Ads:

Try Skillshare Premium with a free 30 days!

There are short certificate programs that pay well, and taking one of them could help your career.

It can be amazing to learn something and then make enough money to live on.

When you finish these certificate programs from an accredited and well-known school.

You can start a new career, get a promotion, make more money, get more experience, or get better at what you do.

The time it takes to finish these short certificate programs that pay well could vary.

Some certificate programs last 4 weeks, while others last 6 months.

Some might take a year.

You can get the advanced skills you need to succeed in the workplace today and make more money by taking these classes.

Not only are short certificate programs less expensive than college degrees, but some of them can also lead to high-paying jobs in the future.

Most certificate programs are at community colleges, and the requirements to get in aren’t too hard to meet.

Some jobs pay as much as $60,000 a year, which means you can be financially stable even if you don’t have a bachelor’s degree or a master’s degree.

Still, there are some important things to remember, which you can read about below.

What are Short Certificate Programs?

Short certificate programs are academic programs that prepare students for a specific career field.

But not at the level needed for an associate degree.

However, there are general certificate programs and technical certificates that can be earned in a short time.

Short certificate programs, unlike four-year or even two-year college degrees, focus on teaching skills instead of theory.

Because of this, short certification programs are some of the best ways to learn a professional skill quickly.

Short certificate programs that pay well include university exchange programs, professional programs that don’t lead to a degree, and internships.

All of these last 12 months or less.

Why Enrol in Short Certificate Programs?

Getting a certificate can give you access to a wide range of high-paying and long-term jobs.

This is great for people who want to get a degree quickly.

You’ll be able to start working and getting paid sooner rather than later because the time frame is shorter.

Short-term certification programs let students start working and getting paid in their fields in six months or less.

27 Short Certificate Programs That Pay Well

Here is the list of Short certificate programs that pay well

1. Certified Data Professional (CDP)

Average Salary: $195,000
Job Achievable: Application Analyst

The Certified Data Professional (CDP) is an updated version of the Certified Data Management Professional (CDMP), which was made by the ICCP and offered from 2004 to 2015 before it was changed into the CDP.

The ICCP exams are regularly updated by leading practitioners in the field who are experts in the subject matter.

The Certified Data Professional (CDP) and Certified Business Intelligence Professional (CBIP) use wide-ranging and up-to-date questions from the industry to test candidates’ professional skills and how up-to-date their knowledge is.

There are three tests that must be taken.

This credential covers the following job roles and specialty credentials: 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 can choose to specialize in any area that fits with their experience and career goals.

This is one of the highest short certificate programs that pay well.

2. Air Traffic Control Certificate

Average salary: $182,530
Job Achievable: Air Traffic Controller

Air traffic controllers help planes get where they need to go both in the air and on the ground.

They use technology that lets them see all the air traffic in a certain area, and it’s their job to make sure every flight takes off, lands, or passes through safely.

Air traffic controllers talk to pilots and tell them when to take off and land, as well as if there are any problems with the weather or at the airport.

They also tell the people who work at the airport what to do.

Air traffic controllers are trained in two stages.

The first step is usually done through a program approved by the Air Traffic Collegiate Training Initiative of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) (AT-CTI)

FAA’s rules about how to hire air traffic controllers.

Air traffic controllers must be certified by the FAA.

To get certified, they must pass a written and practical test and have a certain amount of experience.

After you graduate from the FAA Academy, you can get the experience you need by learning on the job.

3. Security+ Certificate

Average salary: $180,974
Job Achievable: Network Engineer or Information Security

As time goes on, cyber security is becoming more and more important. It’s one of the short certificate programs that pay well.

There are stories about cyber hacking, cyber attacks, and a lot of threats aimed at the security of large organizations in almost every news story that is popular right now.

CompTIA’s vendor-neutral Security+ certification is good for people who want to work in cybersecurity and are building a career.

For this certification, professionals should be able to do each of the following:

Protecting a network
Compliance and security for operations
Threats and vulnerabilities
Security for the application, data, and host
Controlling access and keeping track of identities
Cryptography

4. Project Management Professional (PMP)

Average salary: $178,906
Job Achievable: Project Manager.

Today, managing projects is a very important part of running a business.

How well or badly a project is run can make it live or die.

Skilled project managers are in high demand, and every business needs them.

The Project Management Professional (PMP) certification from the Project Management Institute (PMI®) is one of the most respected projects management credentials.

It shows that a project manager has the skills, experience, and knowledge to define, organize, and run projects for employers or organizations from start to finish.

To get the certification, candidates must meet the institute’s requirements, which include:

Candidates must have a four-year degree, three years of experience leading projects, and 35 hours of project management training or a CAPM® Certification. OR

Candidates must have a high school diploma, five years of work experience, 35 hours of education or training in project management, or the CAPM® Certification.

5. Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)

Average salary: $171,853
Job achievable: Information Security

This is one of the short certificate programs that pay well and is run by (ISC).

A credential from (ISC)2 proves a person’s cybersecurity skills and years of experience.

People have said that getting a CISSP certification is like getting a master’s degree in IT security.

However, this is because it proves that a person has the knowledge and skills to design, implement, and manage a cybersecurity framework and program.

To be eligible for this certificate.

You need to have worked in two or more of the CISSP domains for about five years in a job that was related to your field and paid.

Even if you don’t have enough experience, you can still take the certification exam and become an Associate of (ISC)2 if you pass.

Then you will have up to six years to get the experience you need to get your CISSP.

About eight areas of information security are tested on the CISSP exam.

These areas are:

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

6. VMware Certified Professional 6 – Data Center Virtualization

Average salary: $167,947
Job Achievable: Systems/Enterprise Architect

The VMware Certified Professional – Data Center Virtualization certification continues to rank high because VMware gives organizations the tools they need to adopt digital environments, improve experiences, and streamline operations and workflows.

The VCP-DCV certification shows that a professional has the skills and knowledge to design, implement, manage, and troubleshoot a vSphere infrastructure.

To get this certification, VMware requires candidates to take at least one course from a training provider or reseller that has been approved by VMware.

Candidates should have taken a class and worked with the latest version of VMware’s server virtualization software, vSphere, for at least six months.

There are recommendations and tracks for people who want to keep their VMware credentials and certification up to date, as the most recent version of the certification is available.

7. Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate

Job Achievable: Cloud Architect or Cloud Engineer.
Average salary: $161,420

You can find work as a cloud architect if you have the Azure Administrator Associate certification.

The certification proves that you have the skills to run an Azure instance as a cloud administrator, including storage, security, and networking.

It is one of Microsoft’s role-based certifications, so it fits well with jobs that are in demand.

To get this certification, you need to know a lot about Microsoft’s services throughout the entire IT lifecycle.

AZ-104: Microsoft Azure Administrator must be passed.

The candidates will learn the skills they need to make suggestions on how to improve the performance, scale, provision, and size of the services they use.

They have to keep an eye on the resources and make changes as needed. Moreover, this is one of the fastest short certificate programs that pay well.

8. ITIL Foundations Certification

The ITIL 4 Foundation certification is meant to be an introduction to ITIL 4.

It lets candidates look at IT service management through an end-to-end operating model for the creation, delivery, and continuous improvement of tech-enabled products and services.

Those who need to know the basics of the ITIL framework can benefit from the certification.

ITIL 4 Foundation candidates will know how to use a holistic approach to help customers and other stakeholders co-create value in the form of products and services.

After getting your ITIL Foundation certificate.

You can move up in your ITSM career by getting your ITIL 4 Managing Professional and ITIL 4 Strategic Leader certificates.

9. Salesforce Certified Development Lifecycle and Deployment

Average Salary: $152,031
Job Achievable: Salesforce Developer

The Salesforce Certified Development Lifecycle and Deployment Designer credential is made for professionals who have the skills and experience to manage lightning Platform development and deployment activities and clearly explain technical solutions to business and technical stakeholders.

You can get certified as a technical architect, an application architect, a system architect, a designer of data architecture and management, a designer of identity and access management, or a designer of certification and integration architecture.

You could work as a technical lead, developer lead, project manager, release manager, technical architect, developer, tester, etc.

10. Global Information Assurance Certification (GIAC)

Average salary: $152,015
Job achievable: Cyber Security and Professional information security

Global Information Assurance Certification is one of the best short certificate programs that pay well.

The Global Information Assurance Certification (GIAC) program is a major source of Cyber Security Certifications and a leader in making them.

A certification shows that a person meets a certain standard.

The goal of GIAC is to give employers confidence that the people they hire and the people they already have can do the job.

To do this, GIAC goes beyond theory and jargon to test how Audit, Security, Operations, Forensics, Penetration Testing, Management, and Software Security work in the real world.

11. Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals

Average salary: $152,005
Job achievable: Cloud computing and Azure’s services

Whether you’re new to the field or a seasoned pro, learning the basics of Microsoft Azure can help you jumpstart your career and get you ready to dive deeper into the many technical opportunities Azure offers.

The certification shows that you have a basic understanding of cloud services and how they work with Azure.

Candidates should be able to show that they understand the basics of the cloud, as well as Azure’s services, workloads, security, privacy, pricing, and support.

It is best to know how networking, storage, computing, application support, and application development work.

You can use your Azure Fundamentals certification to brush up on the basics for other Azure certifications based on roles or specialties, but it isn’t required for any of them.

12. CRISC – Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control

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

The CRISC made our list of short certificate programs that pay well. There have been a lot more security breaches all over the world recently.

Because of this, the need for professionals who understand IT risk and how it affects organizations is proliferating.

Information Systems Audit and Control Association’s (ISACA’s) Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC) certification helps professionals develop these in-demand skills.

CRISC teaches IT professionals how to find, evaluate, and manage IT risk, as well as how to plan and put in place the necessary control measures and frameworks.

Security manager and director are the most common jobs for someone with a CRISC certification.

They can also work as security engineers, security analysts, or security architects in information security.

To get this certification, you must pass the CRISC exam, which is made up of four domains:

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

13. Cloud infrastructure

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

Cloud architects are professionals who help businesses use Google Cloud technologies and one of the high demands is short certificate programs that pay well.

Cloud architects design, build, and manage solutions for cloud architecture that are strong and scalable.

The test for the professional cloud architect certification takes 2 hours.

The test has both multiple-choice and multiple-select questions, and you can take it at home or at a test center.

This certification test costs $200 and is given in both English and Japanese.

The certification is only good for two years, so candidates have to recertify every two years to keep it.

By Soft Skills and global knowledge, the Google Cloud Professional Cloud Architect certification was the most highly-paid IT certification.

It was the second most highly paid IT certification.

In order to become a Google Certified Professional, you must:

Read the test guide.
Start a program of training
Review sample questions
Schedule your exams

14. Google Certified Professional Data Engineer

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

There is a lot of demand for data engineers, and this demand keeps growing. Being one of the most sought-after skills in the business world.

We put it on the list of short certificate programs with good pay.

In 2023, the Google Cloud Certified Professional Data Engineer certification is expected to pay the highest salary in IT.

By collecting, transforming, and displaying data, the certification makes it possible to make decisions based on data.

Data engineers’ jobs include things like analyzing data to learn more about how businesses work.

They also build statistical models to help make decisions and machine learning models to automate and simplify important business processes.

In order to get this certification, candidates must pass the Google Certified Professional – Data Engineer exam.

15. AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate

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

The AWS Solutions Architect certification is of the 3 month certificate programs that pay well.

However, you can complete your training and certification within a short period of time. Perhaps, less than 3 month

The certification shows that a person knows how to plan and set up scalable systems on the AWS platform.

It’s great for people who design cloud infrastructures, reference architectures, or systems and applications.

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

AWS recommends a year of hands-on experience designing systems on its platform before taking this exam.

The AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner certification is a recommended prerequisite for this certification.

16. Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)

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

ISACA’s Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) certification is very important for IT professionals who want to run IT departments.

It shows that the person has a lot of technical experience and is qualified for a leadership or management role.

CISM verifies that a professional can manage, design, and evaluate the information security of an enterprise.

The CISM tests cover four important areas. Those are;

Governance of Information Security
Information Risk Management
Creating and running information security programs
Management of Information Security Incidents.

Before candidates can get the certification, they must pass the CISM exams, which cover the above topics.

To be eligible for the certification, candidates must also have at least 5 years of work experience.

17. HVAC-R Certification

Average Salary: $50,590
Job Achievable: HVAC Technician

HVACR technicians are in charge of setting up, maintaining, and fixing systems for cooling, heating, and refrigeration.

Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration are what HVACR stands for in short.

HVACR mechanics and installers, who are often called technicians, work on the systems that control the temperature and quality of the air in buildings.

These systems include heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration.

HVAC certification is the qualification for technicians who work with HVAC or HVAC-R systems.

This certification is meant to show that the technician has the training, experience, and skills to install and fix things in their state.

You need a high school diploma or GED equivalent to become a certified HVACR professional.

Then, you need to get a certificate in HVAC from a recognized trade school or program, get your HVAC license from your state, and pass the certification exam for the type of HVAC or HVAC-R job you want.

18. Medical Coder/Medical Biller

Average Salary: $43,980
Job Achievable: Medical Coder

We have the medical coder/biller certification on our list of short certificate programs that pay well because certified medical coders and billers are in high demand in the medical industry to help make the payment process easier.

Medical billing and coding is the process of finding diagnoses, medical tests, treatments, and procedures in clinical documentation and then putting them into standardized codes so that government and commercial payers can pay the doctor.

Hospitals, insurance companies, doctor’s offices, pharmacies, and most other medical institutions need certified medical coders and billers more than ever.

They are in charge of coding and decoding the codes for procedures and diagnoses by following the CMS rules.

Some of the most popular certifications for medical coding are:

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

A medical coding certification is a great choice if you want to make a lot of money in a good field.

After just a few years of working in this field, a medical coder could make an average of $60,000 per year.

Some medical coders can work from home, which is an interesting fact. This is one of the short certificate programs that pay well.

19. National Funeral Directors (NFDA) Certification

Job Achievable: Funeral Director
Average Salary: $47,392

A person who plans funerals is also called an undertaker or a mortician. A funeral director is a person who makes a living by taking care of funerals.

As part of their jobs, they often have to embalm the dead, bury or cremate them, and make plans for the funeral.

The National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) gives out NFDA certification. The NFDA offers many different kinds of training, such as:

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

20. Firefighting Certification

Average Salary: $47,547
Job Achievable: Firefighter

Firefighting is a critical and dangerous job. However, one of the highest-paid short certificate programs that pay well.

The fire department doesn’t require anyone to have a specific license.

But you will have to take an exam and a test of your physical abilities to show that you can handle the stress of the job.

To do this, you should first go to the fire department and ask for permission. Most of the time, they hire every year or two.

But this time frame is different in each city because it depends on what the fire department needs.

But since the majority of firefighters’ job is to save people, they need to know a lot about emergency medical services.

All firefighters must have a certification as an EMT, which stands for Emergency Medical Technician.

But you don’t have to have this when you fill out the application.

You can also go to college to learn more about paramedics.

Recommended: Where can I take A Welding Certification test in USA?

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

Job Achievable: Systems Architect
Average salary: ***

The goal of the Nutanix Certified Professional – Multicloud Infrastructure (NCP-MCI) certification is to show that a professional knows how to set up, manage, and fix Nutanix AOS in the Enterprise Cloud.

Candidates must pass the Multicloud Infrastructure exam in order to get this certification.

Getting this certification, which is on our list of short certificate programs that pay well, shows that you have the professional skills to lead an organization through the different stages and frameworks of its cloud journey.

Professionals get the knowledge and skills they need to set up and run a Nutanix environment as they prepare for the NCP-MCI exam and train for it.

22. Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)

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

The certified nursing assistant is another job in health care that is part of our short-term program for entry (CNA). Program for nursing assistants.

Different states may have different rules, so it’s important to choose a certificate program that has been approved by your state.

After you finish your training, you can start working in medical offices or healthcare organizations.

In the next 10 years, jobs for nursing assistants are expected to grow by 8%, which is faster than average.

Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) help patients directly in hospitals, nursing homes, and patient’s own homes.

Certified Nursing Assistants are an important part of a larger care team because they help patients with things like eating, bathing, grooming, moving around, etc.

Related: 25 Best Associate Degree To Get in 2023 [Highest-Paying]

What You Know About Short Certificate Programs That Pay Well

Depending on the course, you may have to take exams for some certificate programs.

Some might even need 3–6 months of preparation.

Plan to take a course or get a certification that will help you get a job when you choose which certificate programs to enroll in.

But you might have to do some research to find out if you have to pass a test.

Depending on where you want to carry them out.

Some of these certifications will lose their validity over time and may need to be renewed from time to time.

On the other hand, you might need to earn credits to keep your certification valid in some situations.

There are short certificate programs that pay well among these. Some might ask you to go through a short course and then take an exam.

You might have to go to class for a certain amount of time before taking the test or going to the labs to learn practical work.

Even though certificate programs are awesome.

If you care about what you’ll learn from them, you’ll stand out and get the skills you need to make a good living.

Before getting the right job or sending out applications.

Gaining some work experience is a good idea.

Many jobs that pay well may want you to have some kind of work experience that you’ve gained over time.

You could do the following to reach your goal:

Gaining experience may be accomplished by working as a trainee first.
Apply for internships.
Participate in a mentoring program.
Participate in training and development programs.
Offer your services pro bono as a volunteer.

Why should I get a Short Certificate?

short certificate programs that pay well

You might want to take a short certification program for more than one reason.

All of it depends on what you want, what you need, and what you like.

You should be able to answer the following questions to find out if a short certificate program is right for you:

Do you have the time and/or money to go to college full-time for four years and get your bachelor’s degree?
Is the certification useful for your current job, and can it give you the extra training you need for a promotion or a new job?
Would you like a quick training program that helps you get a job quickly?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you might want to consider short certificate programs.

But if you don’t have the money to go to college but still want to go, there are things you can do.

You might find your answer in these online colleges that pay you to go.

How long do programs that lead to short certificates last?

As the name suggests, short certificate programs don’t take as long as a traditional college education.

Some short certificate programs can take up to two or more years, while others can be done in as little as a few weeks.

It depends on the school, the career, and the needs.

How does a short certificate program lead to a high-paying job?

We’ve already told you about certificate programs that will pay you well.

But you should know that you can use certificate programs at any point in your career, even when you are just starting out.

But you can make the most money by getting certification if you already have a job and need a certain certification to get a raise or a promotion.

Final Thought on Short Certificate Programs that Pay Well

As the world gets better, so do our needs, and so does the competition.

It is important to know that knowledge is never wasted.

Keeping yourself and your knowledge up-to-date will keep you ahead of your peers.

We hope that you were able to find answers to your questions in this article, which was written just for you.

It’s a pleasure for us to always look for useful information for you and put it right in front of you.

If you have any questions that haven’t been answered, feel free to leave a comment and we’ll answer them.

Recommendations