Executive Summary
The Great Reshuffle has shed light on what matters to modern professionals: opportunities for career advancement, higher pay and passion for their work. For many, the recent disruption in the job market has led to career journey reflection and an evaluation of what upskilling opportunities are available for advancement.
Modern professionals value opportunities for career advancement and salary increases. Short-term, non-credit certificates make achieving this goal affordable and accessible.
While some folks opt for long-term graduate degrees, a shift in interest toward short-term certificate and bootcamp programs is clear. Gallup’s recent American Upskilling Study reported that 57% of surveyed respondents say they are “extremely” or “very” interested in upskilling programs to advance their career. Professionals are looking for cost-effective alternatives to upskill their résumé gaps and boost their salary in a shorter time frame.
Upskilling isn’t just a great way for students to improve their career trajectory; it’s also beneficial for employers who require highly-skilled workers for hard-to-fill jobs. According to a recent study by Korn Ferry, by 2030, 6 million jobs could go unfilled in the US alone because there aren’t enough skilled people to take them.
Our research looks to uncover the importance of non-credit certificates on upward mobility, and point to which certifications have the greatest impact in the job market and on a person’s career. Using market software Lightcast (formerly Emsi Burning Glass Labor Insights), we gathered certification demand data from 2021 job postings that request an associate, bachelor's, master's and/or doctoral degree. Data on each certification's salary impact was then refined using relevant skill clusters to provide a more accurate representation of salary and demand. Skill clusters include IT, project management, marketing & public relations and finance.
Find out what AllCampus can do for you.
What Certifications Have the Greatest Positive Impact on Upward Mobility?
Salary increase:
$40,072
- National Median Salary With Certification (4,246 job postings): $107,816
- National Median Salary Without Certification (7,541,124 job postings): $67,744
- Reviews job postings requesting information technology skills to refine job postings
Source: Lightcast
Salary increase:
$31,771
- National Median Salary With Certification (102,444 job postings): $99,511
- National Median Salary Without Certification (7,541,124 job postings): $67,744
- Reviews job postings requesting information technology skills to refine job postings
Source: Lightcast
Salary increase:
$31,679
- National Median Salary With Certification (12,536 job postings): $99,423
- National Median Salary Without Certification (7,541,124 job postings): $67,744
- Reviews job postings requesting information technology skills to refine job postings
Source: Lightcast
Salary increase:
$26,965
- National Median Salary With Certification (53,184 job postings): $94,709
- National Median Salary Without Certification (7,541,124 job postings): $67,744
- Reviews job postings requesting information technology skills to refine job postings
Source: Lightcast
Salary increase:
$27,985
- National Median Salary With Certification (3,089 job postings): $108,401
- National Median Salary Without Certification (2,271,092 job postings): $80,416
- Reviews job postings requesting project management skills to refine job postings
Source: Lightcast
Salary increase:
$24,734
- National Median Salary With Certification (7,622 job postings): $86,687
- National Median Salary Without Certification (2,753,921 job postings): $61,953
- Reviews job postings requesting marketing and public relations skills to refine job postings
Source: Lightcast
Salary increase:
$23,757
- National Median Salary With Certification (9,553 job postings): $88,768
- National Median Salary Without Certification (4,545,559 job postings): $65,011
- Reviews job postings requesting finance skills to refine job postings
Source: Lightcast
Salary increase:
$21,225
- National Median Salary With Certification (97,475 job postings): $88,969
- National Median Salary Without Certification (7,541,124 job postings): $67,744
- Reviews job postings requesting information technology skills to refine job postings
Source: Lightcast
Salary increase:
$20,587
(includes White, Yellow, Green, Black, and Master Black Belts)
- National Median Salary With Certification (76,019 job postings): $83,527
- National Median Salary Without Certification (15,163,227 job postings): $62,940
- No skills specification used to refine job postings (larger ROI without lean manufacturing skill specification)
Source: Lightcast
Salary increase:
$15,175
- National Median Salary With Certification (146,197 job postings): $95,585
- National Median Salary Without Certification (2,271,092 job postings): $80,410
- Reviews job postings requesting project management skills to refine job postings
Source: Lightcast
Salary increase:
$13,029
- National Median Salary With Certification (46,766 job postings): $80,773
- National Median Salary Without Certification (7,541,124 job postings): $67,744
- Reviews job postings requesting information technology skills refine job postings
Source: Lightcast
The Cost of Non-Credit Certifications
Universities can choose to develop non-credit certificate programs that align with these disciplines and facilitate certification. Programs vary in cost and structure, ranging from free MOOCs; monthly, low-cost subscription-based programming; high-priced, high-intensity boot camps; and mid-priced, primarily asynchronous, months-long programs.
What Does This Tell Us?
Key Findings:
- Certifications with the highest demand* include:
- Project Management Professionals — 146,197 job postings
- Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) — 102,444
- IT Infrastructure Library — 97,475
*Of these, CISSP has the largest estimated salary return at $31,771.
- Based on salary, tech-related certifications such as AWS Certified Solutions Architect, CISSP and Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control have the highest return with an estimated average salary increase of $27,457 across the six reviewed tech-focused certifications.
- Certified Scrum Professional, Certified Salesforce Administrator and Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) are non-tech certifications that generate the highest estimated salary return (between $23,757 and $27,985).
Non-credit certificates that can help professionals pursue these certifications have the potential to increase professionals’ annual salary by up to 59%. On top of this, their newfound skill set can open the door to job opportunities with higher demand in the market. In only a few months, professionals can completely change their career outlook by upskilling. Because of this, universities are looking for opportunities to expand their certificate offerings to meet demand. AllCampus knows how to help.
Leading universities around the country have sought our expertise to design and develop online certificate programs that serve a rapidly growing population of students while, unlike some private companies, maintaining the highest standards for instruction and achievement. We’re on the pulse of higher education upskilling with partnerships in industries including business, IT, healthcare and law.
Our upskilling program design and development services integrate our expertise and resources to develop and promote a program that realizes our partner’s vision and aligns with the job market. From guidance on course curriculum design to student marketing and enrollment, we work with our partners every step of the way and leverage our years of marketing, recruitment and retention experience to ensure your program’s success.
Interested in learning how we can help you design and maintain a certificate program? Connect with us to learn more about how non-credit certificates can help diversify your university portfolio.
