Median US salaries by certification. All figures from third-party salary surveys — not TechJacks estimates.
Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert
$149K
Certified: DevOps Engineer Expert
$139K
Certified: Azure Developer Associate
$133K
Certified: Azure Administrator Associate
$117K
Certified: Azure AI Fundamentals
$108K
Certified: Azure Security Engineer Associate
$108K
365 Fundamentals
$101K
Certified: Security Operations Analyst Associate
$98K
Azure Fundamentals
$94K
04
Decision guide
Which Microsoft Certification Is Right for You?
Cloud-Curious / Career Switcher
0-1 Years
Start with AZ-900 ($99). Foundational Azure knowledge — no technical prerequisites. Great complement to AWS Cloud Practitioner for multi-cloud awareness.
AI/ML Curious
0-1 Years
AI-900 ($99) covers Azure AI services, machine learning concepts, and responsible AI principles. Entry point for AI roles in Microsoft shops.
Systems Administrator
1-3 Years
AZ-104 ($165) validates Azure administration — VMs, storage, networking, identity management. The Azure equivalent of AWS CloudOps Engineer.
Cloud Developer
1-3 Years
AZ-204 ($165) covers building Azure solutions with compute, storage, security, and monitoring. Maps to AWS Developer Associate.
AZ-400 ($165) covers CI/CD pipelines, infrastructure as code, and site reliability on Azure. Expert-level, pairs with AZ-104 or AZ-204.
Microsoft 365 / Business User
0-1 Years
MS-900 ($99) validates Microsoft 365 cloud services, security, compliance, and licensing. Great entry point for IT professionals in Microsoft-heavy organizations.
Cloud Security Engineer
2-4 Years
AZ-500 ($165) covers identity and access, platform protection, security operations, and data security on Azure. The security-focused counterpart to AZ-104.
Security Operations Analyst
2-4 Years
SC-200 ($165) validates Microsoft Sentinel, Defender XDR, and Defender for Cloud skills. Designed for SOC analysts working in Microsoft security ecosystems.
05
Maintenance
Recertification & Renewal
Microsoft certifications are valid for 1 year. Renewal is free — complete an online assessment on Microsoft Learn before expiration. No exam fee, no proctor, and you can retake the assessment if you don’t pass. This makes Microsoft the most renewal-friendly vendor.
06
Common questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Microsoft offers dozens of certifications across Azure, Microsoft 365, Power Platform, Security, and Dynamics 365. This page covers 9 key certifications spanning fundamentals, associate, and expert levels.
Start with AZ-900 or MS-900 (fundamentals). Then branch: AZ-104 for admins, AZ-204 for developers, AZ-500 for security, AI-900 for AI roles. Expert certs (AZ-305, AZ-400) build on associate-level knowledge. SC-200 is for SOC analysts.
Fundamentals exams (AZ-900, AI-900) cost $99. Associate and expert exams (AZ-104, AZ-204, AZ-305, AZ-400) cost $165. Renewal is free via online assessment.
Yes, after 1 year — the shortest validity of any major vendor. However, renewal is free: complete an online assessment on Microsoft Learn. No exam fee, no proctor.
AWS leads in market share (31%) but Azure dominates enterprise IT, especially in Fortune 500 companies using Microsoft ecosystems. Holding both AWS and Azure certs maximizes opportunities.
