MCSEs consistently make more than MCPs, but they also typically have more experience and a bigger set of skills. Finally, our survey shows that those working with Windows 2000 now, and planning to certify this year, are making more than those who aren t. But some analysts have predicted that Win2K skills will be in huge demand if companies deploy the new OS at the predicted rates. Since salaries are affected by many variables, we encourage you to check out other surveys and compare their numbers with ours. Although MCP Magazine conducts the only survey that focuses on the effect of Microsoft certification on pay, you can find a growing number of high-tech salary surveys available these days.
Many surveys simply invite any IT professional to visit a Web site and enter salary numbers.
In those cases, remember that it s unlikely that the numbers represent a statistical sampling of the IT workforce. Like many industry publications, Computerworld keeps a constant eye on IT salaries. You can sign up to receive an almost-instant email of its 1999 survey, with data for 7,151 respondents with titles like network administrator, security admin, or system admin. While it s not a statistically accurate way to conduct a salary survey, you may find the results interesting. The site also includes a handy list of other IT salary surveys.