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Are there any sites out there that have recent salary data for holders of CWNP certifications ?

I can't seem to find much more recent than 2008.

Here's one that looks promising. "Certification Magazine annual salary survey.."
http://www.wirelesstrainingsolutions.com/onsite-training/cwna-training-classes

Can you really use that website? It looks like to me a clever peice of marketing.

Do you mean aside from the fact that their company name is not in the [u]approved[/u] trainer list for CWNA, or that they list training with OmniPeek [i]Personal[/i], which hasn't been available or supported for a of couple of years now?

Personally, whether their company is up to snuff or not, it looks to me like their salaries are quite exaggerated - either that or I should find myself a new employer.

That is one problem with many of the salary lists you find - not just this one. There is no detail behind the claims. I really doubt you could find someone with only a CWNA making $99+k a year, if that was their only claim to fame - how about years experience, education, other certs etc.

That is of course unless they are the bosses kid.

I am still interested in finding a [u]reliable[/u] source of information. Does anyone have a direct link to the Certification Magazine list itself ? I couldn't find one.

Wlanman, CWNAB, that site is not a reliable source, and is actually a rogue trainer. Looks like that web site has not been updated for at least a year or so, perhaps more.

No, I wouldn't trust the $99k number for CWNA either. CertMag used to do an annual salary survey, but they dropped that project after the 2009 survey was completed.

I would think anyone in the Networking, Communication Systems Engineering fields should add wireless to the repertoire just to have a complete perspective. Maybe the CWNA alone is not worth the same as a broad set of credentials. But, it makes a beautiful focus for becomming an SME. I am certainly hoping to go further with wireless and not just stay at the CWNA level.

Still it is making me wonder when the gurus are not hopeful that a cert in wireless will command a higher salary than, say, a CCNA. What are the surveys for CCNA?

At one time a CCNA was a rare individual and paid a premium - not any more.

Generally speaking you will find that the starting salaries for a CCNA are less than a CWNA,and have been for several years. The Cisco certs teach you CISCO, totally ignoring other pieces of hardware. The same is true for any single mfg's cert.

CWNP certs are much wider based, they strive to be vendor neutral, and therefore you learn a whole lot more with CWNP.

As far as a CCNA goes for wireless industry goes, I would place it at about the level of a NET+ cert. Nothing wrong with that, but each will teach you about the same amount of wireless - [b]almost nothing[/b].

Do I wish I had a CCNA? Yes. Did I need one to get the wireless jobs I've had ? No.

Wow, Wlanman you are way off base. I hate to say that. I just went through the CCNA-Wireless, CCNP-wireless and the CWNA in the last year. After going though the CCNP-W the CWNA wasn't a problem I reviewed the book and test questions over a weekend and passed the test. There wasn't anything I hadn't heard before on the CWNA. The Cisco certs do add in how they like to do it and how to config their gear but they do review how the technology works.

The pay range for the CWNA or the CCNA-W are probably going to be the same. I'd say the WiFi world is odd when it comes to jobs. You hear about how WiFi guys are needed and growing. Well, I will say this. In the last week I have gotten 20 emails about jobs, R&S, security, voice, etc... Not one came in for a WiFi guy. There are WiFi gigs out there but you have to hunt for them and that job has a pay range. CCNA, CWNA isn't going to change that range. I'd say once you get to the CCIE/CWNE range then things will change.

We looked for WiFi guys last year, we couldn't find any mid level guys. Ended up hiring a R&S type guy. The pay range didn't change because we couldn't find a WiFi guy. I'd guess most wifi guys get paid about the same as a normal R&S counter part would.

I value the certs for the learning I got studying for the test. It helps me fill in the gaps and one up my co-workers they don't take the time to study. Also to have in my email sig because it shows customers I know what I am talking about. It is funny, I use to have non WiFi network guys argue with me about AP placements and the amount of APs. Now that I am a CCNP-W/CWNA these clowns just listen to me, same placement same amount of APs. I do not get certs because I think it is going to get a differences in pay. Nor do I think it is going to impress my co-workers or boss. Selling myself to the hiring company and having the skill set is what lands me more pay not because I have low or mid level paperwork. I am hoping the higher level certs will kind of demand higher pay but only because I'd be in higher level positions. Of course to get those higher level certs would put me in to the skill set of a higher level, engineer --> architect.

Sorry I think I am rambling now....

The ccna-w is great for Cisco but it does lack in its detail of 802.11 compared to cwna. I put this down purely because it includes vendor specific material so skips on a bit to keep the size of the content reasonable. I compared the 2, by reading both study materials. I learned far more from cwna about 802.11 than cisco.

In the uk, I find it ironic that a ccna-w is worth more and recognised more than a cwna. I find it more ironic that any network guy with a back ground in R&S is given a wireless job because he's got a ccna,p or ie and dabbled a bit with wireless. that needs to change!

In my personal experience Certs are not going to get u that well paid job ( unless ur at IE level). Experience will. Ive noticed, Unfortunately, it's recruitment agencies that drive the need for a cert because when an employer wants to recruit a technical guy, it's far easier to say in the job spec CCXP required

Franman,

I was responding to BCWNA's question comparing a [u]CCNA[/u] certification to CWNA.

Not a CCNA-[u]Wireless[/u] to a CWNA.

Of course the Cisco Wireless cert would cover wireless !

And if you work, or want to, for a Cisco shop the choice may have already been made for you.

I have found few company's that place much value on a certification without comensurate experience. But it might help get your foot in the door faster than that of your competition.