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7JobCertificationsThatWillHelpYouEarnMore|Money.com

C A R EER S WO R K PL A C E

7JobCertificationsThatWillHelpYou
EarnMore
Maria Walters / Wise Bread

Oct. 27, 2015

Bonus:allareofferedonline.
Acertificationcanstrengthenyour
degree,andmaybeevenimproveyour
income.Betterstill?Itcandoallthis
withoutyoueverhavingtosetfootinside
aclassroom,asalloftheseven
certificationslistedbelowareoffered
online.Takealook,andstartmoving
aheadtoday.

AndreyPopovGetty Images

1. Project
Management
AsidefromIT,projectmanagers
workinengineering,healthcare,and
construction.Theyareresponsible
foroverseeingthecompletionofa
projectonbudget,andontime.Its
ahighpressurecareer,butthesalary
isgreat(average$89,000forentry
level).Fortunately,youdonthaveto
quityourdayjobtoearnyour
certification.Theaveragecostvaries
widely,butreputableUCBerkeley
listsitasaround$5,600.Hereisa
listofonlineprojectmanagement
programswhereyoucanstudy.

2. Microsoft
Certified IT
Professional
MyfriendChad,whohasadegreein
IT,obtainedthisMicrosoftCertified
Professional(MCP)certificationon
hisown,reasoningthatIthoughtit
mightbehelpful.Uponcompletion,
heshowedittohismanagerand
wasimmediatelypromotedand
reimbursedforthecostofobtaining
thecertification.Thecost?Avery
affordable$150forthefirstlevel

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(MicrosoftCertified)thenyoucan
takemorecoursesandbuildinto
Professional(MCITP),Architect
(MCA),ProfessionalDeveloper,etc.

Skies Put You in a Trance

Howmuchcanyouexpecttoearn
fromcertifications?FromMicrosoft:
Inhighgrowthindustries,entry
levelemployeeswhoholda
MicrosoftCertifiedSolutions
Associate(MCSA)certificationor
MicrosoftOfficeSpecialist(MOS)
certificationcanearnupto$16,000
more,annually,thantheirpeers.

3. CPA
AnaccountantwithaBachelors
degreecanexpectannualearningsof
$63,550peryear.Butwhatifthat
accountantpassesthelicensureexam
andbecomesaCertifiedPublic
Accountant?Hereisaninteresting
breakdownfromthefolksatBecker
ProfessionalEducation:

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Leech
Recommendedby

Overthecourseofa40yearcareer,
aCPAcanearnasmuchas$1million
morethananoncertified
accountant.Heresanexample:
TwononCertifiedPublicAccountantswithBachelorsdegreesbeginworkingat
thesametimeatthesamelargepublicaccountingfirminAudit/AssuranceServices
atthesameannualsalaryof$68,000.
OneearnstheCPAcredential,creatinga10%salarydifferentialofabout$7,000
morethantheother(CPAscanearnbetween5%and15%morethantheirnon
credentialedcounterparts).
Overtime,morefrequentandhigherlevelpromotionscanwidenthesalarygapto
asmuchas$50,000.
Overafullcareerthatcanmeananadditional$1millionormoreinlifetime
earnings.
Thelicensureexamisveryrigorous,butwhatadifferenceinincomeobtainingthat
licensemakes.

4. Process Management
ThequestionIgetmostofteninHRaboutthispositionis,Whatisitthatthosepeople
DO?Well,theylookataprocess,orflow,thatisntworking,reorganizeit,and
implementitsothatthingsworkbetter.Asarule,theyarereallygoodatseeingthebig
pictureandbeingdiplomaticaboutchange.Processmanagershaveagoverningbody
andmustpassanexam.Earningsareestimatedat$79,000annually.Fortunately,thisis
anotherpositionwhereyoucanobtainonlinecertification(herearesometraining
resources)whilekeepingyourdayjob.

5. Medical Coder
WiththeimplementationofICD10medicalcoding,knowledgeablecodersareinhigh
demand.AlreadyhaveyourB.A.?Good,becausethosewithBachelorsdegreesout
earnedthosewithonlyahighschooldiplomabyadramatic$10,000peryear($51,825
vs.$41,802).TheAmericanHealthInformationManagementAssociationisthe
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governingbodyforhealthinformationmanagement.Italsoprovidesinformationabout
educationandcertificationcourses.Ipersonallyknowcoderswhoareabletoworkfrom
home,whichisaniceoptionifyouhaveafamily.

6. Exercise Physiologist
Themediansalaryforafitnessinstructoris$40,996.But,obtaincertificationasan
exercisephysiologist,andthatjumpsto$44,470.Perhapsmoreimportantly,though,is
thatifyouareinterestedinthisfield,theBureauofLaborStatisticspredicts19%growth,
higherthantheaverageforalloccupations.

7. Actuary
Haveadegreeinmathematics?Or,maybeyouworkinthefieldoffinance,orstatistics?
TheBLScitesmedianpayin2012foractuariestohavebeen$93,680,withjobgrowth
outlookof26%(muchhigherthanaverage).Actuariesanalyzethefinancialcostsofrisk
anduncertainty.Theyoftenworkforinsurancecompaniesorinfinance.Aseriesof
examsmustbepassedtoobtaincertification.Itsnotallaboutnumbercrunching,though
agoodactuaryneedstheskillstobeabletocommunicate,too.
Remember:Doyourresearchbeforeyouleap.Someofthesecertificationsareextremely
rigorousand,althoughlikelyworthitinthelongrun,willputastrainonyourtime.Take
alookatjoblistingstoseewhatemployersarelookingfor.
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10HighPayingCareersWithLowEducationalBarriers

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