Depending on which economist you talk to, the job market is either
rebounding, stagnant, or declining. But even those that say it's
rebounding, admit that the rebound is barely noticeable. By most Wall
Street accounts, at least a hint of economic recovery is in the air, but
it's so small that it has little impact. As I write this however,
WorldCom has just announced the largest bankruptcy in U.S. history, an
unprecedented string of corporate scandals and collapses have come to
light, and the Dow continues its trend downward. None of this bodes well
for those of us who are either looking for jobs, or hoping to bring in
higher salaries.
The first bit of bad news is that salaries are dropping for certified
professionals. Microsoft Certified Professional Magazine, in its annual
salary survey report (available at http://mcpmag.com/salarysurveys/),
said that salaries for MCSEs are down nearly 20 percent, moving from an
average of $67,100 in 2001, to $53,700 in 2002. The drop was seen across
all types of Microsoft certifications. In addition to lower salaries,
bonuses also dropped, with 53 percent expecting to receive a bonus this
year, as opposed to two-thirds in 2001. Not surprisingly, those with
more experience and certifications still took higher salaries. And, as
I've said before in this space, having multiple certifications has a
positive impact-those with more than one certification received higher
salaries on average.
An unfortunate side effect of the economic downturn is that ordinary
folks like us often can't afford IT training, which makes it all the
more difficult to get ahead, since that training (and the certification
that it leads to) has become even more essential in this competitive job
market. In the U.S., federal financial aid is an option in some cases,
when the training courses are offered through an accredited university,
even if the courses are offered on an e-learning basis. Magellan
University (www.Magellan.edu), for example, is an online e-learning
provider that has partnerships with several traditional schools,
allowing you to earn your certification training on Uncle Sam's dime.
Two issues ago I mentioned a courseware subscription e-learning plan
called System X. The reasonably priced package gives you access to over
700 IT courses leading to major certifications, for one full year. Some
of you have signed up for the free trial, and the feedback so far has
been positive-definitely worth a look. Cheapskate that I am (just ask my
kids), I love the idea of "try it before you buy it" courseware. There's
so much out there of varying quality, it's nice to be able to give it a
test run before you sink money into it. Check it out at:
http://www.systemx.biz/index.lasso?num=1031118112.
