Want 20% More Money? Get an IT Security Certification

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Recession or not, recovery or not, one of the IT job skill areas that is always in demand is security. And if it’s in demand, that generally means it pays better, too.

IT job site Dice’s senior vice president Tom Silver says in a recent Dice Report that “professionals with ‘cyber’ on their resume can command a 20 percent salary premium as both the public and private sectors are becoming more aggressive in building their security pipeline.”

There’s a shortage of experienced security experts, Silver says. So much so that the Air Force Association is encouraging teenagers to consider security careers with its CyberPatriot competition, which pits teams of high school students against each other as they defend virtual networks, Silver points out. Silver also notes that as part of the Cybersecurity Act a federal scholarship-for-service program is under congressional consideration.

As for the overall IT job market, as of April 1 Dice reports a total of 62,067 job openings, as follows:

• Full time: 36,295
• Contract: 29,766
• Part-time: 1,310