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 These posts contain previously unpublished Salary Survey data.

It's the start of a new year and the start of a new Deep Focus series. With the 2020 Salary Survey both in the books and in the newest issue of Certification Magazine, it's time to take a closer look at the King of the Hill credential that landed on top of this year's Salary Survey 75 list.

Cloud identity management provider Okta has been making a Salary Survey splash over the past couple of years. There are three levels of Okta certification, however, and only the first two have been represented in past surveys. This year, we finally heard from enough certification holders at the top of the Okta certification pyramid to zero in on Okta Certified Consultant.

After a two-year run by different Amazon Web Services certifications, Okta Certified Consultant makes its first Salary Survey 75 appearance at No. 1 — no gradual buildup, just straight to the top of the heap. If you have a professional interest in cloud identity, it would appear that Okta certification has the potential to dramatically boost your career.

Here's what the salary picture looks like for Okta Certified Consultant holders who responded to the Salary Survey:

All U.S. Respondents
Average Annual Salary: $161,410
Median Annual Salary: $153,750
How satisfied are you with your current salary?
Completely Satisfied: 13.1 percent
Very Satisfied: 34.8 percent
Satisfied: 39.1 percent
Not Very Satisfied: 8.7 percent
Not At All Satisfied: 4.3 percent

All Non-U.S. Respondents
Average Annual Salary: $92,110
Median Annual Salary: $102,500
How satisfied are you with your current salary?
Completely Satisfied: [No responses]
Very Satisfied: 44.5 percent
Satisfied: 33.3 percent
Not Very Satisfied: 22.2 percent
Not At All Satisfied: [No responses]

The largest single body of Okta Certified Consultant holders to participate in the survey is made up of U.S. residents (71.9 percent of those surveyed), but we also heard from credential holders in five other countries: Australia, France, the Netherlands, Romania, and the United Kingdom.

Nearly all of the Okta Certified Consultant holders we heard from are men, with woman accounting for just 3.1 percent of responses. The overall group is considerably younger than the Deep Focus norm: More than 75 percent of those surveyed are younger than 45, with 6.2 percent between the ages of 19 and 24, 31.3 percent between the ages of 25 and 34, and 40.6 between the ages of 35 and 44. The outliers are the 12.5 percent of respondents between the ages of 45 and 54, and the 9.4 percent between the ages of 55 and 64.

More than 85 percent of Okta Certified Consultant 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 Okta Certified Consultant holders is either a bachelor's degree (62.5 percent of respondents), master's degree (18.8 percent), or associate's degree (6.2 percent). The outliers are the 9.4 percent of those surveyed who completed some level of technical training after high school and the 3.1 percent who exited the realm of formal education after completing high school.

Okta certification is apparently a rock solid hedge against unemployment: 100 percent of Okta Certified Consultant holders who responded to the survey are employed full-time. For most, that means punching the clock for either between 41 and 50 hours per week (50 percent of respondents) or for the standard 40 hours (28.1 percent). The rest, 21.9 percent of respondents, put in more than 50 hours per week.

For some, that means a lot of time at the office, though a surprising number of those surveyed work either mostly or entirely from home: 53 percent of respondents work from home either 40 hours per week (25 percent), or more than 40 hours per week (28.1 percent). A further 22 percent of respondents spend half or more than half of their work time in pajamas (or other casual wear), clocking in from home for either between 31 and 39 hours per week (6.3 percent) or between 21 and 30 hours per week (15.6 percent). That leaves 25 percent of those surveyed who spend most of their time in a traditional office setting, only working from home for either between 10 and 20 hours per week (12.5 percent) or fewer than 10 hours per week (also 12.5 percent).

In terms of workplace standing, the largest single group of Okta Certified Consultant holders we heard from are employed at the senior specialist level (51.4 percent of respondents). The rest, in descending order, are either specialists (18.9 percent of those surveyed), directors or rank-and-file employees (both 10.8 percent), senior managers (5.4 percent), or managers (2.7 percent).

A core 32.4 percent of the Okta Certified Consultant 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 (13.5 percent of those surveyed), between 3 and 5 years (43.3 percent), between 6 and 8 years (8.1 percent) or between 9 and 10 years (2.7 percent).

Finally, here's the view of Okta Certified Consultant 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: 81.1 percent
Several times a week: 18.9 percent
Several times a month: [No responses]
Occasionally: [No responses]
Rarely: [No responses]

Since becoming certified, I feel there is greater demand for my skills.
Strongly agree: 56.8 percent
Agree: 27 percent
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 13.5 percent
Disagree: 2.7 percent
Strongly Disagree: [No responses]

Becoming certified has increased my problem-solving skills.
Strongly agree: 32.4 percent
Agree: 37.9 percent
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 21.6 percent
Disagree: 8.1 percent
Strongly Disagree: [No responses]

Becoming certified has increased my workplace productivity.
Strongly agree: 32.4 percent
Agree: 40.5 percent
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 18.9 percent
Disagree: 8.1 percent
Strongly Disagree: [No responses]