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 These posts contain previously unpublished Salary Survey data.

Computer networking technology is of such nuts-and-bolts importance to the ongoing growth and development of IT infrastructure that aspiring tech professionals can build a solid career just by focusing on that one area. The Network Pro (No. 73 on our most recent Salary Survey 75 list) credential 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: $66,420
Median Annual Salary: $62,500
How satisfied are you with your current salary?
Completely Satisfied: 15 percent
Very Satisfied: 30.5 percent
Satisfied: 40 percent
Not Very Satisfied: 14.5 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. The Network Pro data discussed here doesn't take other countries into account.

Per the prevailing IT industry norm, just 5 percent of Network Pro holders who responded to the survey are women. On the other hand, most of the credential holders we heard from are younger than their industry peers. A tick more than half of the Network Pro holders who responded to the survey are younger than 45, either between the ages of 35 and 44 (40.5 percent) or between the ages of 25 and 34 (10.5 percent). The rest are mostly between the ages of 45 and 54 (39.5 percent of those surveyed), with a small group between the ages of 55 and 64 (9.5 percent).

Exactly 90 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 (30 percent), master's degree (20 percent), or associate's degree (40 percent). The outliers are the 5.5 percent of survey respondents who completed some level of post high-school technical training before exiting the realm of formal education, and the 4.5 percent who are currently in school.

An impressive 100 percent of Network Pro holders who participated in the survey have full-time jobs — no one is looking for work or getting only part-time hours. For most respondents, a full-time schedule means either putting in the standard 40 hours per week (65 percent of respondents) or putting in between 41 and 50 hours per week (20 percent). The outliers are the 5 percent of those surveyed who work more than 50 hours per week and the 10 percent who put in between 31 and 39 hours per week.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic scrambled a lot of workplaces in 2020 but most Network Pro holders didn't get many (if any) more hours of work away from the office: 70 percent of those surveyed work from home either fewer than 10 hours per week (50 percent) or for between 10 and 20 hours per week (20 percent). The rest have the option of wearing pajamas to work considerably more often, staying at home either for the standard 40 hours per week (20 percent) or more than 40 hours per week (10 percent).

In terms of workplace standing, the largest single group of Network Pro holders we heard from are employed at the specialist level (45 percent of those surveyed). The rest, in descending order, are either rank-and-file employees (30 percent), senior specialists (10.5 percent), managers (9.5 percent), or senior managers (5 percent).

Most of the Network Pro holders who responded to the survey — 45 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 (25 percent), or more than 10 years (30 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: 40 percent
Several times a week: 50 percent
Several times a month: [No responses]
Occasionally: [No responses]
Rarely: 5 percent

Since becoming certified, I feel there is greater demand for my skills.
Strongly Agree: 40 percent
Agree: 45 percent
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 15 percent
Disagree: [No responses]
Strongly Disagree: [No responses]

Becoming certified has increased my problem-solving skills.
Strongly Agree: 35 percent
Agree: 55 percent
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 10 percent
Disagree: [No responses]
Strongly Disagree: [No responses]

Becoming certified has increased my workplace productivity.
Strongly Agree: 35.5 percent
Agree: 54.5 percent
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 10 percent
Disagree: [No responses]
Strongly Disagree: [No responses]

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