Job seekers are pursuing AI certifications in the hopes of standing out - and maybe getting paid more
The great AI certification race is on. Here's what to know about how these certifications can affect your chances of getting hired - and your salary.
At a time when more employers want workers who know their way around artificial-intelligence tools, more job seekers want to show off their knowledge with badges, credentials and certificates.
People can now certify their expertise with particular AI platforms and strategies through paid and free certification programs. These credentials are meant to help workers prove they have skills like devising effective prompts or using AI for business strategy.
There's been a big jump in people seeking these certifications. Before ChatGPT was released in 2022, just 1% to 2% of workers' credentials were AI-related. Now, almost 30% of all the professional credentials employees report having are AI-related, according to one recent analysis of workers with U.S.-based LinkedIn accounts.
As more employers ask that job applicants be AI fluent - and more workers wonder whether AI is coming for their job - the great AI certification race is on. There's one catch: Job seekers are trying to figure out whether these certifications are worth it - especially when some courses can cost hundreds and potentially thousands of dollars.
These certifications might help a job-seeker burnish their skills and stand out. However, don't overestimate the value of these credentials, according to job-market experts.
"I call it the cherry on top," said Jeff Burke, a career coach for recent college graduates. "It makes you stand out" and shows an applicant's initiative, he noted.
Certifications can improve the AI fluency that employers seek now, said Tanyth Lloyd, Korn Ferry's global vice president for technology and transformation. These courses can sharpen product and subject knowledge that can help specific roles, she added.
Generally, Lloyd said, they are "received very well in the commitment to education and upskilling and going above and beyond - but there's no guarantee."
AI certifications are one type of "nondegree credential" that are becoming more common in the job market as workers weigh whether higher-education costs are worth the investment, said Michelle Van Noy, director of Rutgers University's Education and Employment Research Center. It's difficult to know if more employers are asking for them, but students and workers have shown more interest in attaining them and "providers are trying to meet the moment."
The number of achievement markers have grown in recent years, according to Credential Engine, a nonprofit studying the wide world of work-related qualifications. For example, researchers last year counted more than 1 million different badges, which are digital displays of a worker's skills and accomplishments. That's more than double the number of badges counted in 2022.
Where can I get these AI certifications?
Major tech companies including Google $(GOOG)$ $(GOOGL)$, Amazon (AMZN), Nvidia (NVDA), Microsoft $(MSFT)$ and IBM $(IBM)$ now offer AI certifications. Amazon, for example, offers a 90-minute exam to become an AWS Certified AI Practitioner for $100. "Sharpen your competitive edge and position yourself for career growth and higher earnings," the description says.
Major universities such as MIT, Johns Hopkins University and the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School have multiweek online courses. The eight-week MIT program costs $2,847 and includes a capstone project where students create an actionable AI strategy for their company. OpenAI and Anthropic also offer their own certifications.
LinkedIn Learning is another destination for certifications and badges. The career platform offers more than 150 different AI certifications. The training is open to premium subscribers and people with access through an organization like their employer.
Nearly half of all AI certifications posted on U.S.-based LinkedIn accounts in recent years came from LinkedIn Learning, according to Revelio Labs.
The time commitments involved in obtaining these credentials vary. It can take weeks with many programs, though sometimes it's a matter of months. Often, people seeking a certification can set their own schedule for when to take the instruction.
Are AI certifications worth it?
On average, research shows that having nondegree credentials can modestly help a person in the job market, said Van Noy. Yet the return on investment can vary widely depending on industries, location and gender, she noted.
Because AI certification is a new field, it's even more difficult to measure the potential payoff of these training programs, she said.
Some credentials can be acquired for free or at a relatively low cost, often somewhere around $100, according to career coach Burke's running list of the certification options. Some stay current for several years, others have to be renewed for a fee.
Tessa White, also a career coach, has found one course run though the University of Oxford that she recommends to executive clients. One catch, she acknowledges, is that it costs over $8,000.
But good training doesn't have to cost thousands of dollars. Wherever someone's looking for training or certification, White said there are three hallmarks of a quality program.
Look for programs that allow hands-on experimentation, she said. Additionally, find out if the training is going to give clear, real-world scenarios on when to use AI skills. People should also check whether they'll be doing the program with other people, White added; that's another selling point, because it offers a new group of people for learning and networking opportunities, she said.
Here's another shopping tip: "I think people should be looking for something that meets them where they are, builds on their capability, and the capability is broadly transferable," Korn Ferry's Lloyd said.
How much more can I get paid if I have an AI certification?
There's been some early projections on the benefits of AI certifications. According to Loujaina Abdelwahed, head of economic research at Revelio Labs, there's an estimated $8,000 salary increase on average for certification holders. But that estimate isn't based on actual salary increases employees received after attaining an AI certification; it comes from a model trained on government salary data and the salary ranges on job postings, Abdelwahed noted.
In jobs where AI isn't central to the role, workers who get certificates may "look like proactive upskillers" to their employers, she wrote, and the potential pay increase could be $11,000. In jobs that are more in danger of being eliminated by AI, the certificate may appear to be a defensive maneuver instead of showing ambition, she added, and the gain could be more modest, around $5,000.
Is this for real?
A slew of lawsuits against coding bootcamps in recent years are a reminder it doesn't always work out well when workers pay to learn new skills. The economy may have already zoomed past the skill, or bad actors could be trying to take advantage of the moment.
In the glut of new AI certifications, there are likely a couple of money-grab scams out there. "It certainly feels like an area that could be ripe for exploitation if people are not careful," Van Noy said.
Beware of any certification program that promises a job at the end, said Lloyd. Also watch out for AI certifications offered by unknown organizations; this is where some online research on the business or organization would go a long way, she said.
I got a certification - so what's next?
A recruiter's eyes will scan the work experience at the top of a resume first, while certifications appear lower in the document, Burke noted. Find ways to use the newly minted skill: "What recruiters want is proof," Burke said. "They want proof you can do the work."
At the very technical end, sites like GitHub are places where tech-sector job seekers can show off their technical portfolio and apply their certification knowledge.
Lloyd also said it's really important to find real-world ways to apply the certification's lessons. That doesn't have to mean building a technical portfolio. People with more general AI courses and certifications can explain at interviews how they'd use the technology to handle certain problems and scenarios.
Employers aren't hiring on skills alone. Job seekers shouldn't lose sight of the person behind those certifications and what they can offer an employer, said Becky Frankiewicz, ManpowerGroup's $(MAN)$ president and chief strategy officer.
While technical savvy matters, the trick for candidates is also building their network and building the case for why they're a good hire.
"AI will make your skills great," Frankiewicz said. "Your personal connections and 'human brand' are what will make you stand apart."
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