Just learned the average salary bump from a certification is way lower than I thought

I was reading a report from the Project Management Institute last night and it said the average salary increase from getting a PMP certification is only about 16%. For some reason I always heard people talk about it like it was a 30% or more jump. Found it on their website's 'Earning Power' survey page. Has anyone else gotten a specific cert and seen a smaller raise than expected?

3 comments

3 Comments

bennett.nora21d ago

That "30% or more" figure always sounded too good to be true. My last certification bump was so small I joked it barely covered the cost of the study guide. It seems like the real value is just getting your resume past the automated filters.

kaid4720d ago

Wait, didn't a study come out showing the average salary bump for most certs is actually under 10%? That 30% number gets thrown around by the companies selling the tests. You're spot on about the filters though, that's the whole game now. My buddy got his last job because the system flagged his resume for having the right acronyms, the hiring manager told him that flat out. Feels like paying a toll just to get your foot in the door.

nora_walker5720d ago

My AWS cert cost me three months of weekends and a solid $900. The "raise" was a $1,500 bonus that got taxed down to basically a nice dinner out. I'm pretty sure my company's coffee budget got a bigger annual bump.