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 These posts contain previously unpublished Salary Survey data.

Most certified networking professionals probably get their first taste of computer networking by connecting devices to a home or public school wireless network. For quite a few of them, however, their first taste of computer networking certification very likely comes from CompTIA. The tech industry association’s popular Network+ credential is one of the more potent gateway certification in the entire IT industry.

Network+ is also a staple of our annual Salary Survey, and checked in at no. 62 on the most recent Salary Survey 75 list. Here’s what the salary picture looks like for Network+ holders who responded to the survey:

All U.S. Respondents
Average Annual Salary: $97,260
Median Annual Salary: $95,560
How satisfied are you with your current salary?
Completely Satisfied: 10.7 percent
Very Satisfied: 20.8 percent
Satisfied: 43.5 percent
Not Very Satisfied: 17.9 percent
Not At All Satisfied: 7.1 percent

All Non-U.S. Respondents
Average Annual Salary: $59,020
Median Annual Salary: $53,330
How satisfied are you with your current salary?
Completely Satisfied: 2 percent
Very Satisfied: 14 percent
Satisfied: 52 percent
Not Very Satisfied: 20 percent
Not At All Satisfied: 12 percent

The largest single body of Network+ holders to participate in the survey is made up of U.S. residents: 87 percent of those surveyed. CompTIA has a global certification footprint, of course, so we did hear from credential holders in 10 other countries: Australia, Canada, Italy, Jamaica, Nigeria, Portugal, South Africa, Sweden, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United Kingdom.

Most of the credential holders we heard from are men (93.4 percent of respondents), though a handful of women also participated in the survey. We heard from certified professionals across the age spectrum, with 38.5 percent of respondents between the ages of 35 and 44, 27 percent between the ages of 45 and 54, 14.8 percent between the ages of 55 and 64, and 13.7 percent between the ages of 25 and 34. The outliers are the 3.3 percent of respondents between the ages of 65 and 74, and the 2.2 percent between the ages of 19 and 24.

More than 75 percent of the Network+ holders we surveyed have an educational background that includes college. The highest level of education completed by most Network+ holders is either a bachelor’s degree (29.5 percent of respondents), master’s degree (25.4 percent), associate’s degree (18.1 percent), doctorate (1.6 percent), or professional degree such as a juris doctor (1 percent). Among those with no college credentials, the highest level of education completed for most is some level of post-high school technical training (17.1 percent of respondents), with 4.7 percent having risen no higher than a high school diploma, and 2.6 percent still in school.

Among all Network+ holders surveyed, 94.3 percent have full-time jobs, with 2.2 percent employed part time, 3 percent currently out of work, and 0.5 percent currently students. Among those with full-time jobs, most have either a standard 40-hour work week (34.6 percent of those surveyed), put in between 41 and 50 hours per week (46.2 percent), or are at work more than 50 hours per week (11 percent). The rest either have a work schedule that consists of between 31 and 39 hours per week (7.1 percent), or work between 20 and 30 hours per week (1.1 percent).

In terms of workplace standing, the largest single group of Network+ holders in the survey are at the senior specialist level (38.3 percent of respondents). The rest, in descending order, are either specialists (22.6 percent of those surveyed), rank-and-file employees (11 percent), managers (10 percent), senior managers (7 percent), directors (5.5 percent), or executives (2 percent).

More than half (59.8 percent) of the Network+ holders we surveyed 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 2 years (10.5 percent of respondents), between 3 and 5 years (12.1 percent), between 6 and 8 years (12.1 percent), or between 9 and 10 years (5.5 percent).

Finally, here’s the view of Network+ 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: 53.9 percent
Several times a week: 28.1 percent
Several times a month: 8.5 percent
Occasionally: 7.5 percent
Rarely: 2 percent

Since becoming certified, I feel there is greater demand for my skills.
Strongly agree: 37.2 percent percent
Agree: 34.2 percent
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 21.6 percent
Disagree: 4 percent
Strongly Disagree: 3 percent

Becoming certified has increased my problem-solving skills.
Strongly agree: 28.6 percent
Agree: 41.2 percent
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 19.6 percent
Disagree: 7.6 percent
Strongly Disagree: 3 percent

Becoming certified has increased my workplace productivity.
Strongly agree: 27.1 percent
Agree: 38.7 percent
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 23.6 percent
Disagree: 7.6 percent
Strongly Disagree: 3 percent