Best Short Certificate Programs that Pay Well – Full Review

After studying, it can be fantastic to be able to make a satisfying living. Not to worry, there are short certificate programs that pay well, and enrolling in them could help advance your profession.

You can start a new job, obtain a promotion, boost your salary, gain more experience, and/or get better at what you do after successfully completing these certificate programs from a recognized and reputable university.

These short certificate programs with good income may take different amounts of time to complete. Some certificate programs are 4 weeks long, whether they are online or offline, while others could last 6 months or even a full year.

You may boost your earning potential and get the advanced skills needed to succeed in the workplace of today by taking these courses. But before you go any further, please read the following crucial points.

Some Important Points to Note

  1. Depending on your preference, certain certificate programs may require you to sit for exams; some may even call for a three to six-month preparation period. Consider a course or certification that is applicable to the job market as you decide which certificate programs to enroll in.
  2. This article will assist you in finding fast certificate programs that pay well, but depending on where you plan to enroll, you may need to conduct additional research to determine whether an exam will be required.
  3. Some of these credentials have expiration dates and may need to be renewed periodically. On the other hand, in some circumstances you might need to obtain credits to maintain the validity of your certification.
  4. Some of these quick certificate programs with good income may require you to take a brief course before you can take the exam.
  5. Before taking the test, you can be required to attend classes for a predetermined amount of time, visit labs, and complete practical work.
  6. Although certificate programs are excellent, focusing on the knowledge you’d get from them will help you stand out and develop the necessary skill sets to get a job that pays well.
  7. It is recommended to gain some work experience before finding the perfect job or applying for jobs because many well-paying positions may demand you to have some form of work experience over time.

You could do the following to get there;

  • To get experience, work as a trainee.
  • Send internship applications.
  • Take part in mentoring
  • Take part in apprenticeship programs
  • Volunteer to do unpaid work.

20 Short Certificate Programs That Pay Well

True, not everybody has the time or resources to return to school and pursue a full-time degree program. Check out the cheapest online college per credit hour if this applies to you.

However, there is some good news for you. The good news is that there are several quick certificate programs that pay well in the long term, even if you don’t have the money or time to acquire a bachelor’s degree.

Certifications can improve your resume and provide you a distinct advantage when applying for jobs. Some certificates can help you land well-paying jobs straight away, while others give you the means to start working and making money while you advance in your new career and continue learning on the job.

Here, we’ve listed the best and shortest certificate programs that pay well; you can enroll online or in person, earn good money, and finish in a year or less.

1. Cloud infrastructure

  • Job Achievable: Cloud Architect
  • Average Earnings: $169,029

Organizations can use Google Cloud technology thanks to qualified cloud architects. Strong and scalable cloud architecture solutions are designed, developed, and managed by cloud architects.

You must; in order to qualify as a Google Certified Professional.

  • Examine the study guide.
  • enroll in a training course
  • Review practice inquiries
  • Plan your examinations.

An exam lasting two hours is required to earn the professional cloud architect certification. The exam can be done online or in person at a testing facility, and it includes a multiple-choice and multiple-select format.

This certification exam, which is offered in both English and Japanese, costs $200. Given that the certification is only good for two years, candidates are expected to re-certify in order to preserve their certification status.

The Google Cloud professional Cloud Architect certification was recognized the highest paid IT certification in 2019 and 2020, and by soft skill global knowledge, it was ranked second in 2021.

2. Google Certified Professional Data Engineer

  • Average Earnings: $171,749
  • Job achievable: Cloud Architects

Data engineers are highly sought-after, and demand is always rising. We’ve included it in our list of the 20 short certificate programs that pay well because it’s one of the most in-demand professions in the field.

Google Cloud Certified Professional Data Engineer earned the highest paying salary in IT in 2021. By gathering, transforming, and displaying data, the certification makes it possible to make decisions using data.

Data engineers’ responsibilities also involve information analysis to get knowledge about business results. Additionally, they develop machine learning models to automate and streamline crucial business operations and statistical models to support decision-making processes.

To be eligible for this certification, applicants must complete the Google Certified Professional – Data Engineer test.

3. AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate

  • Average salary: $159,033
  • Job achievable: Cloud Architect

A high paying brief certificate program is the AWS Solutions Architect certification.

The certification serves as evidence of a person’s proficiency in developing scalable systems on the AWS platform.

Anyone who creates cloud infrastructures, reference architectures, or deploys systems and applications will benefit greatly from it.

Candidates must pass the AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate (SAA-C02) exam to earn this certification.

Before taking this exam, AWS advises having a year of practical experience creating systems on its platform.

The AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner certification is a suggested requirement for the certification.

4. CRISC – Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control

  • Average salary: $151,995
  • Job achievable: Senior Manager for Information Security (CISO / CSO / ISO)

On our list of quick certificate programs with good salary, the CRISC was included. Security breaches have dramatically increased recently all around the world.

As a result, there is a rapidly expanding need for experts who are familiar with IT risk and how it affects businesses. The Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA’s) offers the Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC) certification, which aids professionals in gaining these in-demand abilities.

The CRISC provides IT professionals with the training and tools they need to recognize, assess, and manage IT risk as well as to plan and put in place the essential frameworks and controls.

The most typical job titles for a CRISC-certified professional are director and manager of security. As security engineers, analysts, or architects, they can also work in information security.

The CRISC test, which has four levels, must be passed in order to receive this certification;

  • IT Risk Identification
  • IT Risk Assessment
  • Risk Response and Mitigation
  • Risk Control, Monitoring and Reporting.

5. CISSP – Certified Information Systems Security Professional

  • Average salary: $151,853
  • Job achievable: Information Security

The (ISC)2 credential, which is highly lucrative, attests to a person’s years of experience and cybersecurity knowledge.

The CISSP certification, which verifies that workers have the necessary capacity and skills to effectively create, implement, and manage a cybersecurity program and framework, has been compared, interestingly, to receiving a master’s degree in IT security.

The CISSP test covers eight different aspects of information security, including these;

  • Security and Risk Management
  • Asset Security
  • Security Architecture and Engineering
  • Communication and Network Security
  • Identity and Access Management (IAM)
  • Security Assessment and Testing
  • Security Operations
  • Software Development Security

To qualify for this certificate, you must have at least five years of relevant job experience in at least two of the CISSP domains where you were paid.

Even though you don’t have the required experience, you can still take the certification exam and pass it to become an Associate of (ISC)2. You will then have up to six years to gain the necessary experience to become a CISSP.

6. CISM – Certified Information Security Manager

  • Average salary: $149,246
  • Job Achievable: Information Security

This Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) credential issued by ISACA is essential for workers looking for IT leadership jobs.

The qualification for leadership and managerial roles, as well as a high level of technical experience, are validated.

The CISM certifies a professional’s capacity to oversee, plan for, and evaluate an organization’s information security.

The four main domains covered by CISM tests. that are;

  • Information Security Governance
  • Information Risk Management
  • Information Security Program Development and Management
  • Information Security Incident Management.

Candidates must successfully complete the CISM tests in the aforementioned subject areas in order to become certified.

To be eligible for the certification, candidates must also achieve the benchmark requirement of five years of experience.

7. Real Estate Agent

Real estate, according to some, is the new gold. Although there is no evidence to support that claim, it is widely accepted that real estate has a lot of potential.

To begin, you must have a real estate license, though. Getting the necessary license requires four to six months of training, either online or in a classroom. Although licensing is subject to your State’s requirements.

Additionally, you must pass the real estate licensure exam before you may start working under a broker’s supervision and earning money.

But with time and practice, you can develop into a full-fledged real estate broker.

8. HVAC-R Certification

  • Job Achievable: HVAC Technician
  • Average Earnings: $50,590

Heating, cooling, and refrigeration systems must be installed, maintained, and repaired by HVACR experts.

Heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration are collectively referred to as HVACR. Heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVACR) mechanics and installers, often known as technicians, operate on the systems that regulate a building’s temperature and air quality.

The certification for HVAC or HVAC-R technicians is called an HVAC certification. This certification is intended to verify the technician’s education, work history, and ability to complete installations and repairs in their state.

You need a high school graduation or the GED equivalent in order to become a licensed HVAC-R specialist.

Once you have obtained your HVAC license from your state and passed the certification exam for the many types of HVAC or HVAC-R vocations, you should have obtained an HVAC certificate from a recognized trade school or program.

9. PMP® – Project Management Professional

  • Average salary: $148,906
  • Job Achievable: Project Manager.

These days, project management is crucial to enterprises. Project management determines whether they succeed or fail. Project managers with the necessary skills are in high demand and essential to every firm.

A prestigious project management credential is the Project Management Professional (PMP) designation from the Project Management Institute (PMI®).

It certifies that a project manager possesses the expertise, experience, and understanding necessary to develop, plan, and oversee projects for employers or organizations from beginning to end.

Candidates must fulfill the following criteria before they can receive the certification from the institute:

A four-year degree, three years of project management experience, 35 hours of project management training, or a CAPM® Certification, are requirements for candidates. OR

A high school diploma, five years of relevant experience, 35 hours of project management education or training, or CAPM® Certification, are requirements for candidates.

10. Medical Coder/Medical Biller

  • Job Achievable: Medical Coder
  • Average Earnings: $43,980

Because trained medical coders and billers are in high demand in the medical business to assist streamline the medical payment process, we feature the certification within our list of 20 short certificate programs that pay well.

Medical billing and coding is the process of locating diagnoses, medical examinations, treatments, and procedures recorded in clinical documentation and then transcribing this patient information into standardized codes to charge government and private payers for physician compensation.

Hospitals, insurance companies, medical practices, pharmacies, and the majority of other organizations involved in the provision of healthcare now absolutely require certified medical coders and billers. Following CMS requirements, they are in charge of encoding and deencoding the process and diagnosis codes.

The most popular medical coding certificates include some of the following;

  • CPC (Certified Professional Coder).
  • CCS (Certified Coding Specialist).
  • CMC (Certified Medical Coder).

A medical coding certification is a terrific choice for you if you’re seeking for high pay in a rewarding industry.

After only a few years in the industry, a medical coder could expect to earn an average of $60,000.

It’s interesting to note that some medical coders are permitted to work remotely.

11. National Funeral Directors (NFDA) Certification

  • Job Achievable: Funeral Director
  • Average Earnings: $47,392

An undertaker or mortician is another name for a funeral director. A funeral director is a professional who works in the funeral rites industry.

They frequently handle the preparations for the funeral service as well as the embalming, burial, or cremation of the deceased.

The National Funeral Directors Association offers NFDA certification. The NFDA provides many types of training, such as;

  • NFDA Arranger Training
  • NFDA Cremation Certification Program
  • NFDA Certified Celebrant Training
  • NFDA Certified Preplanning Consultant (CPC) Program.

12. Firefighting Certification

  • Job Achievable: Firefighter
  • Average Earnings: $47,547

Firefighting is a vital but dangerous profession. The fire department does not stipulate any particular licensing requirements. To demonstrate that you can handle the stress of the job, you must write an exam and take a physical ability test.

Apply to fire departments first if you wish to do this. Every one to two years, on average, they hire. But depending on the demands of the fire department, this period varies from city to city.

However, as a fireman’s primary responsibility is to rescue the public, they must be well-versed in emergency medical services. All firefighters are required to hold an Emergency Medical Technician or EMT certification. You aren’t need to have this at the time of application, though.

You can choose to pursue further education in the paramedics sector.

13. Certified Data Professional (CDP)

  • Job Achievable: Application Analyst
  • Average Earnings: $95,000

The Certified Data Management Professional (CDMP), developed and made available by the ICCP from 2004 until 2015 when it was upgraded to the CDP, is an updated version of the CDP.

The ICCP exams are frequently updated by renowned practitioners in the field and current subject matter specialists.

In order to assess applicants’ professional proficiency and gauge how up-to-date their knowledge is, the CDP and Certified Business Intelligence Professional (CBIP) use broad and current industry scenario questions. It has a demanding 3-exam requirement.

This certificate can be used for a variety of job roles and speciality credentials, including business analytics, data analytics and design, data integration, data and information quality, data warehousing, enterprise data architecture, information systems or IT management, and more.

Candidates may choose to specialize in any field that best suits their background and professional objectives.

14. NCP-MCI – Nutanix Certified Professional – Multicloud Infrastructure

  • Job Achievable: Systems Architect
  • Average salary: $142,810

A professional’s skills and ability to deploy, manage, and debug Nutanix AOS in the Enterprise Cloud are to be recognized through the Nutanix Certified Professional – Multicloud Infrastructure (NCP-MCI) certification.

Candidates must successfully complete the Multicloud Infrastructure exam in order to obtain this certification.

Your professional capacity to lead an organization through the many stages of its cloud journey and framework will be demonstrated by earning this certification, which is among our list of quick certificate programs that pay highly.

Professionals gain the necessary knowledge and abilities to deploy and maintain a Nutanix environment as they progress through the exam preparation route and training for the NCP-MCI.

15. Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate

  • Job Achievable: Cloud Architect or Cloud Engineer.
  • Average salary: $121,420

You may be able to obtain employment as a cloud architect if you have the Azure Administrator Associate certification. Your ability to administer an Azure instance, including storage, security, and networking, is confirmed by the certification.

Since this certification is one of Microsoft’s role-based ones, it corresponds to in-demand job roles. You must have a thorough understanding of the services provided by Microsoft throughout the whole IT lifecycle in order to earn this certification. Candidates must succeed in: Microsoft Azure Administrator, AZ-104.

Candidates will acquire the knowledge and abilities necessary to offer suggestions for services that will improve their size, scope, performance, and provision. They must keep an eye on things and change resources as necessary.

16. CompTIA Security+

  • Job Achievable: Network Engineer or Information Security
  • Average salary: $110,974

The importance of cyber security is increasing every day. Reports of cyber hacking, cyber attacks, and several threats directed at the security framework of large corporations are prevalent in today’s trending news.

Consider CompTIA’s vendor-neutral Security+ certification if you’re a professional growing your career and looking for opportunities in cybersecurity.

Each of the following competencies should be attained by professionals seeking this certification;

  • Network security
  • Compliance and operational security
  • Threats and vulnerabilities
  • Application, data, and host security
  • Access control and identity management
  • Cryptography

17. Salesforce Certified Development Lifecycle and Deployment

  • Job Achievable: Salesforce Developer
  • Average Earnings: $112,031

The Salesforce Certified Development Lifecycle and Deployment Designer credential is designed for professionals/individuals with the knowledge and experience to oversee the development and deployment of lightning-platform applications and to effectively communicate technical solutions to business and technical stakeholders.

You can become certified as a technical architect, application architect, system architect, data architecture and management designer, identity and access management designer, or certification and integration architecture designer, among other credentials.

Technical lead, developer lead, project manager, release manager, technical architect, developer, tester, etc. are a few of the positions you could pursue.

18. VCP-DVC – VMware Certified Professional – Data Center Virtualization

  • Job Achievable: Systems/Enterprise Architect
  • Average salary: $132,947

As VMware enables businesses to adopt digital environments, enhance user experiences, and streamline operations and workflows, the VMware Certified Professional – Data Center Virtualization certification maintains its strong ranking.

A professional’s skill and aptitude for designing, implementing, managing, and troubleshooting a vSphere infrastructure are demonstrated by the VCP-DCV certification.

Candidates must take at least one course from a licensed trainer or reseller in order to obtain this certification from VMware. Candidates should have at least six months of experience working with the most recent version of vSphere, VMware’s server virtualization platform, in addition to taking a class.

Since the most recent certification (2021) is attainable, there are recommendations and tracks accessible to applicants who want to keep up with their VMware credentials and certification.

19. Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)

  • Job Achievable: Nursing Assistant
  • Average salary: $30,024

The certified nursing assistant is another health care career that is available through our entry-level, short-term program (CNA). program for nursing assistants.

It’s crucial to select a certificate program from among those that have received state approval because requirements can vary by state. You can start working for healthcare organizations or in medical offices after your training is complete. The employment of nursing assistants is predicted to increase by 8% over the next ten years, which is faster than average.

In hospitals, nursing homes, and at-home care settings, Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) provide patients with direct care. A larger care team needs certified nursing assistants since they help patients with a variety of fundamental needs like feeding, bathing, grooming, movement, etc.

20. Commercial Truck Driver

  • Job Achievable: Truck Driver
  • Average salary: $59,370

Even if the path is lengthy, it doesn’t take too long to become a commercial truck driver. After completing your training, which usually takes three to six months, you can begin working as a truck driver.

Interested candidates can enroll in training at a community college, truck driving school, or other recognized institutions. Once certified, you have the option of working for an employer or going it alone as a truck driver.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why should I earn a certification?

There are a number of reasons why you might benefit from a quick certification program. Your current needs, interests, and other personal preferences will all be taken into account.

You should be able to respond to the following inquiries to determine whether a certificate program is right for you;

  • Do you have the time and/or resources to enroll in a four-year, full-time bachelor’s program?
  • Does the certification apply to your current career? Can it provide you with the extra training you need for a position or promotion at work?
  • Would you be interested in a brief training course that helps you enter the workforce quickly?

If you answered “yes” to any of these inquiries, a certificate program might be the best option for you.

However, these online universities that pay you to attend can be your solution if you want to go to college but lack the financial means to do so.

How long do short certificate programs last?

Short certificate programs, as their name suggests, are shorter than a regular college curriculum.

While some brief certificate programs might take up to two years or more, others are only a few weeks long. Institution, career, and needs are all factors.

How can a short certificate program lead to a lucrative salary?

However, you should be aware that certificate programs can be used at any stage of your career, even if you are just starting out. We have listed certificate programs above that will undoubtedly pay you well.

However, if you already have some work experience and need certain credentials to advance in your career, you can earn the maximum money by being certified.

In Conclusion

Our requirements grow as the globe develops, and the competition does too. Knowing that no knowledge is wasted and that staying ahead of your contemporaries requires ongoing improvement of both oneself and one’s knowledge is valuable information.

In this post, which was especially written to assist you in finding the answers to your needs, we hope you found the answers to your queries.

At Study Eagles, it is our pleasure to continually look for and present to you relevant material on your behalf.

If you have any queries that are yet unanswered, feel free to leave a comment and we will respond.

For verification of the average salary potential of your chosen short certificate programs, visit payscale.

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About Unwana Akpan

The author is a google certified online publisher and marketer, great researcher, writer and a graduate of Applied Chemistry; she writes blog articles & manage blogs too. Our passion at Study Eagles is helping job seekers and international students get quality info about jobs and study abroad opportunities.

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