ITWeb`s annual online IT Salary Survey attracts a sizeable respondent base, but its sample is not controlled. The results are presented with a caveat: the figures should be interpreted as an indication of the reported salaries of the sample rather than the salaries of the entire industry.
Looking at how industry and vendor certifications affect salaries, it is evident from the huge gap between minimums and maximums that many factors are in play, most notably the level of responsibility and experience.
Loraine Vorster, regional director at CompTIA, stresses the importance of looking at the results in context - in relation to the demographic of the sample, including the number of years of experience. "Considering that the majority of the participants had between five and 10 years of experience, in many instances the figures are spot on."
But Vorster cautions against those green to the IT industry using the figures as a scorecard.
"My concern is that it might happen that recent entrants to the industry use the results as a benchmark to assess their earning potential.
"It is imperative that they consider that the top earners among the respondents to the ITWeb 2006 Salary Survey were not only sufficiently academically qualified but also have a number of years of experience behind them, thus allowing them to garner the salaries reflected."
Professionals with Cisco certifications reported the highest average salaries, with Cisco Certified Internet Engineers (CCIE) topping the chart with over R37 000 per month.
The lowest averages were reported by holders of Linux+ and I-Net+ certifications, but these figures also reflect a lack of experience among these participants.
The highly demanded skills like CCIE and Java pay well, confirms Vorster. She is impressed that last year`s lowest earners, the trainers with a CompTIA CTT+ certification, this year reported 60% higher average salaries, at over R16 000 per month.
Vorster expresses concern about the Security+ certification, noting that the growth in security training does not match the recent spike in interest around security. "Large companies tend to have a specific job role for security, whereas the smaller companies do not have that luxury."
The survey sample is heavily biased towards male respondents (18% female to 82% male), notes Vorster. According to tertiary institutions in Gauteng, she says, a high number of female students take up introductory IT courses, but they later prefer not to specialise in technical areas, opting rather for training, human resources and operational careers.
To rectify the imbalance, CompTIA`s Women in ICT initiative would be keen to spearhead projects to encourage women to take up technical IT careers.
Questionable Certification
Vorster says CompTIA is an industry association and its certifications are developed and maintained by the industry (employers) to address a skill, not to support a product.
The most well-known offering from the CompTIA stable, the A+ certification, was developed 11 years ago by major vendors such as HP and IBM to cater to the broad range of entry level, non-product related IT needs. It is updated every 18 to 24 months to ensure that it maintains a parallel with industry demand and standards, explains Vorster.
She warns that there is a questionable "local A+" certification floating around and people should be wary of such ad hoc courses. "There cannot be a local version as all coursework is of a global standard, containing widely used international content."