If you are seeking a way to enhance your professional resume, software development certifications are ideal career boosts. In this guide, we discuss certifications for software development, where to find them, what types and levels to consider, and what they cost.
We discuss the highest-paying software development certification jobs and provide resources for software development students and professionals. If you want to stand out in the competitive job market and increase your earning potential, a software development certification is perfect for you.
What Is a Professional Certification?
A professional certification is an achievement earned by passing certification exams and meeting foundational skills and industry standards set by a third party. Once a professional certification has been acquired you are usually assigned a professional designation such as CISSP or PSD, among others.
What’s the Difference Between Certification and a Certificate?
The difference between a certification and a certificate is that certifications involve passing an exam and meeting a set of requirements established by a reputable organization, while a certificate involves completing a course or set of courses successfully. A certification serves as stronger proof that one has experience and knowledge in one’s field.
Why Is Certification in Software Development Important?
A certification in software development is important because it validates your foundational knowledge and technical expertise in software concepts like software design, security practices, and database servers. According to Statista, 87 percent of IT professionals worldwide have acquired at least one certification.
An associate certification illustrates your intermediate level of expertise, while an advanced certification proves your expert level of expertise in the field of software development. Certification in software development is highly valued amongst employers.
Best Software Development Certifications by Salary
| Certification | Provider | Average Salary | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) | (ISC)² | $120,000 | $749 |
| Oracle Certified Professional: Java SE 11 Developer | Oracle University | $105,000 | $297 |
| Amazon Web Service Certified Developer – Associate | Amazon Web Services | $105,000 | $150 |
| Professional Scrum Developer | Scrum.org | $100,000 | $200 |
| Microsoft Azure Fundamentals | Microsoft | $97,000 | $99 |
| Zend Certified PHP Engineer | Zend | $81,000 | $195 |
| Certified Software Development Professional | IEEE Computer Society | $76,000 | $390/member $485/non-members |
| Oracle Certified Professional, Java EE 7 Application Developer | Oracle University | $71,142 | $297 |
| CompTIA A+ | CompTIA | $66,000 | $239 |
| Adobe Certified Professional | Adobe | $58,000 | $125 |
Best Software Development Certifications to Further Your Career
How to Choose the Best Software Development Certification for Your Career
Choosing the best software development certification for your career may seem daunting. The best way to decide on which of the many certifications is best for you is to consider your career goals, decide on a budget, and do your research to find out what it will take to get there.
Consider Your Career Goals
Knowing the specific field you want to join in software development is a good way of choosing which certification is best for you. Each certification covers different special skills, so knowing the one you want can help you plot your education strategically in the long term.
Decide on a Budget
It’s essential to know how much you can spend on your certifications for software developers. Sticking to your budget will help you boost your resume and still attend to your other responsibilities. As there are also preparation or training courses available to help you get ready, these costs also need to be considered in your budget. The best free budgeting apps can help you.
Know How to Break Into Tech
Knowing how to break into tech helps you plan for the costs, study time, and exam location. Knowing the exact skills that are currently in demand by employers will allow you to choose a certification worth your time. Being in software development and other tech related fields will require continued education due to how fast our technology advances.
Which Software Development Certifications Pay the Most?
The software development certifications that pay the most have excellent yearly salaries. The top five certifications for software developers pay between $97,000 to $120,000 per year. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) published data that shows this is much higher than the average salary for all occupations in America.
Highest-Paying Software Development Certifications
- Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP): $120,000
- Oracle Certified Professional: Java SE 11 Developer: $105,000
- Amazon Web Service Certified Developer: $105,000
- Professional Scrum: $100,000
- Microsoft Azure Fundamentals: $97,000
Which Software Development Certifications Are the Best for Beginners?
The software development certifications that are best for beginners are the Oracle Certified Professional: Java SE 11 Developer, Amazon Web Service Certified Developer, Microsoft Azure Fundamentals, and CompTIA A+. These certifications cover the most common skills you need to succeed in tech.
Best College Certificate Programs
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How to Prepare for Your Software Development Certification Exam
There are multiple ways to conduct your software development exam prep. Students can attend a preparation course, gain practical experience, join online communities, browse websites with searchable resources, and read books. We highlight the best software development certification resources below.
Best Courses to Prepare for Software Development Certification Exams
Once you know which certification you want to do, you will need to find a suitable software development prep course to stand the best chance of passing your certification. Below are some of the best courses to prepare for software development certification exams.
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Other Resources to Prepare for Your Software Development Certification Exams
There are loads of other resources for your software development exam prep. Books, online communities, and websites help aspiring software developers on their journey to becoming certified. Here are a few resources to get you started.
Dream.In.Code
This online community features hundreds of thousands of registered members. It connects experienced software developers with others in the programming and web development fields. Users share information and tips for the field.
Dream.In.Code Overview
- Type of Resource: Online Community
- Cost: Free
- Ideal For: Aspiring software developers who want to engage with software developer professionals
Stack Overflow
The Stack Overflow online community provides relevant information, techniques, and answers to questions at all skill levels. It’s easy to use as the best-voted answers to questions about IT subjects are pushed to the top of the page. Learn and stay up-to-date on your topic of interest.
Stack Overflow Overview
- Type of Resource: Online Community
- Cost: Free
- Ideal For: Aspiring software developers who want to get answers from other software developer professionals
Google Code
Google Code is a searchable resource for self-teaching. Although the Google Code Project Hosting Service has been closed down, the Google archive still has over 1.4 million projects, 1.5 million downloads, and 12.6 million issues available for use. Beginner software developers can use these for self-teaching.
Google Code Overview
- Type of Resource: Website
- Cost: Free
- Ideal For: Aspiring software developers
OER Commons
OER Commons is another self-teaching website resource. It has an open-education directory that provides access to programming courses like Teachers’Donmain and Foundation. It offers high-quality information on a wide range of relevant subjects for aspiring software developers worldwide.
OER Commons Overview
- Type of Resource: Website
- Cost: Free
- Ideal For: Aspiring software developers
“Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship” by Robert C. Martin
This book delineates fundamental principles used when writing clean code and provides case studies on how to clean up existing code. It ends by reviewing the rule of thumb principles from the previous section’s case studies to ensure you understand how to produce clean code consistently.
“Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship,” by Robert C. Martin Overview
- Type of Resource: Book
- Cost: $42.49
- Ideal For: Aspiring developers, software engineers, project managers, team leads, or systems analysts interested in producing better more concise code
Best Online Courses
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Software Development Job Outlook and Average Salary
BLS shares data that the job outlook for software developers is set to increase by a whopping 22 percent and notes this is much faster than the average. The average salary for software developers is an impressive $110,140 per year.
Software developer certifications often increase your earning potential. It is also worth mentioning that having one or more of these certifications may fetch excellent salaries of between $58,000 and $120,000 per year.
Best Software Development Jobs After Certification
Software development jobs require soft skills, technical skills, and programming skills. Software development certifications teach the critical skills needed to conduct intermediate-level software development tasks. These are some of the best software development jobs you may be able to secure once you have acquired certification.
Best Software Development Associations
Staying connected once you pass your software development certification is essential for professional development and networking opportunities. The best software development associations can help by engaging you with other professional networks. They also provide articles, journals, education, credentials, and conferences.
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Computer Society
The IEEE is the world’s leading association of engineering and technology professionals. It supports the principles, practice, and application of information-processing science and technology. It provides more than 215 conferences yearly. IEEE has a digital media center with 847,000 online education materials to support its members and the industry.
Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)
ACM has over 100,000 student and professional members worldwide, many of which are computing educators, researchers, and professionals who share resources to meet or overcome the field’s challenges. There are 37 Special Interest Groups (SIGs) such as computer graphics, security, and software engineering.
Python Software Foundation (PSF)
The PSF supports and maintains Python, one of the most popular programming languages. It conducts conferences, meetups, user groups, and development projects worldwide for Python developers.
Are Software Development Certifications Worth It?
Yes, software development certifications are worth it because they validate your skills and abilities needed for software development roles. Software development certification jobs come with high-earning salaries over an incredible scope of diverse and advanced software development jobs.
If you would like to enhance your skills even more after your certification, you can attend a software development bootcamp. The best software development bootcamps offer valuable career services to help you land the software development job of your dreams.
Additional Reading About Software Development
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Software Development Certifications FAQ
Yes, many people are able to pass software development certification exams through self-teaching. However, most certifications suggest that you take their recommended preparation courses.
No, a software development certification is not the same as a software development degree. A degree is acquired by attending a college or university and is a comprehensive academic education. A certification is an assessment of your skills in software development.
Yes, many people have secured remote software development jobs with one or more software development certifications. So long as you can prove your skills, they will apply to any type of IT job you desire.
Yes, some have secured software development jobs without software development certifications. However, you need to show evidence of your knowledge and technical skills through demonstrations and portfolios.
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