Highest-Paying IT Certifications

Updated by Daniel Greenspan

Getting certified can pay off quickly. In Pearson VUE's 2025 Value of IT Certification Candidate Report, 32% of the nearly 24,000 IT pros surveyed said they got a raise after earning a certification. But what each certification is worth varies widely. Among the top-paying IT certs in the U.S., average salaries range from $146,033 for ISACA CDPSE to $203,597 for AWS Certified Security - Specialty.

A big paycheck doesn't always require a decade of experience. Nutanix's NCP-MCI certification, which targets candidates with about a year of IT infrastructure experience, ranks third overall at $175,409, and two cloud certs on this list recommend just six months of hands-on work.

Below, we rank 19 of the highest-paying IT certifications by average salary and show the experience each one expects, so you can see which are within reach and which to strive for.

How we ranked them: Salaries are U.S. averages reported in Skillsoft's latest IT Skills and Salary Survey of 2,217 U.S. tech professionals. We left out one certification on Skillsoft's list, Microsoft 365 Administrator Expert, because Microsoft is retiring it. Levels reflect the experience each certifying body recommends or requires: beginner is up to 2 years, mid-level is 3-4 years and advanced is 5+ years. These levels describe expected experience, not test difficulty. Seven of the 19 certs require verified work experience, and CEH requires it unless you take official training; for the rest, you can take the exam when you're ready. Remember that salaries are averages for current credential holders, many of whom have more experience than the minimum.

*Required: the certifying body verifies your experience before granting the certification. **Required unless you complete official EC-Council training. ISACA exam fees are lower for members. CCNP Security and CCIE costs include two required exams.

Top-Paying IT Certifications for Beginners

Six certifications in the ranking target candidates with two years of experience or less, and five of them are cloud credentials. Nutanix NCP-MCI is the standout: it ranks #3 overall, costs only $200 to attempt, and its holders have fewer certifications and are less often managers than those of any other top-10 cert, averaging six certifications with only 13% in management. The catch: it only matters where employers run Nutanix, so check job listings in your area before you pursue it.

For most people, the two AWS associate certs are a safer bet, since AWS skills apply to far more employers. Microsoft's Azure Administrator and Google's Associate Cloud Engineer recommend just six months of hands-on work, which you can start building with free cloud trial accounts before you have a tech job. Google's $125 exam is the cheapest on the list. CEH is the exception in this group: it requires two years of security experience unless you take EC-Council's official training. See how CEH compares with other security credentials in our best cybersecurity certifications guide.

CompTIA's vendor-neutral certifications didn't make the highest-paying list, but if you're new to IT, they're a common way in. A+ is usually first, and the others build on it. None requires IT experience, and their recommendations range from six months to two years, so they also work as stepping stones toward the high-paying cloud certs above.

Salaries come from Skillsoft's CompTIA certification report, based on the same survey of IT pros. The A+ cost covers both required exams.

Top-Paying Mid-Level IT Certifications

Google's Professional Cloud Architect is the highest-paying certification on this list outside of security, and it topped Skillsoft's list the year before. It's a natural next step after Google's Associate Cloud Engineer. CCNP Security has no formal prerequisites, though Cisco designed it for experienced network security engineers; you pass a core exam plus one concentration exam. CRISC and CDPSE ask for less experience than ISACA's other certs, three years each, and you can pass either exam first, then apply for certification once you have the experience.

Top-Paying Advanced IT Certifications

This is where experience requirements get real. ISC2 and ISACA verify your work history before granting their certifications, so CCSP, CISSP, CISM, CISA and CGEIT are true senior-level credentials. Two advanced certs only recommend experience: AWS Certified Security - Specialty and CCIE. That means a strong engineer with less than five years can still attempt the highest-paying IT cert on this list. If you pass CISSP or CCSP before meeting the requirement, you become an Associate of ISC2 while you earn it.

High-Paying Privacy Certifications (No Experience Guideline)

Two certs in the table don’t fit a particular experience level: IAPP’s privacy credentials, CIPP and CIPM. Neither recommends nor requires experience, but that doesn’t mean they’re entry-level; 85% of CIPP holders in Skillsoft’s survey were managers. Both pay best when paired with a professional background in law, compliance or security, especially as companies fill emerging AI governance roles.

Which High-Paying IT Certification Should You Pursue?

Start with the level that matches your experience. Most of the top salaries belong to cert holders with years of experience and multiple credentials, so it's unlikely a single cert will get you there on its own. A solid path for many IT pros is an associate-level cloud cert now, a professional or security cert three to five years in, and a governance or management credential if you move into leadership. Before you take an exam, search job listings in your area for that certification to confirm local employers ask for it.

Further Reading:

• Highest Paying IT Degrees
• Best Cybersecurity Certifications
• Cloud Computing Bootcamps
• Microsoft Azure Bootcamps
• Top 7 IT Skills In Demand