the CCNA CyberOps holders who responded to the survey have an educational background that includes time spent at a college or university. The highest level of education completed by most CCNA CyberOps holders is either a master's degree (51.1 percent of those surveyed), bachelor's degree (35.6 percent), associate's degree (6.7 percent), or professional degree (2.2 percent). The only outliers either completed some level of post-high school technical training (2.2 percent of respondents) or are currently in school (also 2.2 percent).

A solid 95.7 percent of CCNA CyberOps holders who participated in the survey are employed full-time, with the remaining 4.3 percent locked into part-time employment. Among those who have full-time jobs, most are punching the clock either for the standard 40 hours per week (40 percent of respondents) or between 41 and 50 hours per week (44.5 percent). The rest are at the office either more than 50 hours per week (4.4 percent of respondents) or between 31 and 39 hours per week (11.1 percent).

In terms of workplace standing, the largest single group of CCNA CyberOps holders we heard from are employed at the senior specialist level (42 percent of those surveyed). The rest, in descending order, are either specialists (24 percent of respondents), managers (16 percent), rank-and-file employees (10 percent), directors (6 percent), or executives (2 percent).

A bit more than a third (38 percent) of the CCNA CyberOps holders who responded to the survey are IT 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 2 years (8 percent), between 3 and 5 years (30 percent), between 6 and 8 years (16 percent), or between 9 and 10 years (8 percent).

Finally, here's the view of CCNA CyberOps 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: 52 percent
Several times a week: 24 percent
Several times a month: 14 percent
Occasionally: 6 percent
Rarely: 4 percent

Since becoming certified, I feel there is greater demand for my skills.
Strongly agree: 42 percent
Agree: 38 percent
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 10 percent
Disagree: 8 percent
Strongly Disagree: 2 percent

Becoming certified has increased my problem-solving skills.
Strongly agree: 38 percent
Agree: 52 percent
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 10 percent
Disagree: [No responses]
Strongly Disagree: [No responses]

Becoming certified has increased my workplace productivity.
Strongly agree: 38 percent
Agree: 42 percent
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 14 percent
Disagree: 6 percent
Strongly Disagree: [No responses]