Pluralsight’s top tech certifications for 2023
Looking to get more certifications? Here's a list of the top certs to take in cloud, cybersecurity, dev, and more. We also share the average salary for having them.
Jan 19, 2023 • 3 Minute Read
There are many great reasons to set your sights on getting a certification in 2023. 35% of people reported a wage increase after earning a certification, and the salaries of certified tech professionals are 8 percent higher than non-certified professionals.
Of course, it’s also worth it just to challenge yourself, learn new things, and stay ahead of the curve. We’ve created a list of all the top certifications to take this year, broken down by field for easy browsing. The certifications on our list were chosen by the high average salary of people with these qualifications and the current level of market demand.
Table of contents
Top cloud certifications to get in 2023
Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP) - Average salary of $121,441 USD per year.
AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional - Average salary of $122,784 USD per year.
Azure Solutions Architect Expert - Average salary of $123,939 USD per year.
Google Cloud - Professional Cloud Architect - Average salary of $123,458 USD per year.
The big three foundational certifications, together (AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner, AZ-900 Microsoft Azure Fundamentals, Google Cloud Digital Leader)
There are over a hundred cloud certifications out there, but don’t let the number fool you: almost all of them are great value, both educationally and professionally. We highly recommend watching the video below of Winston Smith’s story, who went from working in a bowling alley to an AWS cloud architect in just 14 months by becoming certified, and now has over 20 cloud certifications.
We’ve listed the three foundational certifications because being multicloud proficient in 2023 is a “unicorn” skill set — employees like this are high in demand and low in availability. According to Gartner, more than 80% of organizations use more than one cloud provider, with 75% of organizations defaulting to multicloud environments.
Taking multiple foundational certifications helps you understand the differences between the major cloud providers. And building from there to achieve all three Pro/Expert Architect certifications would make you a unicorn among unicorns.
Where can I take cloud certification prep courses?
Further cloud certification guidance
Still not sure how you should dive into cloud? Check out any or all three of these guides and you will come away with answers!
Top cybersecurity certifications to get in 2023
Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) - Average salary $121,716 USD per year.
Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP) - Average salary $121,441 USD per year.
Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) - Average salary $119,957 USD per year.
Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) - Average salary $116,093 USD per year.
Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) - Average salary $114,114 USD per year.
When it comes to cybersecurity jobs, demand far outstrips supply. It’s relevant to every industry, and the rise of cloud computing has only made it even more pertinent as organizations strive to secure their shifting infrastructures — this is one of the reasons we’ve included the CCSP on this list in addition to the first.
While we didn’t have room on the list above, we also strongly recommend the Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC) certification, which is ideal for mid-career IT/IS audit, risk, and security professionals.
Where can I take cybersecurity certification prep courses?
Top AI/ML certifications to get in 2023
Certified Machine Learning Professional (CMLP) - Average salary $124,936 USD per year.
Certified Artificial Intelligence Professional (CAIP) - Average salary $123,822 USD per year.
AWS Certified Machine Learning - Specialty - Average salary $127,467 USD per year.
Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Scientist Associate - Average salary of $124,714 USD per year
Certified Machine Learning Engineer (CMLE) - Average salary $121,609 USD per year.
Certified Artificial Intelligence Engineer (CAIE) - Average salary $119,869 USD per year.
AI was the second-most in demand skill in 2022 in terms of job requirements, with a 14.3% increase in U.S. job demand. Getting certified to prove your skills is one of the ways you can get started on your AI/ML career journey. The above certifications cover a broad set of skills and services, allowing you to demonstrate a wide-ranging repertoire to employers.
Where can I take AI/ML certification prep courses?
Top developer certifications to get in 2023
Google Professional Cloud Developer - Average salary $130,000 USD per year
Microsoft Certified Azure Developer Associate - Average salary $120,257 USD per year.
AWS Certified Developer – Associate - Average salary $118,000 USD per year.
(ISC)2 Certified Secure Software Lifecycle Professional - Average salary of $115,000 USD per year
Certified Scrum Developer - Average salary $110,000 USD per year
CIW Web Development Professional - Average salary $74,000 USD
Cloud certifications are at the top of this list for two reasons: only 8% of tech professionals have extensive experience working with cloud tools, and cloud is becoming a core skill for developers. The other certifications cover useful developer competencies — the software lifecycle, Scrum, and web development.
Where can I take developer certification prep courses?
Top DevOps certifications to get in 2023
Certified DevOps Engineer (CDE) - Average salary $123,298 USD per year.
Certified DevOps Professional (CDP) - Average salary $122,928 USD per year.
Certified DevOps Master (CDM) - Average salary $121,957 USD per year.
Certified DevOps Leader (CDL) - Average salary $121,589 USD per year.
Certified DevOps Architect (CDA) - Average salary $121,499 USD per year.
Contrary to popular belief, DevOps is not dead! For the last three years, DevOps has been one of the most searched-for terms on both Pluralsight and A Cloud Guru, and in StackOverflow’s 2022 Developer Survey, 59.3% of companies reported having a DevOps function. As the figures above show, being a certified DevOps professional also pays pretty well.
Where can I take DevOps certification prep courses?
Other valuable tech certifications to get in 2023
Report Methodology
This article uses several data points including Indeed, Glassdoor, PayScale, ZipRecruiter, Gartner, and Talent.com. It’s important to note salaries will vary significantly based on the level of experience of the applicant, the time of posting, and the specifics of the job posting. All pricing has been provided in USD to allow for the cross-comparing of salaries regardless of region, even though each region will have a different salary baseline.
