Salary Woes for Cisco Pros
6/3/2002 -- Think you'll make six-figures as a Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE)? Think again. According to TCPMag.com's second annual salary survey, released last week, the average salary for CCIEs dropped 21 percent between 2000 and 2001, from $115,000 to $91,000.
The news isn't good for those with other Cisco titles, although the decline isn't quite as steep: Average salaries for those holding CCNAs are down 8 percent, CCNPs 7 percent and CCDAs 6 percent. The only Cisco title to see a rise was the mid-level CCDP, with a modest 1.5 percent increase:
| Title |
2001
Average Salary*
|
2000
Average Salary* |
Change
(+/-) |
Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert
(CCIE) |
$91,000 |
$115,00 |
- 21% |
Cisco Certified Design Professional
(CCDP) |
$80,000 |
$79,000 |
+ 1/5% |
| Cisco Qualified Specialist -- Security |
$80,000 |
N/A** |
N/A** |
| Cisco Qualified Specialist -- IT Telephony |
$78,000 |
N/A** |
N/A** |
| Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) |
$74,000 |
$79,000 |
- 6% |
Cisco Certified Design Associate
(CCDA) |
$70,000 |
$74,000 |
- 5% |
Cisco Certified Network Associate
(CCNA) |
$64,000 |
$70,000 |
- 9% |
|
*Results rounded to the nearest thousand
** Certification debuted in 2001. |
Dian Schaffhauser, editorial director of TCPMag.com (as well as this site and MCPMag.com), said that the decline is a reflection of the overall economic climate. "Across the board we're seeing softer salaries," she said. "We're just now evaluating the results for our annual Microsoft Certified Professional salary survey, and we expect we'll see softer numbers there as well."
According to Schaffhauser, the growing popularity of certification is also having an impact. "Certification has become a requirement for the job in many cases," she continued. "I think what we're going to see is that experience is really what will make the difference when it comes to salary negotiation. Certification is less of a factor."
TCPMag.com will be posting information about the above averages and how they relate to the experience levels of those reporting them over the next few weeks. In the meantime, to see the initial results of the survey as well as what Cisco professionals expect for 2002, go to http://TCPMag.com/salarysurveys/. - B.N.
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There are 73  user Comments for “Salary Woes for Cisco Pros”
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Page 5 of 8
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| 6/8/02: John from IL says: |
Hi guys, I have a BS in IT couldn't find a good job...thinking of doing a certification so that I could get an entry level job. I had MCSE, CCNA or Oracle in mind. since I don't have any experience which cert will be most helpful for me in getting an entry level job. (I wouldn't care if I have to start from scratch) |
| 6/8/02: John from IL says: |
Hi OLDTIMER, COULD YOU PLEASE GIVE ME YOU SUGGESTION, I have a BS in IT couldn't find a good job...thinking of doing a certification so that I could get an entry level job. I had MCSE, CCNA or Oracle in mind. since I don't have any experience which cert will be most helpful for me in getting an entry level job. (I wouldn't care if I have to start from scratch) |
| 6/8/02: michelle from California says: |
is it still worth trying to obtain IT Certifications? Can someone please let me know if its still legible to hold these Certifications? |
| 6/9/02: De'Ja Vu from San Diego says: |
NO it is not girlfriend dont waste your time, get a real college degree even if you have to work at a strip club to pay tuition. |
| 6/9/02: oldtimer from IT_Hell says: |
Ok, to get experience, look around, talk with friends, do some consulting for them, repair their gear, be a tutor helping students at a college in IT (that was MY first job in IT for a whopping $6.00 an hour), after doing a year of that, I moved up to working in the computer lab, then became a mainframe operator, a database programmer, a diagnostic engineer, self employed (consulting), and now i'm a systems and network administrator (i'm working towards a AA degree at a local college as well, should be finished in the fall). Look for some part time volunteer work at a non-profit to gain experience as well (they can use the help, and you gain practical experience and recommendations from staff if you do a good job) :) |
| 6/9/02: Chris says: |
The economy and certification world are similar in one respect. Many tech stocks are still considered overvalued.......I believe the same goes for certs. Come on CCNA making over 50 is overvalued. That's the easiest cert to achiveve out there. People need to stop believing they deserve all this cash. |
| 6/9/02: Bill from DC says: |
Everyone and their mother has a CCNA certification. CCNP is slightly tougher but that certificate is getting as bad as the CCNA. It's the coveted CCIE that separates the field. It's costly and tough. |
| 6/9/02: CCIE#4203 from Silicon Valley says: |
i completely agree with you Chris and to Bill, dude, WAKE UP! dont even get caught up with the CCIE hype. trust me i know, unless your company pays for it i would take advantage of that like i did, but if its coming out of your own pocket dont even waste your time. |
| 6/10/02: Anonymous says: |
I have a Master's in IM, MCP, A plus and CCNA. No reason to continue getting certs. Most folks are cheating anyway to get them. |
| 6/10/02: almost to the lab says: |
Listen to CCIE, the prep for lab can turn into a sickness. You pass this written test and a year later you have 7k worth of little blue boxes and books in your spare bedroom, a HUGE electric bill, you are blinded by sunlight, you can't remember who the girl is in the next bedroom, and when you refer to your friends you are talking about groupstudy. |
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