Microsoft and Cisco badges among top salary boosters

US website produces list of top 10 certifications for tech workers looking to improve their pay packet

Nearly 1,000 available job opportunities on Dice requested Microsoft MCSE accreditation

A list of the top 10 salary-boosting certifications for tech professionals has been compiled by US tech and engineering careers website Dice Learning.

Microsoft and Cisco accreditations occupied four slots in the rankings, which were based on the responses of nearly 17,000 technology professionals.

Nearly 1,000 available job opportunities on Dice requested the Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) accreditation. Only the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification finished higher, with 1,400 requests.

Tech workers with Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) and Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator badges were also in high demand.

The Cisco Certified Network Associates (CCNA) certification finished fourth, with slightly more than 650 available job opportunities requesting the CCNA designation.

Evan Lesser, director of Iowa-based Dice Learning, said: “Not all certifications are created equal in terms of pay check impact.

“While nearly half of all technology professionals have at least one certification, a minority attributed pay increases to certification. When you combine in demand skill-sets and proven salary impact, specific certifications become valuable to individual technology professionals.”