3/10/2004 -- According to TCPMag.com's 2004 Compensation Survey, average salaries are up for those with Cisco's CCIE and CCDP titles.

The survey, which focuses on U.S. salaries of IT professionals holding Cisco credentials, states that the average salary of a CCIE is $102,000, up three percent from 2002, the last time the salary was conducted. The average CCDP's salary rose 10 percent to $88,000.

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The news is not all good, however. The average CCNP salary dropped slightly from 2002, from $77,000 to $72,000. CCNAs saw a similar drop: Average salaries for those who possess the CCNA but no other Cisco certification is now $60,000, down 10 percent from the $67,000 reported in 2002.

Even so, the survey states that a majority of Cisco certified professionals are enjoying an increase in salary, with 57 percent reporting that their salary increased over the last year. Seven percent saw a decrease.

While the above are average mean salaries for the group of professionals surveyed, TCPMag.com points out that experience is a deciding factor in what individuals can expect to earn. For example, CCNAs with less than one year of experience report an average salary of $33,954, significantly less than those with five to 10 years of experience ($62,063).

Location is another factor; for example, CCNPs working in the South average considerably more than those in the West ($82,212 v.s. $62,438, respectively).

As for unemployment, 10 percent of those surveyed reported being unemployed for some period during the last 12 months. Only a third of these respondents found new employment. The average length of unemployment ran nearly five months -- one month longer than the average reported in 2002.

The data is based on a survey of 689 Cisco-certifed professionals located within the U.S. TCPMag.com will release salary survey numbers for select foreign countries within the next few months.

TCPMag.com is owned by 101communications LLC, the same company that produces CertCities.com.

For more information on this survey, go here. -Becky Nagel