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 These posts contain previously unpublished Salary Survey data.

The Internet of Things is linking the world together, and that's just one of the reasons knowledge of computer networking is needed everywhere. The Network Pro certification from TestOut (No. 74 on our most recent Salary Survey 75 list) is a great place for networking newcomers to put a foot down and gain a foothold in the field.

Here's what the salary picture looks like for Network Pro holders who responded to the Salary Survey:

All U.S. Respondents
Average Annual Salary: $51,680
Median Annual Salary: $51,880
How satisfied are you with your current salary?
Completely Satisfied: [No responses]
Very Satisfied: 15.4 percent
Satisfied: 30.8 percent
Not Very Satisfied: 46.2 percent
Not At All Satisfied: 7.6 percent

There are Network Pro holders who live and work in countries outside the United States, but we didn't hear from enough of them to provide non-U.S. salary data. Among U.S. credential holders who responded to the Salary Survey, a noteworthy 15.4 percent are women. That's welcome news for both the networking sector and the IT realm as a whole, as women are still a largely untapped source of potential workforce replenishment.

Network Pro holders are generally younger than many of the groups we write about for these Deep Focus articles — 46.2 percent of respondents are between the ages 35 and 44, with 23.1 percent between the ages of 25 and 34, and 7.7 percent between the ages of 19 and 24. The outliers are the 15.4 percent of respondents who are between the ages of 45 and 54, and the 7.6 percent who are between the ages of 55 and 64.

University education is often seen as a minimum threshold for success in IT, but that's not necessarily the borne out here. The highest level of formal education completed for 38.5 percent of Network Pro holders is a bachelor's degree, but just 8.5 percent climbed the ladder high enough to grab a master's degree, and 23 percent stepped away after completing an associate's degree. At the same time, 15.4 percent of Network Pro holders exited the realm of formal education after completing some level of post-high school technical training, 7.7 percent only have a high school diploma, and 6.9 percent are currently in school.

Full-time employment among Network Pro holders is a locked-in 100 percent — we didn't hear from single individual who doesn't have a full-time job. Most Network Pro holders have a standard 40-hour work week (61.5 percent of respondents), while 30.8 percent are punching the clock for between 41 and 50 hours per week, with 7.7 percent at work between 31 and 39 hours per week.

In terms of workplace standing, the largest single group of Network Pro holders who responded to the survey are at the specialist level (31.5 percent of respondents). The rest, in descending order, are either employers (30 percent of those surveyed), senior managers (23.1 percent), or senior specialists (15.4 percent).

There's a lot of relatively fresh blood among Network Pro holders: 38.5 percent have 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 (30.7 percent of respondents), between 6 and 8 years (7.7 percent), or for more than a decade (23.1 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: 76.9 percent
Several times a week: 15.4 percent
Several times a month: 7.7 percent
Occasionally: [No responses]
Rarely: [No responses]

Since becoming certified, I feel there is greater demand for my skills.
Strongly agree: 38.5 percent
Agree: 31.5 percent
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 30 percent
Disagree: [No responses]
Strongly Disagree: [No responses]

Becoming certified has increased my problem-soslving skills.
Strongly agree: 38.5 percent
Agree: 46.2 percent
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 8.5 percent
Disagree: 6.8 percent
Strongly Disagree: [No responses]

Becoming certified has increased my workplace productivity.
Strongly agree: 46.2 percent
Agree: 38.4 percent
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 15.4 percent
Disagree: [No responses]
Strongly Disagree: [No responses]

PAST NETWORK PRO DEEP FOCUS FEATURES

2018

2017