Friday, September 08, 2006

Microsoft Salary Survey

The average salary in the greater Boston area for information technology (IT) professionals skilled in the implementation of Microsoft technologies exceeds $71,000, slightly above the national average. The average IT worker has 12 years experience. Where does your salary fit into the range? [see Chart 2]

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)
Job title is another factor determining salary. For example, here are a few job titles along with average base salary:
  • 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:

Of those who held non-Microsoft certifications the compensation results are still quite respectable:

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)
The Boston Market -- May article provides guidance on getting started with these technologies.