Salary Survey Extra is a series of periodic dispatches that give added insight into the findings of our most recent Salary Survey. These posts contain previously unpublished Salary Survey data.

Protecting data, networks, and other IT assets requires round-the-clock vigilance in 2017. Businesses and organizations need competent cybersecurity leadership, which is why certifications like Check Point Certified Security Administrator, ranked No. 11 on our most recent Salary Survey 75 list, are valued so highly.

Exactly half of all respondents to the survey who have a Check Point Certified Security Administrator (CCSA) credential live and work in the United States. The others checked in from 10 different nations around the globe:  Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Hungary, New Zealand, Singapore, Spain, Turkey, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United Kingdom.

Among U.S. CCSA holders, the average annual salary in 2016 was $136,270, with a median annual salary of $132,500. Outside the United States, the average annual salary was $59,900, with a median annual salary of $41,250.

As is often the case with security certifications, most (96.2 percent) of the CCSA holders who responded to our survey are men. To the 3.8 percent who are women, hang in there — you are blazing a lonely trail. Slightly less than 20 percent of those surveyed are 34 or younger. Most respondents are either firmly ensconced in middle age, or passing through the tail end of those year, with 19.2 percent of respondents between the ages of 35 and 44, 42.3 percent between the ages of 45 and 54, and 15.8 percent between the ages of 55 and 64.

The highest level of education attained by most CCSA holders is either a bachelor’s degree (31.2 percent of those surveyed) or master’s degree (30.4 percent), though the non-collegiate crowd is well represented. Slightly more than 15 percent of those surveyed have completed some degree of technical training (without getting a degree), while 11.5 percent moved on from formal education after completing high school. At the upper limit of the higher education spectrum, we did hear from a handful of respondents who have doctorates (7.7 percent) or professional degrees (3.8 percent).

Most CCSA holders in the survey are employed full-time (92.3 percent of those surveyed), though unemployment is relatively high at 7.7 percent. Among those who have jobs, half work between 41 and 50 hours per week, while a further 11.5 percent put in more than 50 hours per week. That leaves a fortunate 32.6 percent who have a standard 40-hour schedule, while a downright lucky 6 percent put in between 31 and 39 hours per week.

As you might expect from an administrator-level credential, the pool of CCSA holders in the survey is management heavy: Roughly 23 percent of respondents are at the director level, while an additional 15 percent are either mangers (5.4 percent) or senior managers (10 percent), and we heard from a smattering of executives (2.7 percent) at the top of the organizational pyramid. The largest body of respondents (38.4 percent) are at the senior specialist level, with a further 15 percent rating themselves as specialists, and 5 percent filling rank-and-file employee positions.

Most CCSA holders are old hands in the cybersecurity space: Nearly 70 percent of those surveyed have worked in a role that directly utilizes one or more of their certified skills for more than 10 years, while most of the rest have been in the game either between 9 and 10 years (3.1 percent), between 6 and 8 years (12.3 percent), or between 3 and 5 years (8.1 percent). Rookies, you’re outnumbered: Just 7.3 percent of CCSA holders in the survey have been in the game for between zero years (1 to 11 months) and 2 years.

Finally, here’s the view of CCSA holders on key questions from the survey about how certification impacts job performance:

At my current job I use skills learned or enhanced through certification: 
Several times a day: 61.5 percent
Several times a week: 27.3 percent
Several times a month: 7.7 percent
Occasionally: [No responses]
Rarely: 3.5 percent

Since becoming certified, I feel there is greater demand for my skills. 
Strongly agree: 46.2 percent
Agree: 42.3 percent
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 9.2 percent
Disagree: 2.3 percent
Strongly Disagree: [No responses]

Becoming certified has increased my problem-solving skills.
Strongly agree: 19.2 percent
Agree: 63.5 percent
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 17.3 percent
Disagree: [No responses]
Strongly Disagree:  [No responses]

Becoming certified has increased my workplace productivity.
Strongly agree: 22.7 percent
Agree: 46.5 percent
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 30.8 percent
Disagree: [No responses]
Strongly Disagree: [No responses]

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