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 These posts contain previously unpublished Salary Survey data.

Starting in February, as part of a general overhaul of the Cisco certification program, there will be one CCNA certification to rule them all, and the current multiple specialized credentials will vanish. That includes Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) Security which checked in at No. 47 on our most recent Salary Survey 75 list.

Individuals who have been working on CCNA Security certification can keep going right up through Feb. 23, however — the new CCNA makes its debut Feb. 24 — and credentials earned under the old regime will remain valid through the Cisco-standard three-year window that precedes recertification. In other words, this soon-to-be-replaced cert still has a little life left in it.

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

All U.S. Respondents
Average Annual Salary: $106,260
Median Annual Salary: $98,750
How satisfied are you with your current salary?
Completely Satisfied: 7.1 percent
Very Satisfied: 25 percent
Satisfied: 34 percent
Not Very Satisfied: 25 percent
Not At All Satisfied: 8.9 percent

All Non-U.S. Respondents
Average Annual Salary: $58,700
Median Annual Salary: $45,000
How satisfied are you with your current salary?
Completely Satisfied: 6.5 percent
Very Satisfied: 10.9 percent
Satisfied: 23.9 percent
Not Very Satisfied: 37 percent
Not At All Satisfied: 21.7 percent

The largest single body of CCNA Security holders to participate in the survey is made up of U.S. residents (55.4 percent of those surveyed), but we also heard from credential holders in 29 other countries: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Croatia, Egypt, Germany, Greece, India, Ireland, Italy, Kenya, Kuwait, Malaysia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Uganda, and the United Kingdom.

Most of the CCNA Security holders we heard from are men (96.2 percent of respondents), with a bare handful of female certified professionals in the mix. This survey group skews somewhat younger than many of our other subgroups, with nearly 60 percent of those surveyed either between the ages of 25 and 34 (21.6 percent) or between the ages of 35 and 44 (38.2 percent). The rest are either between the ages of 45 and 54 (27.4 percent of respondents), between the ages of 55 and 64 (11.8 percent), or between the ages of 65 and 74 (1 percent).

More than 87 percent of the CCNA Security 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 Security holders is either a bachelor's degree (49 percent of those surveyed), master's degree (30.3 percent), associate's degree (3 percent), professional degree (3 percent), or doctorate (2 percent). The outliers are the 7.8 percent of respondents who completed some level of technical training after high school, the 3.9 percent who exited the realm of formal education after completing a high school diploma, and the 1 percent who are currently in school.

A solid 96.2 percent of the CCNA Security holders who participated in the survey are employed full-time, with the remaining 3.8 percent either working part time (1.9 percent) or unemployed (1.9 percent). Among those who have full-time jobs, most are punching the clock either for the standard 40 hours per week (34.1 percent of respondents) or for between 41 and 50 hours per week (45.7 percent). The rest are at the office for either more than 50 hours per week (13 percent of those surveyed), fewer than 20 hours per week (0.5 percent), or between 31 and 39 hours per week (6.7 percent).

In terms of workplace standing, the largest single group of CCNA Security holders we heard from are employed at the senior specialist level (44.2 percent of respondents). The rest, in descending order, are either specialists (19.8 percent of those surveyed), managers (16.2 percent), directors (6.3 percent), rank-and-file employees (5.4 percent), senior managers (4.5 percent), or executives (3.6 percent).

A notable 55 percent of the CCNA Security 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 (4.5 percent of those surveyed), between 3 and 5 years (16.2 percent), between 6 and 8 years (also 16.2 percent), and between 9 and 10 years (8.1 percent).

Finally, here's the view of CCNA Security 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: 34.2 percent
Several times a week: 38.8 percent
Several times a month: 21.6 percent
Occasionally: 2.7 percent
Rarely: 2.7 percent

Since becoming certified, I feel there is greater demand for my skills.
Strongly agree: 37 percent
Agree: 46.8 percent
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 12.6 percent
Disagree: 3.6 percent
Strongly Disagree: [No responses]

Becoming certified has increased my problem-solving skills.
Strongly agree: 31.5 percent
Agree: 37 percent
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 25.2 percent
Disagree: 4.5 percent
Strongly Disagree: 1.8 percent

Becoming certified has increased my workplace productivity.
Strongly agree: 24.2 percent
Agree: 42.5 percent
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 25.4 percent
Disagree: 5.4 percent
Strongly Disagree: 2.5 percent

PAST CCNA SECURITY DEEP FOCUS FEATURES

2017