Trainer Training, Putting You Ahead

• Look for a company that positions itself as being on the cutting edge. They tend to appreciate professionals who stay up-to-date.         
• Having multiple skills and multiple certifications helps.         
• Live in Maryland. Their IT professionals average over $90K/year. And in general, the mid-Atlantic region earns more than the other areas of the U.S.         
• Don’t relocate to Arkansas. Their IT professionals average less than $52K/year.         
• If you live near Boston, D.C., New York City, or San Francisco, you’re lucky. The IT professionals in these big cities hover near $90K on the average.         
• Head for management. Managers average a good $20K more than non-supervisory professionals.         
• Specialize in something exotic. Rather than limiting you, specializing in an uncommon area actually opens you up to a limited but generally underserved set of companies. If you specialize in their small area, you will have an edge over all of the generalists applying for the same job.        
• Get a graduate degree. Professionals with graduate training enjoyed slightly higher average salaries (about $6K more).         
• Men in IT professions earn an average of $6K a year more than women.   
• Stay in the field a while. Earnings go up with experience. The highest-paid IT professionals (those who earned in excess of $125K/year) generally had many years of experience… But some had no certifications.        

The moral of the story: for a trainer, MCT certification pays off greatly and should be a big first priority. But don’t rely solely on the certification to land you a huge salary.  After getting MCT certification, continue to make yourself more marketable in other ways. Multiple skills, multiple certifications, specialization, a graduate degree, and years of experience will combine with your Microsoft Certified Trainer certification to maximize your earning potential.