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 These posts contain previously unpublished Salary Survey data.

Can a certification be blue? We only ask because the Microsoft Certified Solution Expert (MCSE) Cloud Platform and Infrastructure is darn close to satisfying all four requirements of the proverbial wedding day bride-gift rhyme, the one that instructs us that a new bride should be given something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue.

MCSE Cloud Platform and Infrastructure is a new credential, released last year, but it’s also mostly borrowed from an old one, MCSE Server Infrastructure, that was phased out almost exactly a year ago. A cert by any other name would still help you boost your income, however, and the old/new/borrowed MCSE Cloud Platform and Infrastructure stands at No. 29 on this year’s Salary Survey 75 list.

Here’s what the salary picture looks like for MCSE Cloud Platform and Infrastructure holders who responded to the Salary Survey:

All U.S. Respondents
Average Annual Salary: $127,980
Median Annual Salary: $127,500
How satisfied are you with your current salary?
Completely Satisfied: 19 percent
Very Satisfied: 24.3 percent
Satisfied: 33.3 percent
Not Very Satisfied: 23.4 percent
Not At All Satisfied: [No responses]

All Non-U.S. Respondents
Average Annual Salary: $62,320
Median Annual Salary: $51,670
How satisfied are you with your current salary?
Completely Satisfied: 4.1 percent
Very Satisfied: 4.5 percent
Satisfied: 27.3 percent
Not Very Satisfied: 59.1 percent
Not At All Satisfied: 5 percent

The largest single body of MCSE Cloud Platform and Infrastructure holders in the survey is made up of U.S. residents (48.8 percent of those surveyed). We also heard from certified individuals in 17 other countries: Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Indonesia, Italy, Kazakhstan, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, Portugal, Sri Lanka, and Switzerland.

Almost all of the MCSE Cloud Platform and Infrastructure holders who responded to the survey are men: 97.9 percent, in fact. In addition to be predominantly male, the MCSE Cloud Platform and Infrastructure crowd is also somewhat younger than many of the other certification subsets we come across. While we didn’t hear from anyone younger than 25, 63 percent of those who did respond are either between the ages of 25 and 34 (25.6 percent of those surveyed) or between the ages of 35 and 44 (37.2 percent). The rest are either between the ages of 45 and 54 (20.9 percent) or between the ages of 55 and 64 (16.3 percent), with nobody checking in who’s older than 64.

The highest level of formal education completed by most MCSE Cloud Platform and Infrastructure holders is either a bachelor’s degree (41.9 percent of those surveyed) or master’s degree (23.3 percent), with a bit of room taken up by the 11.6 percent who topped out at an associate’s (two-year) degree, and the 2.2 percent who hold a professional degree (such as a juris doctor) . The rest either completed some level of post-secondary technical training (16.3 percent) or are still in school (4.7 percent).

Of particular note among MCSE Cloud Platform and Infrastructure holders who responded to the survey is that 100 percent are employed full-time, a Deep Focus finding that is rare, but not without precedent. A fortunate few who checked in — 7 percent of those surveyed — work between 31 and 39 hours per week, but everyone else is at work either for the standard 40 hours per week (30.2 percent), between 41 and 50 hours per week (44.2 percent), or more than 50 hours per week (18.6 percent).

In terms of workplace standing, more than three-fourths of all MCSE Cloud Platform and Infrastructure holders who responded to the survey are either senior specialists (55.3 percent), specialists (17 percent), or rank-and-file employees (4.3 percent). Among the remaining one-fourth, most are either managers (10.6 percent of those surveyed) of directors (8.5 percent), with a smattering of senior managers (2.3 percent) and executives (2 percent).

Almost all of the MCSE Cloud Platform and Infrastructure holders who responded to the survey have been working with Microsoft server technology for a not insignificant stretch of time. While there are 8.5 percent who have worked in a role that directly utilizes one or more of their certified skills for between zero years (1 to 11 months) and 2 years and 12.8 percent who have done the same for between 3 and 5 years, most could hardly be considered newcomers to Microsoft technology. Roughly 13 percent have been up to their elbows in Microsoft tech for between 6 and 8 years, while about 8 percent have been so engaged for between 9 and 10 years. Everyone else (59.6 percent of respondents) has been in a role that leans on their certified Microsoft skills for more than a decade.

Finally, here’s the view of MCSE Cloud Platform and Infrastructure 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: 57.5 percent
Several times a week: 25.5 percent
Several times a month: 10.6 percent
Occasionally: 6.4 percent
Rarely: [No responses]

Since becoming certified, I feel there is greater demand for my skills.
Strongly agree: 36.1 percent
Agree: 44.7 percent
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 15.1 percent
Disagree: 2.3 percent
Strongly Disagree: 1.7 percent

Becoming certified has increased my problem-solving skills.
Strongly agree: 34 percent
Agree: 42.6 percent
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 10.7 percent
Disagree: 12.7 percent
Strongly Disagree: [No responses]

Becoming certified has increased my workplace productivity.
Strongly agree: 25.5 percent
Agree: 51.1 percent
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 12.8 percent
Disagree: 10.6 percent
Strongly Disagree: [No responses]