The drop may reflect management fears of losing trained employees in a competitive market. Given the increasing prevalence of certification in IT, we find this surprising. Apparently, in a red-hot job market, employers are reluctant to pay for skills that they think may increase an employee s worth or attractiveness elsewhere. Perhaps the more valued and highly compensated the employee, the more negotiating power that individual has in convincing an employer to pick up the tab. Taking a lead or management position makes a big difference in salary here, perhaps because of a gap in talent and responsibility between those who write programming code vs. more experienced programmers, who analyze systems and design programs.
Building also tend to top the charts.
Salary by Job Title. We asked respondents to choose one of seven job descriptions. Numbers shown are 2000 average base salary. Salary by Job Title for MCPs Chart 6b. Salary by Job Title for MCSEs Chart 6d.