CredYard
Credentials, on the numbers

Is that certification worth the money?

Course sellers quote average salaries and never quote payback. Put in a price and a salary, and see how long a credential would take to pay for itself. Every figure is illustrative and every brief shows its arithmetic.

Full cost, study hours includedPayback period, not averagesFree, no signup, no paywall
ROI & payback calculator

Run the numbers

Estimated salary lift$18,560+32%Payback time1.6 mo5-year ROI3688%
Illustrative salary trajectory

Career trajectory

How benefits work
$76,560/yr 32% vs before
Before0-6 mo6-12 mo1-2 yrs2-5 yrs
A shape, not a measurement. We publish no salary tables, and here is why.
70 guidesEvery one free to readLast updated 28 October 2026Every guide carries its own dateCalculator free to embedCopy-paste iframe, no licenceHow we make moneyAffiliate links, stated up front
Start here

The guides most people open first

Eight briefs that cover the whole decision: whether a credential earns its price, what it costs, which ones pay, and how it stacks against a degree, a bootcamp or another year of experience.

All 70 guides
Career brief

Are Certificates Worth It? The Honest Test

Are certificates worth it? This brief tests what a credential proves to an employer, what it cannot prove, and how to check it in your market before you pay.

Read the brief Career brief

How Much Do IT Certifications Cost? The All-In Price by Tier

This brief prices what IT certifications cost all in: illustrative exam fees by tier, prep and materials, the retake and renewal lines budgets miss, payoff.

Read the brief Career brief

The Highest-Paying IT Certifications, Ranked

This breakdown ranks the highest-paying IT certifications by domain and tier, with illustrative salary bands and why cloud, security, and data lead the pay.

Read the brief Decision brief

Degree vs Certification: Which One Pays More

Are certifications better than degrees? This breakdown compares both against the actual hiring gate, the side by side cost math, and why hybrids often win.

Read the brief Career brief

The IT Certification Roadmap: Which to Get, and In What Order

This brief maps the IT certification roadmap in order: the foundational cert to start with, the three tracks that branch from it, and how to stack the rest.

Read the brief Career brief

Cyber Security Certifications for Beginners: Easiest First

Cyber security certifications for beginners, ranked easiest first: which rung to start on without experience, the full path, cost tiers and prep hours.

Read the brief Career brief

Cloud Computing Certifications: Which to Get and How to Start

This brief maps the main cloud computing certifications on AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud: which certification to get first, how to get certified, and cost.

Read the brief ROI brief

Are Coding Bootcamps Worth It? The Real ROI Math in 2026

Are coding bootcamps worth it in 2026? We run the real ROI math: true cost with forgone earnings, placement fine print, and who should pick a cheaper path.

Read the brief
Browse by topic

What we cover

70 briefs across 7 hubs, grouped by the kind of decision each one helps you make.

Career breakdown29 briefsCareer brief25 briefsDecision breakdown5 briefsROI brief4 briefsVetting brief3 briefsDecision brief2 briefsFinancing brief2 briefs
Recently updated

Fresh off the ledger

Plain-English analysis of what credentials really cost, what they ask of your evenings, and when they are worth it. Most recently written or revised first.

All 70 guides
A person wearing a headset at a desk facing a bank of monitors showing glowing shield and padlock icons against a dark blue backgroundCareer brief
Latest brief

CISSP Certification: Cost, Requirements, and Exam

CISSP certification explained: what it covers, the required experience, realistic cost, study hours, and whether it fits your stage of a security career.

25 min read
A person in silhouette drawing a network diagram of connected server, database, and cloud icons on a glass boardCareer brief

CompTIA Network+: Exam, Cost, and Prep

CompTIA Network plus certification explained: what the exam domains cover, realistic cost, study hours, and where it fits next to A plus and Security plus.

26 min read
A close-up of hands typing on a laptop showing a simple hand-drawn diagram of a cloud connected to three labeled server icons, with a second monitor showing code in the backgroundCareer brief

Microsoft Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900): Exam, Cost, Prep

Microsoft Azure Fundamentals AZ-900 explained: what the exam covers, realistic cost, study hours, and whether it is the right first Azure credential for you.

25 min read
Two people in business attire shaking hands across a desk, with an open laptop and a printed page to one sideCareer brief

PMI Membership Cost and Benefits: Is It Worth It?

PMI membership cost and benefits explained: the dues, the PMP exam discount, PMBOK and standards access, local chapters, and whether joining pays off.

26 min read
A hand filling in a checklist on paper with a pen, beside a laptop screen showing a grid of blurred, generic profile silhouettesVetting brief

Is the IBM Data Analyst Professional Certificate Worth It?

This review breaks down the IBM Data Analyst Professional Certificate on Coursera: cost, curriculum, timeline, and how it compares to a portfolio and SQL.

26 min read
A man in a blue shirt hanging a framed document labeled CERTIFICATE on a white wall beside a window, with a laptop visible on a desk behind himCareer brief

Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst Associate: Exam, Cost, Prep

This brief breaks down the Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst Associate exam: skill areas, format, realistic cost, study hours, and where it fits a data career.

28 min read
A laptop showing lines of code beside a larger monitor with code and a rising line chart, with an open notebook and a mug on a wooden deskCareer brief

Best AI Certifications for Beginners: Which to Start With

This brief is a decision framework for AI certifications for beginners: what an entry credential proves, the categories that exist, and what to verify first.

34 min read
A blank directional signpost at a crossroads between modern office buildings, representing the choice between no-degree tech career pathsCareer breakdown

15 Best Tech Jobs That Don't Require a College Degree

This breakdown ranks 15 tech jobs that don't require a college degree: what each pays illustratively, the certs that stand in for a diploma, and the way in.

31 min read
A man in a dark suit at a wooden desk beside a bright window, studying a rising line chart on his laptop screenROI brief

Best Paid Jobs in Tech: What They Pay and How to Get In

Best paid jobs in tech, ranked on the numbers: what the best paying tech jobs pay, the skills behind each salary, and the realistic route in from entry level.

56 min read
The method

How we judge any certification

The same five steps sit behind every brief and behind the calculator at the top of this page. Nothing here needs a number we cannot show you the working for.

  1. 1Name the gate it unlocks
  2. 2Price it fully, hours included
  3. 3Estimate the realistic lift
  4. 4Divide for payback time
  5. 5Compare vs building experience
How we work

What you can hold us to

No hype, no sponsored rankings, and no claim we cannot show the working for. Here is exactly how these briefs are put together, including the parts we deliberately leave out.

We price the whole thing

Exam fee, materials, retakes and renewal are the visible half. The evenings are the other half, and most comparisons quietly drop them. Every brief puts a price on the study hours before it decides anything.

We publish no salary tables

We hold no salary dataset of our own, so we do not print one and dress it up as research. The briefs work in ratios and payback periods, and they tell you how to test a number against your own market instead.

Why we do it this way

We name the certifying body, not a sponsor

Certifications are issued by real organisations with real requirements, and those change. We point you at the body that issues the credential so you can check today's fee and rules at the source rather than take our word for a number that ages.

We say how we get paid

This site carries no affiliate links and no advertising. It does not buy a better verdict: a bad ROI gets called a bad ROI either way. The full arrangement is written out on the disclosure page.

Read the disclosure
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Get a certification roadmap by email

Tell us where you want to end up and we will email you a roadmap for it: which certifications matter, what they cost, and the order to take them in. We are not a school or a training provider and we do not sell courses.

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