Value of Certification survey

(Pearson Vue 2018)

(source: https://home.pearsonvue.com/About-Pearson-VUE/Press-Room/2019/Pearson-VUE-study-reveals-the-ever-advancing-globa.aspx)

As the IT world moves ever faster toward greater virtualization, advanced cloud computing and new forms of software, IT certifications are boosting the credentials of professionals in the sector.

According to the latest ‘Value of IT Certification Survey’ by computer-based testing company Pearson VUE, security comes out on top when it comes to the speciality area being covered most by certification exams (21.4 percent), followed by networking and wireless (18.7 percent) and cloud (18.1 percent).

The major global report which explores the benefits of gaining new types of IT certifications, is informed by responses from more than 10,000 IT professionals who took exams for programs for the likes of Cisco Systems, Dell EMC, Facebook, Microsoft and Oracle in the last 12 months. The respondents are from 138 countries from employers ranging from fewer than ten people to more than 10,000.

Key findings: Reasons for becoming certified

Would you recommend certification to a friend or colleague looking to begin or advance their career in a technology-related field?

Definitely yes 63.2%
Probably yes 27.4%
Not sure either way 6.7%
Probably no 1.7%
Definitely no 1%

Key findings: Benefits from certification

Benefits

Salary/wage increase 34.7%
Increased responsibilities 27.6%
Job promotion 26.2%
Higher marks on performance review 25.5%
New job 19%
Entrance into chosen field (did not work in field previously) 16.1%
Increased number of job interviews 14%
More instances of being appointed project lead or point person 12.2%
Special award/accolade for a job well done 8.5%
None 7.4%
N/A – hasn’t had certification long enough yet 13.7%

Personal benefits

Greater self-confidence in abilities 67.4%
Increased job satisfaction 40.5%
Increased credibility among co-workers 39.7%
Greater excitement and optimism toward career 34.8%
Greater drive and determination to succeed 33.6%
A sense of community with other credentialed professionals in the field 18.1%
None 3.3%
N/A – hasn’t had certification long enough for benefits to be realized 7%

Practical (on-the-job) benefits

Knowledge has been transferrable to real work situations 55.1%
Higher quality output/more effective solutions provided 44.4%
Increased personal productivity and task efficiency 44.1%
Easier time troubleshooting problems 40.9%
Increased self-reliance/less dependency on others 36.6%
Easier time meeting assignment/project deadlines 12.6%
None 4.2%
N/A – hasn’t had certification long enough for benefits to be realized 9.8%

Key findings: Certification specialty areas

Specialty area of most recent certification exam

Security 20.9%
Networking & Wireless 18.7%
Cloud 9.5%
Virtualization 6.3%
Servers 5.3%
Database Admin. & Dev 4.4%
Application (Software) Dev. 4.4%
Operating Systems 3.9%