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 These posts contain previously unpublished Salary Survey data.

Cloud computing is becoming an integral element of all aspects of information technology (IT), rapidly on some fronts, and more gradually on others. Hence, IT professionals who have a strong understanding of cloud technology can take their careers in a lot of different directions.

The Cloud+ certification (No. 61 on our most recent Salary Survey 75 list) curated by tech industry association CompTIA is a great means of positioning oneself to take advantage of cloud ubiquity. The combination of the respected CompTIA brand and broad knowledge of cloud principles and processes is likely to be appealing to a variety of employers.

Here's what the salary picture looks like for CompTIA Cloud+ holders who responded to the Salary Survey:

All U.S. Respondents
Average Annual Salary: $83,110
Median Annual Salary: $80,380
How satisfied are you with your current salary?
Completely Satisfied: [No responses]
Very Satisfied: 20 percent
Satisfied: 33.3 percent
Not Very Satisfied: 33.3 percent
Not At All Satisfied: 13.4 percent

CompTIA's respected brand is global, but we didn't hear from enough credential holders outside the United States to provide reliable salary data. Hence, everything discussed here applies only to credential holders in the United States.

Most of the Cloud+ holders who responded to the survey are men, but a rare and surprising 23.3 percent of them — nearly a fourth — are women. Also surprising, given the overall newness of cloud computing and its tricks, is the fact that almost all of the credential holders we heard from are relatively old dogs. Nearly 85 percent of those surveyed are 45 or older, either between the ages of 45 and 54 (46.7 percent), between the ages of 55 and 64 (23.3 percent), or between the ages of 65 and 74. Even the new kids on the block are essentially entering middle age: all 16.7 percent of respondents not accounted for by the 45-or-older crowd are between the ages of 35 and 44.

More than 85 percent of the Cloud+ 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 Cloud+ holders is either a bachelor's degree (33.4 percent of respondents), master's degree (26.7 percent), associate's degree (23.3 percent), or professional degree (3.3 percent). That accounts for everyone except for the 10 percent of respondents who exited the realm after completing some level of post-high school technical training, and the 3.3 percent who are currently in school.

Here's something to buttress the perception that cloud computing is a high-demand employment realm: 100 percent of Cloud+-certified survey respondents have full-time jobs. For most, that means putting in either 40 hours per week (30 percent of those surveyed), between 41 and 50 hours per week (43.3 percent), or more than 50 hours per week (16.7 percent). A lucky 10 percent of respondents, however, have a full-time schedule that is either between 31 and 39 hours per week (6.7 percent) or fewer than 20 hours per week (3.3 percent).

Prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, 83 percent of respondents were spending most (or all) of those hours in a traditional workplace, working from home either fewer than 10 hours per week (73.3 percent) or between 10 and 20 hours per week (10 percent). The rest were better accustomed to what has become the norm for many, working from home either between 21 and 30 hours per week (3.3 percent of those surveyed), 40 hours per week (6.7 percent), or more than 40 hours per week (also 6.7 percent).

In terms of workplace standing, the largest single group of Cloud+ holders we heard from (33.3 percent of respondents) are employed at the senior specialist level. The rest, in descending order, are either specialists (26.7 percent of respondents), managers (16.7 percent), rank-and-file employees (13.3 percent), senior managers (6.7 percent), or directors (3.3 percent).

Exactly half of the Cloud+ holders who participated in 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 (13.3 percent of respondents), between 3 and 5 years (16.7 percent), between 6 and 8 years (10 percent) or between 9 and 10 years (also 10 percent).

Finally, here's the view of  Cloud+ 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: 36.7 percent
Several times a week: 30 percent
Several times a month: 10 percent
Occasionally: 16.7 percent
Rarely: 6.6 percent

Since becoming certified, I feel there is greater demand for my skills.
Strongly agree: 23.4 percent
Agree: 50 percent
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 20 percent
Disagree: 3.3 percent
Strongly Disagree: 3.3 percent

Becoming certified has increased my problem-solving skills.
Strongly agree: 26.7 percent
Agree: 60 percent
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 10 percent
Disagree: 3.3 percent
Strongly Disagree: [No responses]

Becoming certified has increased my workplace productivity.
Strongly agree: 23.3 percent
Agree: 43.4 percent
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 30 percent
Disagree: 3.3 percent
Strongly Disagree: [No responses]

PAST CLOUD+ DEEP FOCUS FEATURES

2019