Popular Certifications to validate your data and analytics skills

There’s no doubt that IT certifications provide value to individuals and employers in today’s competitive job market. SAS recently surveyed SAS Coursera learners and 84% of certified individuals said a SAS certification helped improve their performance and advance their careers. This is similar to findings from the 2021 Pearson Vue Value of IT Certification Report, which highlights the benefits of increased confidence, greater determination to professionally succeed, increased job satisfaction, and greater work autonomy and independence.

Check out the most popular certifications from SAS to see what certification you want to pursue next. Now through the end of 2021, you can save 55% on your exam!

1. SAS Certified Specialist: Base Programming

The Base Programming Specialist certification is a performance-based exam that tests your skills and validates your knowledge in accessing and creating data structures, managing data, error handling and generating reports and output. Frequently on Certification Magazine’s Annual IT Salary survey, the average base salary for this certification is $99, 920 – a 15% increase in only two years.

2. SAS Certified Professional: Advanced Programming

The Advanced Programming Professional certification is another performance-based exam that tests your skills and validates your knowledge in accessing data using SQL, macro processing, advanced SAS programming techniques such as hash objects and dimensional arrays. Performance-based exams mean that you will access SAS to write and execute SAS code during the exam. If you’re not sure which programming exam is right for you, look at the comparison chart to help guide you down the right path.

3. SAS Certified Professional: Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning

This certification is designed for those who want to demonstrate their AI and analytics expertise using open source and SAS tools to garner insight from data. This certification validates your knowledge in Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing, Computer Vision and Model Forecasting and Optimization. As the demand for AI and ML skills continues to peak, so will the need to acquire certifications like this.

4. SAS Certified Statistical Business Analyst

If you use SAS Statistical Procedures or SAS/STAT® software to conduct and interpret complex statistical data analysis, then consider taking this certification. You’ll be tested on ANOVA, Linear and Logistic Regression, Measure Model Performance and preparing Inputs for Predictive Model Performance.

5. SAS® Viya® Programming Specialist

With the continued acceleration of cloud adoption, comes the continued need to evolve IT skills and acquire certifications. The SAS Viya Programming Specialist certification is new, so although this is not our most popular certification (yet!) it deserves a worthy mention. Especially for those who want to demonstrate a cloud-ready mentality and expertise in working with CAS tables and data sources, using CAS-enabled procedures and user-defined formats, modifying DATA step and SQL programs to run in CAS and using the CAS programming language, CASL. Check out this SAS Users YouTube video to hear more about our current SAS Viya certifications.

 
Each certification has aligned training, exam prep resources and practice exams so that you feel confident and prepared heading into the certification exam. The global SAS® certification program offers more than just the certifications discussed here to ensure you can diversify your professional toolkit and exemplify the skills you have.