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 These posts contain previously unpublished Salary Survey data.

We all want to do more with less, but most of us would probably settle for doing more with the resources that we have already. Virtualization is sort of like that: You use the computer that you have already have, but create a virtual computer inside it, one that typically runs a different operating system (OS) better suited to various specialized software apps.

VMware has a dominating position in the virtualization marketplace and its widely respected certifications are highly attractive to employers. One of those credentials, VMware Certified Professional - Data Center Virtualization 2020 landed in a strong position, No. 15, on our most recent Salary Survey 75 list.

Here's what the salary picture looks like for VCP Data Center Virtualization holders who responded to the Salary Survey:

‍All U.S. Respondents
Average Annual Salary: $131,960
Median Annual Salary: $137,500
How satisfied are you with your current salary?
Completely Satisfied: 13 percent
Very Satisfied: 26.1 percent
Satisfied: 56.6 percent
Not Very Satisfied: [No responses]
Not At All Satisfied: 4.3 percent‍

All Non-U.S. Respondents
Average Annual Salary: $67,730
Median Annual Salary: $45,630
How satisfied are you with your current salary?
Completely Satisfied: 17.4 percent
Very Satisfied: 8.7 percent
Satisfied: 30.4 percent
Not Very Satisfied: 39.2 percent
Not At All Satisfied: 4.3 percent

The largest single body of VCP Data Center Virtualization holders to participate in the survey is made up of U.S. residents (54.5 percent), but we also heard from credential holders in 17 other countries: Albania, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Hungary, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom.

Nearly all of the VCP Data Center Virtualization holders who responded to the survey are men 91 percent, with 4.5 percent who are women and 4.5 percent who did not identify their gender. In terms of age, this is a relatively youthful group. More than 53 percent of respondents are either between the ages of 19 and 24 (2.6 percent), between the ages of 25 and 34 (7.7 percent), or between the ages of 35 and 44 (43.5 percent), with an additional 30.8 percent who could be called 'youth adjacent' between the ages of 45 and 54. The outliers are the 15.4 percent of those surveyed who are between the ages of 55 and 64.

More than 80 percent of those surveyed have an educational background that includes time spent at a college or university. The highest level of education completed by most VCP Data Center Virtualization holders is either a bachelor's degree (48.7 percent), master's degree (30.8 percent), or associate's degree (5.1 percent). The rest of the credential holders we heard from went no further up the formal education ladder than either to complete some level of post-high school technical training (7.7 percent of respondents) or to graduate from high school (5.6 percent), with a further 2.6 percent who are currently in the process of furthering their educational pursuits.

A strong 88.6 percent of VCP Data Center Virtualization holders who responded to the survey are employed full-time, with 6.8 percent employed part-time, 2.3 percent on sabbatical, and 3.2 percent out of work. For most survey respondents, full-time employment means either putting in the standard 40 hours per week (41 percent of those surveyed) or working between 41 and 50 hours per week (30.8 percent). The outliers are the 12.8 percent of respondents who put in more than 50 hours per week and the 15.4 percent who are on the clock for between 31 and 39 hours per week.

No doubt as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, 43.6 percent of VCP Data Center Virtualization holders are spending most of those hours waking up and going to work without going out the front door, working from home either 40 hours per week from home (25.6 percent) or more than 40 hours per week (18 percent). Most of the other 60-ish percent have at least somewhat crossed over to the new workplace reality, working from home either between 31 and 39 hours per week (15.4 percent of those surveyed), between 21 and 30 hours per week (12.8 percent), or between 10 and 20 hours per week (7.7 percent). Everyone else — 20.5 percent of respondents — is mostly locked in at a traditional workplace, working from home fewer than 10 hours per week.

In terms of workplace standing, the largest single group of VCP Data Center Virtualization holders we heard from are employed at the senior specialist level (50.1 percent of those surveyed). The rest, in descending order, are either managers (13.1 percent), specialists (13 percent), executives (12.9 percent), directors (8.7 percent), or senior managers (2.2 percent).

An impressive 60.9 percent of VCP Data Center Virtualization 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 3 and 5 years (17.4 percent of respondents), between 6 and 8 years (also 8.7 percent), or between 9 and 10 years (13 percent).

Finally, here's the view of VCP Data Center Virtualization 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: 45.7 percent
Several times a week: 30.4 percent
Several times a month: 15.2 percent
Occasionally: 8.7 percent
Rarely: [No responses]‍

Since becoming certified, I feel there is greater demand for my skills.
Strongly agree: 26 percent
Agree: 52.2 percent
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 17.4 percent
Disagree: 2.2 percent
Strongly Disagree: 2.2 percent‍

Becoming certified has increased my problem-solving skills.
Strongly agree: 23.9 percent
Agree: 50 percent
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 17.4 percent
Disagree: 6.5 percent
Strongly Disagree: 2.2 percent‍

Becoming certified has increased my workplace productivity.
Strongly agree: 24.1 percent
Agree: 41.3 percent
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 23.8 percent
Disagree: 4.3 percent
Strongly Disagree: 6.5 percent‍

PAST VCP DATA CENTER VIRTUALIZATION DEEP FOCUS FEATURES

2021

2020

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