Microsoft Azure is among the major players in the cloud computing market, with about 20% market share in 2021 [Source: Statistia]. As Microsoft claims, almost 95% of the Fortune 500 companies use Microsoft Azure for their cloud services.
This popularity of AzureAzure has, in turn, increased the demand for IT professionals with Azure Certifications. As a result, students are searching for online Azure certification courses to equip themselves with skills to get these job roles.
Microsoft offers Azure certifications based on various roles like Developer, Administrator, Data Engineer, Data Scientist, DevOps Engineer, Security Engineer, Solution Architect, AI Engineer, etc.
These certifications help to showcase that one has the latest knowledge and skills required to use Microsoft Azure efficiently. You can earn the certification by clearing the required exam which would cost something around ₹4,800 per exam.
Microsoft Azure Certification can be an excellent way to start a career in the field of cloud computing. There are certifications available for newbies to experts and therefore many engineering students are also taking interest in Azure certifications. Let’s read in detail about what Microsoft Azure courses have to offer, especially in terms of salary package.
What Salary Benefits Does Microsoft Azure Certification Offer?
In the last 12 months, about 66% of the cloud users have migrated to Microsoft Azure from other cloud service platforms. This has increased the workload in the Microsoft Azure partner companies.
- 72% of the IT professionals believe that the Azure certification makes them more marketable.
- About 68% of the employees who hold Azure certifications have experienced an increase in salary after changing their last job.
- 48% of professionals had about a 10% increase in their salary with an Azure certification.
- 69% of employees were able to negotiate pay increases after the certification [Source: Nigel Frank International].
Top Paying Microsoft Azure Certifications
There are 3 main levels of Microsoft Azure certifications: (i) Fundamental, (ii) Associate, and (iii) Expert, under which there are multiple role-based certifications. Based on the salary reports of payscale.com, some of the top-paying Microsoft Azure certifications have been explained in detail below.
Microsoft Certified: Azure Solution Architect
This is one of the most demanded Azure certification courses globally. The work of an Azure Solution Architect is to partner with cloud administrators, cloud database administrators, and clients to translate business requirements into a secure, reliable, and scalable cloud solution.
The average salary of a Solution Architect with Microsoft Azure skills in the United States is $129,519 [Source: Payscale].
Some of the requirements to earn Microsoft Azure Solution Architect Certification are listed below.
- The candidates will have to clear 2 exams to earn this certification: AZ-303 and AZ-304.
- They should be skilled in designing and implementing solutions that can run on Azure platforms.
- They should understand Azure development and DevOps processes and should have skills for administering AzureAzure.
- They are expected to have experience and knowledge in various IT operations like Networking, Identity, Security, Visualization, Business Continuity, Data Platform, Disaster Recovery, Budgeting and Governance.
Microsoft Certified: DevOps Engineer Expert
The work of a DevOps Engineer includes designing and implementing strategies for coding, infrastructure, source control, compliance, security, continuous integration, testing, monitoring, delivering and feedback. The average salary of a DevOps Engineer skilled in Microsoft Azure is around $100,045 per annum [Source: Payscale].
The key requirements to earn a DevOps Engineer certification are listed below.
- They will have to clear any of the 2 Microsoft Associate Certifications, i.e., Azure Administrator Associate or Azure Developer Associate.
- Students would also need to clear the AZ-400 exam.
- They should also have skills in working with processes, technologies, and people to deliver business value.
Microsoft Certified: Azure Developer Associate
The role of a developer associate is to participate in all phases of cloud development. They are required for performance tuning and monitoring and therefore they should be available while designing, developing, deploying, and maintenance.
The average salary of a developer associated with Microsoft Azure skills is around $109,991 per annum [Source: Payscale].
Some of the requirements to earn Microsoft Azure Developer Certification are given below.
- The candidates will have to clear Exam AZ-204.
- They should have 1-2 years of experience working in Microsoft Azure.
- They should have expertise in designing, developing, testing, and maintaining cloud services and applications on Microsoft Azure.
- They should be skilled in Azure CLI, Azure PowerShell, Azure SDKs, data connections, data storage options, APIs, app authentication and authorization, container deployment, etc.
Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Scientist Associate
The work of a data scientist is to prepare a plan and build a suitable working environment for the data science workload on AzureAzure. They run experiments on machine learning models and then manage, optimize and deploy these models into production.
The average salary of a data scientist with Microsoft Azure skills is around $95,102 per annum [Source: Payscale].
Key requirements to earn a Microsoft Azure Data Scientist certification include:
- The candidates need to clear exam number DP-100 to earn the certification.
- They should have pre expertise in data science and machine learning.
- They should also have experience in using Azure Machine Learning and Azure Databricks.
Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate
The systems administrators are a part of a large team and are dedicated to implementing the cloud infrastructure. Their work includes managing, implementing, monitoring, and storing virtual networks in the cloud. On average, the annual salary of an Azure administrator is nearly $81,243 [Source: Payscale].
Some of the main requirements to earn Microsoft Azure Administrator certification include:
- The candidates need to clear the exam number AZ-104.
- They should be experts in managing, monitoring, and implementing the Microsoft Azure Environment.
- They should have a minimum of 6-months of experience in administering AzureAzure.
- They should have experience in using Azure CLI, Azure Portal, PowerShell, and Azure Manager Templates.
With such a large demand among professional organizations like Fortune 500, Azure certification indeed has much to offer you. As it stands as a major player in the cloud industry, grab the opportunity by earning a certification badge.
A certificate validates your skills and assures recruiters that you are skilled in what you promise. Therefore, join a course in AzureAzure today and start your journey towards a profitable career ahead. With an investment of average 5000 rupees, you can increase your salary prospects by 10-20%, so wait no more and go for it now.
