In Fortinet's 2025 Global Cybersecurity Skills Gap Report, 89% of IT decision-makers said they prefer to hire candidates with certifications. The biggest reasons given were that certs validate cybersecurity knowledge (67%), show that skills are current (61%), and indicate familiarity with key vendor tools (56%). But the pay that comes with each certification varies widely: for the top 10 security certs below, average U.S. salaries range from $102,333 for CompTIA Security+ to $203,597 for AWS Certified Security - Specialty.

We ranked every certification on the same salary data to keep things consistent. Each entry also covers the exam cost, the experience you'll want before testing, and where the cert fits in a cybersecurity career.

How we ranked them: Salaries are U.S. averages reported by certification holders in Skillsoft's latest IT Skills and Salary Survey (2,217 respondents). Job-posting demand comes from CyberSeek and exam costs from the certifying bodies. Keep in mind that salaries reflect holders' experience and positions, not the certification alone; the typical CISSP holder in the survey was 44, and most were managers.

AI is changing the IT job market, but it isn't replacing core technical skills. Employers still need people to secure systems, build software, run infrastructure, work with data, and fix what breaks.

Demand for IT skills is shifting, not shrinking. In August 2026, tech companies cut about 14,700 jobs, yet employment in tech occupations across the wider economy grew by 86,000. More IT hiring is happening outside the tech industry, and employers still had nearly 600,000 active tech job postings, according to a September 2026 CompTIA analysis.

The long-term outlook for technology jobs is strong. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects about 280,000 openings per year in computer and IT positions through 2035, and the group's median wage of $109,470 is more than double that of all U.S. occupations. On the skills side, the World Economic Forum ranks AI and big data, networks and cybersecurity, and technological literacy as the three fastest-growing skill areas through 2030.

The skills highlighted below aren't predictions about next year's hottest tools. They're the areas most likely to stay valuable as IT jobs keep changing.

Explore the benefits of pursuing an IT degree with certifications and determine which tech credentials align with your education and career goals.

The debate over formal education versus IT certifications has been raging for decades. One compelling solution to this conundrum is earning an IT degree that includes industry-recognized certifications. This rapidly popularizing approach offers the best of both worlds, blending the deep theoretical knowledge of a college education with the contemporary real-world skills of IT certification.

In this post, I will outline the benefits of pursuing an information technology degree with certifications and highlight which IT credentials you should look for in an accredited degree program.

Find out what you can do with a degree in information technology.

Considering an IT degree or about to frame that hard-earned diploma? With proper motivation and a well-structured learning plan, the career potential for information technology graduates is boundless.

This article will explore some of the most sought-after jobs you can pursue with an IT degree. We'll also look at how much you can earn upon graduation and which training and degree programs can help you get there.

Compare the top-ranked historically black colleges and universities for computer science.

Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs) provide high-quality, affordable education to African American students. Within the fast-growing and lucrative field of computer science, certain HBCUs stand out not just for their academic excellence but through impactful partnerships, groundbreaking research opportunities, and a steadfast commitment to diversity and inclusion. This article will highlight the HBCUs with the best computer science programs.

We selected the best historically black colleges and universities for computer science based on numerous factors, including the relevance of the curriculum to the needs of the CS workforce, industry partnerships, school reputation, faculty expertise, program features, institutional statistics, affordability, and overall value.

A college degree in game design is worth it for some aspiring creators, but it's unnecessary for most. Let’s take a deeper look.

The video game industry is notoriously competitive, with many designers and developers vying for a relatively small pool of jobs. A game design degree can provide a well-rounded knowledge of design principles, software development, and project management, but it's crucial to question if formal education gives a significant edge over self-learning or getting a degree in more generalized fields like computer science or software engineering. The latter often have a broader skill set that can be applied across various industries, not just gaming.

Earning a CS associate degree can help you get entry-level jobs in programming, computer science, and software development.

While an associate degree can’t teach you everything about the expansive field of computer science, it can serve as a stepping stone to beginner IT careers and lay the groundwork for future education and advancement.

Web design primarily concerns the site's form, while web development is focused on function.

Here are some basic definitions of web design and web development to illustrate their differences. I'll also provide a brief overview of which discipline you may want to learn.