IN 2015

HIGH
PAYING

CERTIFICATIONS

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Professional certifications have acquired an important place in

todays job market as 91% of hiring managers globally consider
certification to be a criterion for hiring. Here are ten trending
certifications of the year that can boost your salary package.
The rankings are based upon the average salary a professional
draws after receiving the respective certification.

TOGAF
CERTIFIED SCRUM MASTER
CISSP
PMP
SALESFORCE DEVELOPER
ITIL
DATA SCIENTIST
DIGITAL MARKETING
CEH

TOGAF

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Vital Stats
The Open Group Architecture Framework or
TOGAF is an Enterprise Architecture framework
which helps in designing, planning and
implementing the information security
architecture of an enterprise.
TOGAF as a professional certification program
for individuals and organizations was
launched by the Open Group in 2004.

Industry Relevance
TOGAF certification enables professionals to
acquire specific knowledge about the standard
framework and methods of the enterprise
architecture and helps them demonstrate their
proven knowledge of the framework. There has
been an exponential growth in Enterprise and IT
Architecture and the vertical is expected to grow
more rapidly in the near future.
IBM, HP, Oracle, Deloitte, Capgemini, Cisco, and other leading giants
are implementing TOGAF methodologies to transform their business
thereby increasing the job opportunities for TOGAF certified architects.

Salary

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TOGAF certified Enterprise Architects who are

earning a whopping $124,000 compared to
their non-certified peers and are most
sought-after by Fortune 500 companies.

Skills
Generic skills such as leadership, team building
and soft skills
Business skills comprising business cases,
processes, strategic planning
Enterprise Architecture Skills comprising modelling,
system integration, applications & role design
Project Management Skills
Technical Skills
Legal knowledge about data protection laws, contract law,
procurement law, etc

Eligibility Requirements
A candidate may achieve certification either through
self-study or by attending a TOGAF Accredited
Training Course.
TOGAF 9 Foundation (Part-1): There are no set eligibility
requirements for taking up the TOGAF 9 Foundation
(Part-1) examination. Any aspiring candidate who wishes to
build a career in Enterprise architecture can take up the examination.

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TOGAF 9 Certification (Part-2): For taking up TOGAF 9 Certification

(Part-2) Exam, a candidate must have passed the TOGAF 9 Foundation
(Part-1) Exam from the same ATTC provider.

Examination Format & Cost

TOGAF certification can be
achieved through:
TOGAF 9 (Part-1):
This Exam consists of 40 multiple choice questions.
You need to write 22 or more correct answers to qualify
on this exam. Passing score is 55%. Each correct answer
scores one mark.
Exam Duration: 60 Minutes

Exam Fee: USD 320 + Local Taxes

TOGAF 9 (Part-2):
This exam consists of 8 multiple choice questions which are based on
complex scenarios with gradient scoring. Passing score is 60%. The exam
is open book and a correct answer scores 5 points, second best answer
scores 3 points, and third best scores 1 point. Hard copy or PDF of the
applicable text book is provided by the test center.
Exam Duration: 90 Minutes

Exam Fee: USD 320 + Local Taxes

TOGAF 9 Combined Part 1 & 2

This exam consists of 48 questions and is taken by those aspirants who
wish to take up the level 2 certification in a single examination. It comprises
two sections and each section must be cleared with pass marks that are
similar to those of the separate exams (Part 1: 55%, Part 2: 60%).
Exam Duration: 150 minutes

Exam Cost: USD 495 + Local Taxes

CERTIFIED
SCRUM MASTER

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Vital Stats
Certified Scrum Master is one of the most
popular and globally recognized certifications
offered by the reputed Scrum Alliance.
This coveted credential is offered to those
professionals who have successfully completed
CSM training and have proven their skills in Scrum
terminologies, practices and principles in the
CSM exam.
CSM provides better and greater job opportunities to professionals
who wish to build a strong base on scrum and agile practices and
development.
There are more than 262,000 Certified Scrum Masters.

Industry Relevance
Project managers across industries
Product owners
Software architects
Developers
Testers
Coders

Salary
According to payscale.com, a CSM professional
has a median salary of $112,000 a year. Also, a
Certified ScrumMaster earns 3% more than a
ScrumMaster.

Skills
A CSM must be proactive.
Ability to develop and foster teamwork.
Ability to promptly and clearly disseminate
information
Effective communication skills
Great problem solving ability
Ability to handle stressful situations
Ability to take a call and make decisions

Eligibility Requirements
Although there are no set eligibility requirements for
certified scrum master, it is advisable to have some
understanding of the principles and possess working
knowledge of the overall scrum process. The candidate
must understand the individual roles of product owner
and development team.

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Examination Format & Cost

The exam consists of 35 multiple choice questions and
to pass the Certified Scrum Master exam, one needs to
write 24 or more correct answers. Candidate can take
up the exam only after the completion of two days
training. The test takes about an hour to finish.
The cost of the CSM exam is included in the course
and will be paid by the trainer. There will be two free
attempts after which $25 will be charged.

Exam Format: 35 MCQs

Exam Cost: Included in training

CISSP
Vital Stats
A person with CISSP certification has the ability
to delimitate the architecture, innovations,
management or commands that define the
security of the business environment.
The CISSP exam is governed by the International
Information Systems Security Certification
Consortium, Inc. or (ISC) 2 which is a global
not-for-profit organization.
There are around 96,000 CISSPs across the globe.

Industry Relevance
IT managers
Security consultants
Security analysts
IT professionals
Network engineers

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Salary

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Salary survey conducted by a Certification

Magazine ranked CISSP as one of the top
best-paid credentials in IT.
According to a survey conducted in 2008, IT
professionals with CISSP certification tend to
earn $21,000 more compared to IT professionals
without CISSP certification.
According to PayScale.com, the salary for a CISSP professional ranges
from $60,000 to $160,000, the average salary being $110,600.

Skills
Soft Skills
Access Control
Cryptography
Operations Security
Physical Security
Telecommunications & Network Security
Information Security
Application Development Security
Security Architecture & Design
Legal Regulations

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Eligibility Requirements
Candidates must have a minimum of five years of full-time
security professional work experience in two or more of
the ten domains of the (ISC)2 CISSP Common Body of
Knowledge (CBK). They have to subscribe to the (ISC)2
Code of Ethics or four years of security work experience
in two or more domains along with a college degree.

Examination Format & Cost

The CISSP exam consists of 250 multiple choice
questions. A candidate is required to score 700 out
of the possible 1000 points to pass the exam.

Exam Duration: 6 hours

Exam Cost: USD 549 or USD 599

PMP

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Vital Stats
PMP is the most sought-after certification for
Project Managers offered by the reputed PMI.
According to PMI Today magazine (Jan 2015
edition), there are 639,023 PMP certified
professionals across the globe.
The PMP certification exam covers five areas
relating to the lifecycle of a project: initiating, planning, executing,
monitoring and controlling, and closing.

Industry Relevance
Construction
Government
Public Sectors
IT
Manufacturing

Salary
According to PMI, Project Management is one of
the topmost skillsets in demand by organizations
across the globe. It is estimated that one-fifth of
the worlds total GDP-which is nearly 12 trillion-is
spent on projects. This creates a huge demand for
knowledgeable and skilled project managers. The
median salary for a PMP is $109,405

Skills

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Excellent Communication Skills

Masterful soft skills
Effective Leadership Skills
Time-Management Skills
Sound Industry & Solution Knowledge
Conflict-Management
Organizational & Multi-tasking skills
Human Resource Management
Risk Management

Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible for the certification program,
you need to have enough Project management
working experience.
Criteria:
Secondary degree with at least five years of project
management experience with 7500 hours leading and
directing projects and 35 hours of project management
education.

or
Four-year degree with at least three years of project management
experience, with 4500 hours leading and directing projects and 35
hours of project management education.

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Examination Format & Cost

Examination
The PMP examination consists of 175 scored
multiple-choice questions and 25 pretest (unscored)
questions that sum up to 200 questions. The allotted
time for the completion of the exam is 4 hours. The
candidate is required to write 137 correct answers in
order to pass the exam.

Cost
At present, the examination fee is $405 (PMI member) and USD $555
(non-member).
Exam Duration: 4 hours

Exam Cost: $405 or $555

SALESFORCE
DEVELOPER

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Vital Stats
The Salesforce Developer certification is a
credential that bestows necessary skills and
knowledge of designing custom-made
applications and analytics while being aided by
declarative features of the Salesforce platform.
It is a certification that proves a professionals
ability to build specific data models, identify
business logic, design user interface and ensure
security for customized applications
The growth in demand for certified Salesforce professionals has shot
up to 159% since the year 2008.
Salesforce.com is the main accreditation body that dictates the
structure of the Salesforce Developer certification.

Industry Relevance
The Salesforce Developer course suits all
professionals who are responsible for setting up,
configuring and maintaining Salesforce applications
in the organization. It is best suited for:
Developers and System administrators
Sales Architects
Operations professionals
IT managers

Salary
The Salesforce Developer earns an average
pay of $99,000.

Skills
Excellent written & verbal communication
Presentation Style
Research Habits
Listening Skill
Providing Solutions
Trust Building
Referral Maximization
Storytelling

Eligibility Requirements
Salesforce.com stipulates a minimum set of
requirements that all qualified candidates must
possess.
A degree in Business Administration or Computer
Applications'
Have a good understanding of the basic concepts and
functionalities on Salesforce platforms.

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Examination Format & Cost

The exam is online based and lasts 90 minutes with a
format of multiple-choice questions and consists of
60 questions in total. The percentage passing score is
68% which is a minimum score for all candidates.

Exam Duration: 90 minutes

Exam Cost: $200

ITIL

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Vital Stats
Information Technology Infrastructure Library
(ITIL) is a comprehensive set of IT service
management best practices aimed at achieving
cost-effective, high quality services and efficient
support by aligning business requirements with
IT services.
The ITIL Foundation certification is considered
as the entry level qualification in the field of IT
Service Management.

Industry Relevance
Operations Managers
Service Delivery Professionals
Quality Analysts
Production Support Engineers
IT Professionals

Salary
According to Indeed.com, the average salary of an
ITIL certified professional is $95,000.
Companies like Dell, NIIT, Fujitsu, TCS, Wipro,
Tech Mahindra, CSC, Accenture, Genpact, Citibank,
HCL, IBM, Deutsche Bank, Reliance, Ericsson, Fidelity Investment Services,
GE Capital, Goldman Sachs, HSBC, JP Morgan, KPMG, and Mercedes-Benz
prefer IT Service Delivery and Support staff with ITIL certification.

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Skills
Business Process Modeling
Database Management
IT Architecture
IT Security
Networking
Data Mining
Soft Skills
Problem Solving aptitude

Eligibility Requirements
While there is no mandatory qualification for obtaining the
ITIL Foundation 2011 certification, candidates who apply
for this certificate are encouraged to have a minimum of 2
years of experience in IT service management. Knowledge
of core principles of service management is required.
Another requirement is the awareness of ITIL terminology
and the examination procedure.

Examination Format
The exam consists of 40 multiple choice questions per
paper. This closed book exam requires you to obtain
26 marks or 65% to earn the foundation certificate.
Passing this exam will earn you 2 credits.

Exam Duration: 60 minutes

Exam Format: 40 MCQs

DATA SCIENTIST

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Vital Stats

About 2.5 quintillion bytes of data are created

every day and around 90% of the worlds total
data has been generated in the last two years.
Management best practices are aimed at achieving
cost-effective, high quality services and efficient
support by aligning business requirements with
IT services.
The advent of Big Data has helped organizations in taking better
decisions, enhancing customer engagement, optimizing operations,
preventing threats and fraud and capitalizing on new sources of
revenue. With data emerging as one of the worlds newest resources
for competitive engagement, industry specific skills are required to
completely harness the power of Big Data.
Gartner has predicted that there will be a need for 4.4 million data
scientists in 2015, but that only one- third of those jobs will be filled
by skilled employees.
McKinsey predicts that the US is going to face a shortage of skilled Big
Data professionals with analytical skills by 2018.
Harvard Business Review has called Data Scientist the sexiest job of
the 21st century.

Industry Relevance
Big Data continues to be an exploding space with
tremendous job opportunities in:
Agriculture
Healthcare

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Manufacturing
IT
E-Commerce
Telecom
Retail
Digital
Public Sectors

Salary
The median salary for a data scientist is about
$95,000 per annum.

Skills
Technical Skills:
For working on real data, it is essential for data
scientists to work with languages like R, Python,
SAS, Hadoop, and more.

Non-Technical Skills:
Business Implications
Intellectual Curiosity
Effective Communication Skills
Problem Solving Skills

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Data Science is expected to, consolidate, become the mainstream career

option, and even surprise us with advancements in the field. The field is
expected to mature over time and slowly shift to a cloud environment. Data
science practitioners would like to be able to build predictive models in
temporary cloud environments in order to increase their performance
requirements. Unlike the current trend of a single algorithm or tool being
used to solve most of the data-related problems, the future is predicted to
break this jinx. Data scientists are building new data algorithms to suit their
needs, which are predicted to take advantage of parallel data processing to
improve efficiency.

Eligibility Requirements
Although there are no defined pre-requisites for taking up
certification training, it is important to brush up on a few
skills like Multivariable Calculus, Linear Algebra, and
Statistics (basics).
To become a data scientist, having a basic hands-on
knowledge of statistics is necessary. There is a lot
of debate doing the rounds in data science circles regarding
statistics being outdated and stodgy. However, statistical modeling is an
important part of the job profile of a data scientist. Thus, candidates need to
possess a basic knowledge of stats, so that they can apply this logic in R or
other languages.
Computer Science fundamentals knowledge is essential for taking up any
training. As is widely known, Data Scientists need to write code, for the
simple reason that if one cant use R or similar languages, they cannot work
on real world data. One need not be an expert in coding but basic
knowledge is always helpful.

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Preferred Educational
Qualifications
The debate regarding the best qualification in order to
learn Data Science is still pretty much on. A few
experts claiming that a Bachelors degree with good
practical skills can do the trick, while others believe a
Masters degree or a PhD is needed to prove your skills
in this field.
However, as aptly mentioned in Data Science: A Introduction/ A Mash-up of
Disciplines, this field is a mash-up of several disciplines like Math, Science,
Advanced Computing, Visualization, Data Engineering, Hacker Mindset, and
Domain expertise. It's therefore difficult to single out a particular field which
can act as a pre-requisite for learning data science.
In general, one will find a minimum of 80% of the data scientists with a
Masters degree and about 40% having a PhD qualification. The most common
fields of study are Mathematics and Statistics, Economics, Computer Science,
and Engineering, amongst others.
Though a few institutes are planning to launch a Bachelors degree programs
which will be in line with the Computer Science programs, training is
generally provided at the Masters degree level. Apart from these programs,
a number of institutes offer certification training in online, live-virtual
classroom, and classroom learning modes, to facilitate students across
the globe.

DIGITAL
MARKETING

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Vital Stats
Often referred to as online marketing, internet
marketing or web marketing, digital marketing
has gained popularity over the last decade. With
the advent of e-commerce websites, the scope for
a digital marketer has increased multifold.
Online Marketing is booming and this industry
offers numerous career opportunities for candidates
who hold appropriate training and education.
Online Marketing has now become an in-demand skill that is used to
launch and manage successful businesses online.
There is no single governing body for digital marketing courses.
However, Google, OMCP, Online Marketing Institute, MarketingProfs,
etc. are a few well-known names in the online marketing training arena.

Industry Relevance
Fresh graduates
Business owners
Web Designers
Web Marketers
Professionals in their early career
Marketing Professionals

Salary

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The certification is a stamp of approval for domain

knowledge in the field of online marketing.
This enhances the job prospects of individuals
enabling them to gain entry in various Fortune
500 and Ecommerce companies like Amazon, Ebay
and other top organizations. A survey conducted on
Moz.org reported that the global average salary of online marketers is
$65,766 and Entry level salaries start at around $35,000. The average
salary for online marketers in the United States is $86,253. The job market
is very hot and there is a very strong demand to fill positions in the future.

Skills
Knowledge of Data Analysis
Content Marketing
Email Marketing
SEO & PPC
Data Visualization
Social Media
Technical Skills
Team work
Soft Skills

OMCP Certification
The highly-recognized industry standard for a certification in online
marketing is OMCP (Online Marketing Certified Professional). An OMCP
certification validates the members dedication to professional
development by considering the members active participation in
industry groups and events.

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OMCP conducts certification exams for entry-level as well as experienced

professionals - There's thus a course for everyone. OMCP conducts training
at two levels, namely OMCA (entry-level) and OMCP (experienced).

Disciplines included in OMCP Examination

The OMCP examination covers all the skills to increase the online presence
and reputation of a business, product, or service. The certification aims at
benefitting business in the long run by following practices based on
accepted methodologies. It doesnt include the current track record of
online businesses, agencies, consultants, and individuals.

The examination includes:

SEO(including Mobile and Local)
Web Analytics
Online Advertising (PPC, Social, Display, Video & SEM)
Landing Page and Conversion Rate Optimization
Social Media Marketing and Online PR
Email Marketing

Eligibility Requirements
OMCA Certification:
Passing score of 70% or greater on the OMCA exam
Secondary degree or equivalent (e.g., High School
diploma or Associates degree)
600 hours experience online marketing OR proof of
completion of an OMCP-Approved course within the
six months prior to your application

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OMCP Certification:
A

For aspirants enrolling between February 28, 2015 and July 1, 2015:
And either
Passing an OMCP
Completion of an OMCP-approved course within past 12 months.
Or
2000 hours of experience

For aspirants enrolling after July 1, 2015:

Passing score on the OMCP exam
Four-year degree (bachelors degree or the global equivalent)
And either
2000 hours of experience
Or 1000 hours of experience and completion of an approved
practitioner-level course

*Application to the OMCP certification must be submitted within 90

days of completion of the OMCP exam and/or relevant coursework.

Examination Format & Cost

The OMCA examination requires a minimum of 75 minutes
to complete. The examination covers fundamental
principles of Content Marketing, Conversion, Email
Marketing, Mobile Marketing, PPC, SEO, Social Media, and
Web Analytics.Passing this exam will earn you 2 credits.

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OMCP examination consists of a base exam of the aforementioned eight

principles of online marketing and two electives of the candidates
choice. The examination takes approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes to
complete in total:
75 minutes for the base exam
30 minutes for electives
Once the Base (Fundamental) examination is cleared, the candidate will
be prompted to move to the elective exams.
The cost for the OMCA exam series is $225 and OMCP exam series is
$395 (fundamental exam + two electives).
Exam Duration: 2 hours 15 mins

Exam Cost: $225 & $395

CEH

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Vital Stats
Certified Ethical hacker -also known as White Hat
Hacker- is a skilled professional who uses the
same methods and tools as a malicious hacker to
find and fix computer security vulnerabilities.
CEH is one of the most popular and sought after
security certifications provided by the EC Council.
EC Councils latest CEH V8 version is a complete and elaborative Ethical
Hacking and Information System Security Auditing Program emphasizing
latest security threats, advanced attack vendors and practical real life
application of the latest hacking techniques, methodologies, tools,
techniques and security measures.

Industry Relevance
The Certified Ethical Hacker certification is best
suited forSecurity officers
Auditors
Security practitioners
Site administrators

Salary
According to Payscale.com, a Certified Ethical
Hacker draws an average annual salary of $68,314.

Skills

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Soft Skills
Strong knowledge of TCP/ IP
Effective Communication
Problem- Solving ability
Strong work ethic
Adherence to legal concepts
Smart, manipulative skills

Eligibility Requirements
To take up the CEH Exam, a candidate must have enrolled
for a CEH course at an EC Council Accredited Training
Centre (ATC) or prepared through self-study.

Official Training
A candidate must attend an official Instructor led
Training (ILT), Computer Based Training, (CBT),
online live training or academic learning.

Self-Study
In case a candidate wishes to take up the CEH Exam without official training,
he/she must possess1

Educational qualification that reflects specialization in Information

Security.

2 A minimum of 2 years of related experience in the field of Information

Security.
3 Candidates are required to deposit a non-refundable eligibility
application fee of USD 100.

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4 Complete and submit the Exam Eligibility Application Form.

5 Buy an official exam voucher from www.eccouncil.org/store.aspx

Examination Format & Cost

The CEH exam consists of 125 multiple choice questions.
Duration of the exam is 4 hours and the passing score is
70%. Test delivery can be through the Web via Prometric
Prime and Vue Testing Centre. The CEH Exam code varies
between different testing centers for both web based and
Vue testing centers. Both the exams are identical in origin
and lead to CEH certification.

Exam Format: 125 MCQs

Exam Cost: USD 500