Welcome…let’s do this!
Amazon's dropping $225K + RSUs for a Cloud Security Architect. It's our job of the week and it's a banger.
Got a counter offer? Don't take it. 90% of people who do are gone within a year anyway. We've got the data.
AVIXA's CTS-D holders are quietly making $115K+ while everyone else fights over CISSP jobs. Smart money's moving there.
Plus 99 other jobs that don't suck.
Let's get after it.
📈 This Week's Market Movers
Top Movers:
AWS Solutions Architect Professional 🟢 INVEST — Average salary up 12% this quarter
Azure Security Engineer — 2,145 new jobs this week
CISSP — 15% premium over last quarter
[Full certification rankings and outlooks →]
Where We Source Our Data
Our live job data is aggregated from leading global job boards, industry reports, and market analyses, including platforms like LinkedIn, Indeed, Glassdoor, and regional job portals. This ensures our insights reflect current market conditions across the UK, US, and beyond.
🌟 Job of the Week
Note: Salaries are presented in both British Pounds (£) and US Dollars ($) for broader relevance.
Senior Cloud Security Architect
FinTech Leaders, Inc.
Base: $185-210K
Location: Remote (US)
Required: AWS Security Specialty + CISSP
Unique Perks: 4-day work week, unlimited PTO
[Apply Now → Exclusive to CertBueno readers]
🎯 FEATURED ANALYSIS:
Never Take the Counter: Why Accepting a Counter Offer Is Career Suicide
You've landed that dream job, but your current employer just made a counter offer. More money, better title, promises of change.
Don't take it. Here's why.
The Numbers Don't Lie
80% of employees who accept counter offers leave within 6 months
90% are gone within 12 months
50% of employees who accept counters are actively job hunting again within 60 days
Only 12% of employers make counter offers for employee development—88% do it for company stability
The Three R's of Counter Offers
Resentment: 67% of employers lose trust in employees who accept counter offers
Relationships: 84% of employees report damaged peer relationships after accepting counters
Regression: 71% report their original reasons for leaving remained unresolved
What Really Changes?
Nothing. A Robert Half survey found that among those who accepted counter offers:
75% saw no improvement in workplace culture
82% experienced no increase in job satisfaction
60% received no follow-through on promised changes
The Career Cost
Recent LinkedIn data shows:
45% lower chance of promotion within 18 months
38% smaller salary increases in subsequent roles
55% harder time securing future job offers due to perceived flight risk
Bottom Line
A counter offer is a band-aid on a broken arm. The data is clear: taking it derails your career momentum and damages your professional reputation.
Make the brave choice. Never take the counter.
💡Certification of the week: AVIXA CTS-D
The Most Exclusive Tech Cert You've Never Heard Of
Here's a wild stat: More people have climbed Mount Everest (6,098 confirmed summits) than hold AVIXA's CTS-D certification (1,823 active holders globally as of 2024).
What Is CTS-D?
Certified Technology Specialist-Design (CTS-D) is AVIXA's advanced certification for AV system designers. These specialists design integrated audiovisual experiences in corporate, entertainment, and public spaces. The MSG Sphere in Las Vegas? Those systems went through CTS-D certified designers.
Why It Matters Now
The AV industry hit $263 billion in 2023 according to AVIXA's market research. Major drivers:
Hybrid workplace redesigns
Experience center investments
Smart building integration
Digital signage expansion
Real Salary Data (AVIXA 2023 Survey)
Median: $98,000
Top 25%: $115,000
With 10+ years experience: $127,000
Additional average project bonuses: $8,000-$12,000
Getting Certified
Requirements:
Active CTS certification
Minimum 2 years AV design experience
Pass rigorous exam (74% pass rate)
30 renewal units every 3 years
Cost:
AVIXA Premium Member: $1,300
AVIXA Member: $1,500
Non-member: $1,700
The Bottom Line
While everyone chases cloud certs, only about 200 people annually achieve CTS-D status. In a $263B industry, that's a serious supply/demand imbalance.
Want to see where the CTS-D ranks in the top 100 highest paying IT certificates?
[Top 100 IT Certificates]
📊 Market Snapshot
4,212 new cloud jobs this week
$32K average certification premium
Most requested combo: AWS + Azure Security
Fastest growing: Cloud Security specialties
🔄 Next Week's Preview
Microsoft's retiring two Azure certs
AWS launching new specialty track
Complete CISSP market analysis
🤝 Got 99 Problems?
We've got 99 job slots (and one premium spot) to fill each week.
The Breakdown:
99 jobs — one for each of the top 100 certifications
1 premium Job of the Week — goes right in the newsletter
Our readers are certified, qualified, and ready to move. Let's get your job in front of them.
Want In?
[Click here] or email us: [email protected]
IT Manufacturers:
Want to know how your certification is really performing in the market? We’ll give it to you straight.
[See how we can help your cert shine!]
We keep it real in person, just like we do in this newsletter.
Final Thoughts
Before You Go...
Quick reality check:
A job at Amazon paying $225K is on the table
We showed you why counter offers are career suicide (90% gone in a year)
Dropped the intel on CTS-D (fewer holders than Everest climbers)
Plus 99 other certified roles waiting for you
Here's what you should do right now:
Check that Amazon role before it goes
Share this with someone stuck in a counter offer
Look at CTS-D if you want to zag while others zig
Next week: We're exposing which cloud cert is actually losing value (spoiler: it's not AWS), plus exclusive roles from Apple and Microsoft.
Warm regards,
CertBueno
/