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 These posts contain previously unpublished Salary Survey data.

Every so often the Deep Focus team lands on a certification that is no longer in service (so to speak). Microsoft has made fairly sweeping revisions to its certification program over the past year, and Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA): Office 365 — No. 69 on our most recent Salary Survey 75 list — is one of those credentials that's been swept under the rug. So this week's installment is more of a fond farewell than a relevant perspective on current events.

Here's what the salary picture looks like for MCSA: Office 365 holders who responded to the Salary Survey:

All U.S. Respondents
Average Annual Salary: $77,100
Median Annual Salary: $76,250
How satisfied are you with your current salary?
Completely Satisfied: 8.3 percent
Very Satisfied: 33.3 percent
Satisfied: 41.7 percent
Not Very Satisfied: 16.7 percent
Not At All Satisfied: [No responses]

All Non-U.S. Respondents
Average Annual Salary: $64,220
Median Annual Salary: $66,250
How satisfied are you with your current salary?
Completely Satisfied: 5.3 percent
Very Satisfied: 15.7 percent
Satisfied: 32.1 percent
Not Very Satisfied: 31.1 percent
Not At All Satisfied: 15.7 percent

The largest single body of MCSA: Office 365 holders to participate in the survey is made up of U.S. residents (38.7 percent), but we also heard from credential holders in 14 other countries: Australia, Canada, Chile, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Peru, Romania, Singapore, South Africa, and the United Kingdom.

A notable and surprising number of the MCSA: Office 365 holders who responded to the survey are women: 22.8 percent, pushing the percentage of men below 80 percent, which is an exceedingly rare Deep Focus occurrence. The range of ages among MCSA: Office 365 holders forms a pretty smooth curve, with 3.1 percent of those surveyed between the ages of 19 and 24, 9.7 percent between the ages of 25 and 34, 35.5 percent between the ages of 35 and 44. On the downslope of the curve, we find 25.8 percent of respondents between the ages of 45 and 54, 19.4 percent between the ages of 55 and 64, and 6.5 percent between the ages of 65 and 74.

Not quite 80 percent of the MCSA: Office 365 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 MCSA: Office 365 holders is either a bachelor's degree (38.7 percent of respondents), master's degree (19.7 percent), professional degree (13 percent), doctorate (3.2 percent), or associate's degree (3.2 percent). The rest either topped out with some level of post-high school technical training (16.1 percent of respondents), departed the realm of formal education after completing high school (3.2 percent), or are currently in school (3.2 percent).

A sturdy 88.6 percent of MCSA: Office 365 holders who participated in the survey are employed full-time, with 8.6 percent holding part-time jobs, and 2.8 percent on sabbatical. Among those who have full-time jobs, most are at work either for the standard 40 hours per week (32.3 percent of those surveyed) or clock in weekly for between 41 and 50 hours (38.7 percent). The outliers are at the office either for more than 50 hours per week (16.1 percent of respondents) or for between 31 and 39 hours per week (12.9 percent).

In terms of workplace standing, the largest single group of MCSA: Office 365 holders we heard from are employed at the senior specialist level (36.1 percent of respondents). The rest, in descending order, are either specialists (25 percent), rank-and-file employees (11.1 percent), directors (also 11.1 percent), senior managers (8.3 percent), managers (5.6 percent), or executives (2.8 percent).

A little more than half (52.8 percent) of the MCSA: Office 365 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 (13.9 percent of respondents), between 3 and 5 years (19.4 percent), or between 9 and 10 years (13.9 percent).

Finally, here's the view of MCSA: Office 365 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: 41.7 percent
Several times a week: 25 percent
Several times a month: 22.1 percent
Occasionally: 5.6 percent
Rarely: 5.6 percent

Since becoming certified, I feel there is greater demand for my skills.
Strongly agree: 30.6 percent
Agree: 41.7 percent
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 22.2 percent
Disagree: 5.5 percent
Strongly Disagree: [No responses]

Becoming certified has increased my problem-solving skills.
Strongly agree: 33.3 percent
Agree: 36.1 percent
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 27.8 percent
Disagree: 2.8 percent
Strongly Disagree: [No responses]

Becoming certified has increased my workplace productivity.
Strongly agree: 27.8 percent
Agree: 33.3 percent
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 36.1 percent
Disagree: 2.8 percent
Strongly Disagree: [No responses]