Last year's COVID-19 epidemic led to a substantial increase in the demand for cloud computing related positions. This status quo may provide engineers with a rare opportunity to move to a higher stage of professional development. However, it should be noted that changes in remote office strategies may make the salary settlement methods of professionals in the entire IT industry more complicated.

According to statistics from Recruiter, an AOL job search platform, the average annual salary of a cloud engineer is generally less than $129,000. The determination of these salaries depends on a variety of factors, such as where IT professionals work and the industry they work in. However, the recent industry salary report shows that many variables that determine the salary of cloud computing-related positions are actually in the hands of job applicants.

For example, job seekers can learn relevant knowledge and increase their salary by obtaining relevant certificates or moving to emerging technology centers (such as Columbus, Ohio or Denver).

Gartner analyst Scott Engler said that since the outbreak, the demand for cloud engineers and architects in the industry has increased significantly, but with the rise of remote work, the number of available talents is also increasing.

Engler said: "The market supply and demand situation has changed, which allows more wage arbitrage to exist."

Telecommuting has also changed the compensation formula surrounding the cost of living. Cloud professionals who are working remotely and holding an average salary in coastal areas may consider moving to a city with a lower cost of living.

The two biggest factors currently determining the salary of cloud computing are how many gold-rich certifications you have and whether you are in a superior position. Let's take a look at how the COVID-19 outbreak and the telecommuting model have changed this equation.

Improve your professional skills by obtaining certification

IT professionals usually improve their professional skills by obtaining certifications in various specific technologies, because obtaining industry certifications is also a popular and affordable way to raise wages.

According to Global Knowledge's 2019 IT Skills and Salary Report, we can know that 85% of IT professionals worldwide (81% in North America) have at least one certification. Global Knowledge, a provider of IT skills and training services, found that certified professionals earn more salaries than uncertified professionals through surveys of multiple industries and regions. With each additional certification, their salary will increase.

In North America, the salary income of certified IT professionals is 7% higher than that of IT professionals who have not obtained any certification-and for each additional certification, their average salary will increase by about 2%. In North America, 4 of the 10 highest-paying certifications are related to cloud computing. Among them is the Google Cloud Platform cloud architect certification, the average annual salary of those who obtain the certificate is 152,129 US dollars. In addition, professionals who have obtained three different AWS certifications have an annual salary of about 130,000 US dollars. These three certifications are AWS Certified Solution Architect-Assistant, AWS Certified SysOps Administrator-Assistant or AWS Certified Developer-Assistant.

In addition, according to Global Knowledge statistics, obtaining cross-certification is one of the most effective ways to increase the salary of IT professionals in cloud computing. In North America, cross-certification with AWS is an especially attractive option. For example, combining AWS certification with VMware, Cisco, or CompTIA certification can increase the salary of job seekers by more than $10,000.

Although candidates cannot take on-site certification exams due to the epidemic, every major cloud platform provides certification exams with online supervision.

Now, relocating the workplace is a good choice

For a long time, relocating your work location has been a way to increase your annual income, but this does not mean you should go directly to the San Francisco Bay area. When considering where to relocate, cloud professionals need to consider: Which areas are where salaries are rising and whether they can afford the cost of living in these areas.

Cloud professionals who are just starting out can also look for favorable opportunities in the "emerging technology centers" counted in Dice (online job search platform)'s 2020 technical staff salary report. In these emerging technology centers, the salaries of IT and technical personnel are gradually rising, but their living costs are still relatively low. The areas with the highest salary increase in the IT industry were Columbus, Ohio (14.2%), St. Louis (13.6%), Atlanta (9.5%) and Denver (6.5%).

Hired's 2020 Salary Status Report, an online job search platform market focused on technical positions, shows the level of development of salary for technical positions in certain cities. The report adjusted the average technical wages of other major U.S. cities relative to cities with higher living costs in the Bay Area. The report found that the adjusted wages in cities such as Austin, Texas, and Denver were $224,000 and $202,000, respectively. This tells candidates that when assessing whether they need to relocate, they should know the local cost of living in advance, and not necessarily look at their salary first.

Telecommuting triggers consideration of workplace relocation

The rise of telecommuting has caused many issues around salary, especially in the cost of living. According to Hired's report, 53% of technical professionals said that a permanent remote working environment will make it possible for them to move to a city with a lower cost of living. If IT professionals can work remotely in the foreseeable future, it is necessary for many people to choose an office location with a lower cost of living. However, employers may not want to pay employees working from home in Montana the same salary as working in Silicon Valley.

For example, Facebook said that its company may transfer half of its workforce to telecommuting within five years, and will adjust wages based on the cost of living at the workplace. Therefore, if a Facebook employee moves out of Silicon Valley and works remotely in an area where the cost of living is affordable, then the employee's salary may be reduced.

However, technical professionals do not agree with the decision to adjust wages based on telecommuting conditions. According to Hired's report, most technical talents believe that employees working in remote areas should be paid the same as employees working in the office, and the company should ensure that the wages of those working from home will never be cut.

Engler said the advent of remote work has begun to change the way companies find and compensate technical talent. Now, organizations are looking for talents from all over the world, such as Warsaw, Poland; Chennai, India; Melbourne, Australia; St. Petersburg, Russia; and Mexico City. Telecommuting provides more opportunities for cloud professionals around the world, but it also means that competition for employment for related professionals will also be fierce.

Engler said: "You will now compete with someone from Warsaw for the same position in certain companies."

Engler said that as these conflicts intensify, the technology industry may see large-scale wage arbitration next year. Employers and job seekers will need to specifically discuss how remote and mixed work strategies specifically change the compensation model.