These are just two of the findings released this month in Redmond magazine's 11th annual survey of compensation for Microsoft IT professionals. Nearly 1,300 tech workers responded to the survey. A summary of the results is available online. A FREE comprehensive report is also available.
Experience is one of many factors determining salary as the following list indicates:
- 1 to 2 years ($47,000)
- 3 to 5 years ($56,000)
- 6 to 9 years ($66,000)
- 10+ year ($81,000)
- Webmaster/developer/producer ($69,000)
- Programmer/analyst ($75,000)
- Database administrator/developer ($80,000)
Expertise in a specific Microsoft skill is also a factor as indicated below:
- SQL Server ($75,000)
- Visual Studio ($78,000)
Certification is less of a factor. Obtaining a Microsoft certification can help you gain or maintain expertise, which in turn can get you hired. Once your foot is in the door, experience appears to carry more weight than certification. None-the-less, compensation for individuals with selected Microsoft-specific, web-related certifications were reported as follows:
- MCP+Internet ($74,000)
- MCTS: SQL Server ($92,000)
- MCITP: SQL Server ($125,000)
Of those who held non-Microsoft certifications the compensation results are still quite respectable:
- Macromedia ($64,000)
- Apple ($67,000)
Lastly, the survey reveals that traditional education plays a small factor in compensation. Only slightly more than one-third of those surveyed obtained a four-year degree, but at least half said they attended some college.
Conclusion: Web designers and developers can increase their earning potential by developing expertise in Microsoft-centric technologies to complement their design skills. The following two web-related areas offer the most promise:
- programming (ASP.NET 2.0)
- database (SQL Server)
