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 These posts contain previously unpublished Salary Survey data.
As the worldwide tally of connected devices surges past 50 billion — a global average of more than six connected devices for every human on Earth — computer networking know-how remains a critically important IT skill. The Network Pro credential (No. 74 on our most recent Salary Survey 75 list) offered by TestOut is a great way to jump into in this essential industry specialization.
Here’s what the salary picture looks like for the Network Pro holders who responded to the Salary Survey:
All U.S. Respondents
Average Annual Salary: $64,480
Median Annual Salary: $66,250
How satisfied are you with your current salary?
Completely Satisfied: 20 percent
Very Satisfied: 13.3 percent
Satisfied: 40 percent
Not Very Satisfied: 26.8 percent
Not At All Satisfied: [No responses]
There are some TestOut credential holders who live and work outside the United States, but TestOut certifications are most widely deployed in the United States. Because of low total responses from non-U.S. credential holders, the Network Pro data discussed here doesn’t take other countries into account.
Somewhat unusually, not a single one of the Network Pro holders we heard from is a woman: 99.4 percent are men, with 0.6 percent who identify as gender variant/nonconforming. Not only that, but most of the credential holders we heard from are younger than their industry peers. Nearly 70 percent of the Network Pro holders who responded to the survey are younger than 45, either between the ages of 35 and 44 (47 percent) or between the ages of 25 and 34 (20 percent). The rest are all between the ages of 45 and 54 (33 percent of those surveyed).
More than 85 percent of Network Pro 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 Network Pro holders is either a bachelor’s degree (13.3 percent), master’s degree (33.4 percent), or associate’s degree (40 percent). The outliers are the 7 percent of survey respondents who exited the realm of formal education after completing high school and the 6.3 percent who are currently in school.
An impressive 88.2 percent of Network Pro holders who participated in the survey have full-time jobs, with the remaining 11.8 percent working part-time jobs. For most respondents, a full-time schedule means either putting in the standard 40 hours per week (40.3 percent of respondents), putting in between 41 and 50 hours per week (27 percent), or working more than 50 hours per week (26.7 percent). The outliers are the 6 percent who put in between 31 and 39 hours per week.
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continued to shake up the formerly standard remote work dynamic in 2021, and some Network Pro holders are experiencing that shift first hand. A notable 21.3 percent of those surveyed have the option of wearing pajamas to work for the standard 40 hours per week, while 6.7 percent work from home between 31 and 39 hours per week. Everyone else has more traditional office hours, working from home either fewer than 10 hours per week (53.3 percent) or for between 10 and 20 hours per week (16.7 percent).
In terms of workplace standing, the largest single group of Network Pro holders we heard from are employed at the rank-and-file employee level (41.1 percent of those surveyed). The rest, in descending order, are either senior specialists (17.9 percent), specialists (17.4 percent), managers (11.8 percent), senior managers (6.2 percent), or executives (5.2 percent).
Most of the Network Pro holders who responded to the survey — 47 percent of them — are computer networking novices, having worked in a role that directly utilizes one or more of their certified skills for between 3 and 5 years. The rest have been plying their certified skills for either between zero years (1 to 11 months) and 2 years (23.5 percent), between 6 and 8 years (17.6 percent), or between 9 and 10 years (11.8 percent).
Finally, here’s the view of Network Pro 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: 23.8 percent
Several times a week: 52.6 percent
Several times a month: 11.8 percent
Occasionally: 6.2 percent
Rarely: 5.6 percent
Since becoming certified, I feel there is greater demand for my skills.
Strongly Agree: 29.4 percent
Agree: 59.1 percent
Neither Agree nor Disagree: [No responses]
Disagree: [No responses]
Strongly Disagree: 11.5 percent
Becoming certified has increased my problem-solving skills.
Strongly Agree: 41.5 percent
Agree: 40.9 percent
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 5.6 percent
Disagree: [No responses]
Strongly Disagree: 12 percent
Becoming certified has increased my workplace productivity.
Strongly Agree: 35.6 percent
Agree: 41.2 percent
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 6.2 percent
Disagree: 5.6 percent
Strongly Disagree: 11.4 percent
PAST TESTOUT NETWORK PRO DEEP FOCUS FEATURES
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