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 These posts contain previously unpublished Salary Survey data.

“Governance” is one of those terms that everyone recognizes as having a place in IT, but for which nobody can rattle off a brilliant pithy definition. Fortunately for everyone out there, we have an excellent article that tackles that very topic and is at least brilliant, if not precisely pithy.

As mentioned in that article, perhaps the premier certification for governance professionals is the Certified in the Governance of Enterprise IT (CGEIT) credential managed by cybersecurity and governance association ISACA. A perennial Salary Survey high-roller, CGEIT landed at No. 6 on our most recent Salary Survey 75 list.

Here’s what the salary picture looks like for CGEIT holders who responded to the Salary Survey:

All U.S. Respondents
Average Annual Salary: $142,500
Median Annual Salary: $155,000
How satisfied are you with your current salary?
Completely Satisfied: 9 percent
Very Satisfied: 36.4 percent
Satisfied: 19.1 percent
Not Very Satisfied: 18.2 percent
Not At All Satisfied: 17.3 percent

All Non-U.S. Respondents
Average Annual Salary: $103,750
Median Annual Salary: $100,000
How satisfied are you with your current salary?
Completely Satisfied: [No responses]
Very Satisfied: 10 percent
Satisfied: 60 percent
Not Very Satisfied: 20 percent
Not At All Satisfied: 10 percent

The largest single body of CGEIT holders to participate in the survey is made up of U.S. residents (54.2 percent). We also heard from credential holders in 9 different countries: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Mexico, Norway, Peru, Spain, and Switzerland.

Per the Salary Survey usual, men outnumber women among CGEIT holders: 90.5 percent of credential holders are male. Whether male or female, however, there are no spring chickens in this crowd, with the “youngsters” between the ages of 35 and 44 (28.6 percent), and everyone else either between the ages of 45 and 54 (43.3 percent) or between the ages of 55 and 64 (28.1 percent).

On the formal education front, the highest level of education completed by most CGEIT holders is either a bachelor’s degree (38.1 percent of respondents), master’s degree (also 38.1 percent), associate’s degree (9.5 percent), doctorate (5.2 percent), or professional degree (4.8 percent). The only respondents to not claim some level of college education are the ones who are most likely currently engaged in furthering their university attainment: 4.3 percent of are currently students.

Full-time employment among CGEIT holders is solid at 87.5 percent, with 8.3 percent of those surveyed employed part-time, and 4.2 percent unemployed. Among those who have full-time jobs, most are on the clock either between 41 and 50 hours per week (47.6 percent) or have their noses to the grindstone more than 50 hours per week (28.1 percent). The outliers are those who have a standard 40-hour schedule (19.1 percent), or who work between 31 and 39 hours per week (9.5 percent).

In terms of workplace standing, the largest single group of CGEIT holders are either senior specialists (24.4 percent of respondents) or executives (23.6 percent). The rest, in descending order, are either directors (20 percent of those surveyed), senior managers (16 percent), managers (12 percent), or rank-and-file employees (4 percent).

A somewhat astounding 76 percent of all CGEIT holders to participate in the survey 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 3 and 5 years (8 percent), or between 9 and 10 years (16 percent).

Finally, here’s the view of CGEIT 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: 56 percent
Several times a week: 36 percent
Several times a month: 4.4 percent
Occasionally: [No responses]
Rarely: 3.6 percent

Since becoming certified, I feel there is greater demand for my skills.
Strongly agree: 36 percent percent
Agree: 56 percent
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 5 percent
Disagree: [No responses]
Strongly Disagree: 3 percent

Becoming certified has increased my problem-solving skills.
Strongly agree: 28 percent
Agree: 44 percent
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 24 percent
Disagree: [No responses]
Strongly Disagree: 4 percent

Becoming certified has increased my workplace productivity.
Strongly agree: 20 percent
Agree: 40 percent
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 36 percent
Disagree: [No responses]
Strongly Disagree: 4 percent