What are the top-paying Microsoft Azure certifications?

If you’re considering a Microsoft Azure career path, you might be curious about how Azure cloud certifications translate to salaries. Sure, money isn't everything . . . but the pay and perks are a pretty sweet bonus to pursuing a cloud career.

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Do certifications guarantee a higher salary? Your mileage may vary by location, industry, role, and certification(s), but — on average — certified pros of all stripes earn more than their non-certified counterparts. 

• 35% of people reported a wage increase after earning a certification, according to testing company Pearson VUE.
  
• The salaries of certified IT professionals are 8% higher than the pay of cert-less pros according to Global Knowledge.

• Earning the Azure Solutions Architect Expert certification and taking down its two demanding certification exams is one of the most challenging feats in cloud certs. So it's no shocker that CIO calls it one of the most in-demand IT certifications for 2021.
• The average salary of Azure Solutions Architects in the U.S. is at $152,142, according to ZipRecruiter.
• PayScale finds the average salary to swing a bit lower, around $119,412, but it tracks total pay (i.e., the value of all the perks and benefits) swinging as high as $188,000.

• The Azure Fundamentals certification helped people earn an average salary of $126,653 in 2020, Global Knowledge reports.
• The Azure Fundamentals certification covers the basics of Azure. Consider it Azure 101 if certification names made more sense.
• Surprised to see an intro-level certification land a top spot on the list? It’s likely because it’s a solid cert to snag for so many different roles — not just budding Azure engineers and architects but cloud-adjacent folks, from leadership to sales to support.

• Moving on from a broad certification to a more focused, role-based one, Global Knowledge calls out the Azure Administrator Associate as one of the 15 highest-paying certs of 2020, reporting an average salary of $125,993.
• The Azure Administrator Associate is also the most sought-after Microsoft credential.
• For another look at the math behind the moolah, ZipRecruiter reports Azure Administrators typically earn between $80,000 and $116,500.

How many certifications you need to get an Azure job depends on your objectives. Certifications are just one of the ways to help jumpstart your cloud career, but they can help — and gives you a nice return on investment. (Global Knowledge reports that, in North America, people with six or more certs earn $13,000 more than those with only one.)

There's no denying that investing in a cloud career is a pretty solid bet. Why? Companies' demand for cloud talent outpaces the supply of cloud talent out there. And that demand shows no sign of stopping. Cloud computing has been one of the most in-demand hard skills for six years running, according to LinkedIn.

So why Microsoft Azure? Leveraging its foothold in the enterprise, Microsoft has seen Azure’s use continue to grow. Whether you’re looking to get Azure certified because it's attractive to cloud-savvy employers or because you see that the future is in a multi-cloud approach, there are plenty of good reasons to get an Azure certification.

Looking to land a new job, earn a promotion, or super-size your earning power? ACG is the place to develop Azure skills. We have a massive library of Azure training. And now through the end of February, you can get started with a special Azure-focused batch of free cloud courses.