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 These posts contain previously unpublished Salary Survey data.

There has been quite a lot of change in the Microsoft certification world over the past couple of years, as well as in the wider Microsoft realm. With the company having already announced the end of its long-running practice of issuing new releases of its signature Windows operating system, the most critical Windows-affiliated certification may be entering a new era.

If Windows 10 is the last new release of Windows we’ll ever need, then it stands to reason that the Microsoft Certified Solutions Associated (MCSA) Windows 10 — No. 66 on our most recent Salary Survey 75 list — could be the last Windows certification we’ll ever need. Time will tell.

Here’s what the salary picture looks like for MCSA Windows 10 holders who responded to the Salary Survey:

All U.S. Respondents
Average Annual Salary: $90,180
Median Annual Salary: $75,000
How satisfied are you with your current salary?
Completely Satisfied: 21.5 percent
Very Satisfied: 7.1 percent
Satisfied: 50 percent
Not Very Satisfied: 7.1 percent
Not At All Satisfied: 14.3 percent

All Non-U.S. Respondents
Average Annual Salary: $35,590
Median Annual Salary: $27,500
How satisfied are you with your current salary?
Completely Satisfied: [No responses]
Very Satisfied: 15.4 percent
Satisfied: 23.1 percent
Not Very Satisfied: 46.1 percent
Not At All Satisfied: 15.4 percent

The largest single body of MCSA Windows 10 holders to participate in the survey is made up of U.S. residents (51.9 percent of respondents). We also heard from credential holders in eight different countries: Australia, Canada, Croatia, Greece, Kuwait, Serbia, South Africa, and the United Kingdom.

Men almost always outnumber women in our surveys, but the contrast here is even more stark than the norm: 96.3 percent of MCSA Windows 10 holders who responded to the survey are men. There’s also a strong skew toward (relative) youth, with more than 65 percent of those surveyed either between the ages of 19 and 24 (3.7 percent), between the ages of 25 and 34 (33.4 percent), or between the ages of 35 and 44 (29.6 percent). The balance of MCSA Windows 10 holders are either between the ages of 45 and 54 (11.1 percent of respondents), between the ages of 55 and 64 (18.5 percent), or between the ages of 65 and 74 (3.7 percent).

When it comes to formal education, the highest level of education completed by most MCSA Windows 10 holders is either a bachelor’s degree (37 percent of those surveyed) or master’s degree (25.9 percent), with a further 11.2 percent who hold associate’s degrees. Those without any level of college degree either abandoned the educational realm after completing high school (3.7 percent of respondents), completed some level of post-high school technical training (18.5 percent), or are currently in school (3.7 percent).

Full-time employment among MCSA Windows 10 holders is solid, with 90 percent of those surveyed employed full-time, compared to 3.3 percent who have part-time positions, and 6.7 percent who are currently out of work. Among those who have full-time jobs, most are at work either between 41 and 50 hours per week (40.7 percent of respondents) or have a standard 40-hour schedule (33.3 percent). Almost everyone else puts in more than 50 hours per week (22.2 percent of respondents), though there are a handful (3.8 percent) who work between 31 and 39 hours.

In terms of workplace standing, the largest single group of MCSA Windows 10 holders are rank-and-file employees (34.3 percent of respondents). The rest, in descending order, are either senior specialists (25 percent), specialists (12.5 percent), managers and senior managers (9.4 percent apiece), directors (6.3 percent), or executives (3.1 percent).

Nearly half (46.9 percent) of all MCSA Windows 10 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 zero years (1 to 11 months) and 2 years (12.5 percent of respondents), between 3 and  years (12.5 percent), between 6 and 8 years (21.8 percent), or between 9 and 10 years (6.3 percent).

Finally, here’s the view of MCSA Windows 10 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: 59.4 percent
Several times a week: 15.6 percent
Several times a month: 9.4 percent
Occasionally: 12.5 percent
Rarely: 3.1 percent

Since becoming certified, I feel there is greater demand for my skills.
Strongly agree: 21.9 percent percent
Agree: 34.4 percent
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 21.9 percent
Disagree: 6.3 percent
Strongly Disagree: 15.5 percent

Becoming certified has increased my problem-solving skills.
Strongly agree: 28.1 percent
Agree: 46.9 percent
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 18.8 percent
Disagree: 3.1 percent
Strongly Disagree: 3.1 percent

Becoming certified has increased my workplace productivity.
Strongly agree: 21.9 percent
Agree: 37.5 percent
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 31.2 percent
Disagree: 6.3 percent
Strongly Disagree: 3.1 percent