The 3 Most Popular CompTIA Certifications (and What They Pay)

CompTIA certifications are among the most popular choices for professionals who plan to build their careers in IT — and for good reason.

CompTIA, or the Computing Technology Industry Association, is a globally recognized organization that offers professionals trusted credentials that validate their career experience. The certifications CompTIA awards professionals range from foundational to advanced.

They’re vendor-neutral, which helps professionals build a versatile skillset. Some, like Security+, meet compliance requirements to work with organizations like the Department of Defense. What’s more, the exams for these certifications are performance based and challenge a professional’s ability to think critically and creatively while implementing solutions.

But what do they pay?

Skillsoft’s annual IT Skills and Salary survey garnered responses from hundreds of IT professionals in the U.S., who’ve earned CompTIA certifications and shared their annual compensation. According to these findings, CompTIA’s A+, Network+ and Security+ are the most popular for IT professionals.

Below, you can get a better idea of the average certification holder and what they make. It’s important to remember salaries are the culmination of several factors, including the ability to apply your certified skills at work, job role, continuous professional development, tenure, and hard work. See the methodology at the end for more details on how we compiled this list.

CompTIA’s A+ is the entry point to a professional career in IT — making it one of the most popular certifications, according to Skillsoft research.

Being a foundational certification, A+ validates a broad knowledge set. It proves professionals have knowledge and skill in the following areas:

• Hardware setup, troubleshooting (including mobile devices)
• Software administration, troubleshooting
• Cloud computing, virtualization, networking
• Security vulnerabilities and tactics to lower risk
• Professionalism in the workplace

Those seeking this certification must pass two certifications: the Core 1 and Core 2. It’s recommended candidates have at least nine months of experience prior to sitting the exam.

After earning this certification, many go onto pursue Network+ and Security+. However, several others complement A+ as well, including Project+, which helps professionals develop foundational skills in project management.

Resources to help you earn this certification:

• Skillsoft’s On-Demand CompTIA Core 1 and Core 2 Training
• Skillsoft’s Global Knowledge live, instructor-led prep course

One of the main reasons Network+ — and many other CompTIA certifications for that matter — help candidates thrive at work is due to the vendor-neutral nature of the certifications.

For those who plan to work as administrators or engineers, studying for Network+ helps prepare you to build networks — regardless of vendor or technology — that are reliable and durable. Earning this certification proves your knowledge of the essentials, but also network security, troubleshooting and operations. Further, it’s often a prerequisite for more specialized certifications, like Security+ (more on that next).

Before sitting the exam, candidates should have about a year of experience in a network-focused role. CompTIA also recommends having your A+ certification as well. Like many other CompTIA exams, you have 90 minutes to complete 90 questions and need a passing score of at least 720.

After earning the Network+ certification, some professionals begin pursuing vendor-specific certifications from vendors like AWS, Microsoft, and Cisco — all of which tend to earn some of the highest salaries in the industry.

Read next:15 Top-Paying IT Certifications

Resources to help you earn this certification:

• Skillsoft’s On-Demand CompTIA Network+ Training
• Skillsoft’s Global Knowledge live, instructor-led prep course

For those who aspire to roles in cybersecurity, you should consider Security+ as you chart your career path.

Not only does it validate the essential knowledge and skills one must have to be successful in the field, it’s also often required for professionals who plan to work with organizations like the Department of Defense because it meets directive 8140/8570.01-M requirements.

However, it’s important to note, CompTIA recommends that candidates interested in this certification first earn their Network+ and have at least two years of experience in a security-focused role.

The 90-question exam covers many topics, testing learners’ knowledge in these areas:

• Attacks, threats and vulnerabilities
• Architecture and design
• Implementation
• Operations and incident response
• Governance, risk and compliance

Read Next:The Top 10 Cybersecurity Certifications, 10+ Highly Rated Cybersecurity Courses to Take This Year

Resources to help you earn this certification:

• Skillsoft’s On-Demand CompTIA Security+ training
• Skillsoft’s Global Knowledge certification prep

Every year, Skillsoft sends out its IT Skills and Salary survey to the IT and broader tech community to understand trends in areas like compensation, professional development, workplace challenges and priorities, and more. Thousands of professionals respond to this survey, sharing their unique experiences.

This list uses the responses of 249 U.S. participants in fall 2022, who reported having earned a CompTIA certification and no more than five certifications in total. To qualify for our lists, a certification must have at least 50 survey responses. Salaries are not normalized for cost-of-living or location.