PC World posted a news story that Microsoft certifications are dropping in value and provide a smaller pay boost than IT skills related to Cisco, Oracle, EMC, VMware, IBM, SAP, and Red Hat technologies.

The current rate of 5.9%, calculated across 19 Microsoft certifications, is significantly lower than the 8.1% average pay boost provided by 31 Cisco certifications. Six Oracle certifications average a 7.5% boost; 15 IBM certs average a 7.1% boost; five Red Hat certs average a 7.8% boost; nine EMC certs average an 8.4% boost; and two VMware certs average an 8.5% boost.

In part because Microsoft certifications are so commonly held, "I would argue that many of their certifications are not as important as they used to be," Foote says. "There are other vendors that have more popular certifications. You're talking about a company that has lost ground over the last several years."

  Microsoft Certifications Won't Boost Your Pay Much