14 Short Certificate Programs that Pay Well

Online Certificate Programs and Courses

Are you searching for some quick certifications to complete? On this page, you will find a list of some of the short certificate programs that lead to well-paying jobs. These short certifications can be completed between 2 weeks and 1 year.

Completing any of these training programs on this page doesn’t guarantee you the salary stated on this page.

Factors that May Affect Your Salary After Completing a Certificate Program

  • Location. Your location can greatly affect your salary. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, surgical technologists in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, Canada earn a mean annual wage of $80,450, while those in Northeast Mississippi earn a mean annual wage of $36,920.
  • Employer. Using the data from Indeed, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning technicians working with Goettl Air Conditioning and Plumbing are well paid, and they earn an average of $135,015 annually. Though their mates working with Aire Serv earn an average of $68,943 annually.
  • Industry. The industry you work in also affects your salary, for example, a medical assistant who works in a school may earn more than one who works in a hospital.
  • Your capabilities. The salary you earn may be high or low depending on your experience, certification, and ability.

What is a Short-term Certificate Program?

A short-term certificate program or short certificate program is any certificate program developed to help people specialize in an area, gain more knowledge in a subject, or explore a new career.

Short-term certificate program certificate programs are mostly non-degree programs, but some of them count toward degree programs; the credits earned from the programs can be transferred to a degree program.

These certificate programs are offered by government agencies, educational institutions, education platforms, and other private organizations.

There are 3 main categories of short certificate programs:

  • MasterTracks
  • Short career programs
  • Personal development programs

MasterTracks

MasterTracks are short graduate certificate programs offered by Universities, and they contain courses extracted from master’s degree program(s).

By enrolling in a MasterTrack program, you will earn college credits that count towards a master’s degree program and also earn a certification.

There are many available MasterTrack programs, some are offered by a group of universities, while others are offered by individual universities.

Short Career Programs

Short career programs are programs that were developed to help gain specialization skills in their career or explore a new career. Career programs include professional development programs and foundational programs.

An example of a professional development program: Teaching in the pandemic.
An example of a foundational career program: Tips to being a teacher.

Personal Development Programs

Personal development programs are certificate programs that are not directly aimed at helping people succeed in their careers or get a degree, rather they are aimed at helping develop their personal skills.

An example of a personal development program is Gain Better Communication Skills.

Related content: the 21 3-Month and 6-Month Certificate Programs That Pay Well.

What is the Difference Between Short Certificate Programs and Quick Certifications?

There is no difference between short certificate programs and quick certifications, the words ‘short’ and ‘quick’ are interchangeable in this situation, so it is just different ways of saying a thing. For example, an article titled 15 short certificate programs will have similar or same content as another article titled 15 quick certifications.

14 Short Certificate Programs that Pay Well

The following are the short certificate programs that pay well:

Surgical Technology

Surgical technology is one of the short certificate programs that pay well. Surgical technology programs often last 12-24 months, but there are some surgical technology programs that can be completed in as few as 6 months.

To become a certified surgical technologist, you have to complete an accredited surgical technology program. Surgical technologist licensing requirements may vary depending on your location so you should learn the requirements in your region before you enroll in a program.

As a surgical technologist, your job will include the following:

  • Preparation of operating room
  • Transportation of patients to operating rooms
  • Preparation of surgical equipment
  • Provision of assistance to surgeons during surgery

Annual Salary of Surgical Technologists

  • The median annual salary of surgical technologists: $48,530
  • The mean annual salary of surgical technologists: $53,590

According to the United States (US) Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), surgical technologists earn between $36,930 and $75,940 per year. Though the calculation was made based on the lowest 10% and the highest 10% of earners, the data is reliable. This report has a Relative Standard Error (RSE) of 0.3%.

The salary of surgical technologists varies because of many factors, including location, and industry. The salary of surgical technologists in other countries doesn’t differ much from that of the US. For more information about the pay of surgical technologists, see Surgical Technologists.

Real Estate Sales Training

Real estate sales agent training programs are short and lead to high-paying jobs. You can complete a real estate training program in six months. If you want to be a real estate broker, then you will have to become a real estate agent first.

If you want to become a real estate sales agent, you will have to complete a certificate program and also pass your licensure exam. The length of the program depends on the regulations in your region.

As a real estate agent, your job will include the following:

  • Helping property owners to rent or sell their properties
  • Helping clients to buy or rent properties

Annual Salary of Real Estate Sales Agents

  • The median annual salary of real estate sales agents: $48,340
  • The mean annual salary of real estate sales agents: $61,480

The US BLS says that real estate sales agents earn between $28,270 and $102,170 per year. Though this report is based on the salary data of the lowest 10% and highest 10% of real estate sales agents. This report has an RSE of 1.8%. For more information about the pay of real estate sales agents, see Real Estate Sales Agents.

Graphic Design

You can become a professional graphic designer with one month of intensive training. You do not a license or approval to become a graphic, but most employers have a preference for certified graphic designers. So if you want to be a graphic designer, however, you can take a certification program in graphic design to boost your resume.

Some graphic design programs will take you as short as two weeks to complete. You can also use your certification from such programs to get a good-paying job.

As a graphic designer, your job will include the following:

  • Designing logos
  • Designing banners
  • Designing flyers

Annual Salary of Graphic Designers

  • Median annual salary of graphic designers: $50,710
  • Mean annual salary of graphic designers: $59,970

According to the BLS, the annual pay of graphic designers is between $31,110 and $98,260. The report has an RSE of 1% and is based on the average salary of the lowest-pa8id 10% and the highest-paid 10% of graphic designers. For more information about the pay of graphic designers, see Graphic Designers.

Typing Tutorial

Typing tutorials are one of the quickest programs you can complete online or offline. You can become a professional typist and type as fast as 40 words per minute with just 2 weeks of training. You don’t need a certification to get a well-paying typing job, but all you need is the skill.

As a typist, your job will involve the following tasks:

  • Typing letters
  • Converting audio documents to text
  • News publication

Annual Salary of Typists

  • The median annual salary of typists: $44,030
  • The mean annual salary of typists: $43,370

According to the publication from the BLS, typists are paid between $29,730 and $60,320 per year, which is the average salary of the lowest-paid 10% and the highest-paid 10% of typists. Though the report has an RSE of 0.6%, it is quite accurate.

For more information about the salary of typists, see Word Processors and Typists. If you want to learn typing, you should check out some free typing classes.

Web Design

You can train to become a web designer by enrolling in a short web design class online or offline. Though some web designers work with code, you can become a web designer without any knowledge of code.

Web design certification programs usually last 6-12 months, but if you want to get a degree in web design, you will have to spend 4 years.

As a web designer, your job will include the following tasks:

  • Designing websites using tools
  • Designing websites using codes

Annual Salary of Web Designers

  • The median annual salary of web designers: $64,194
  • The mean annual salary of web designers: $95,460

According to the report from Salary, 10% of the lowest-earning web designers make an average $51,376 dollars per year, while 10% of the highest earners are paid an average $77,717 per year.

Emergency Medical Technology

Emergency medical technology programs are among the short medical certificate programs that lead to high-paying jobs. You can become an emergency medical technician in 4 weeks, and with 100 hours of training. Though if you want to become a fully certified emergency medical technician, you will need to complete 1,000 hours of training.

The requirement to be an emergency medical technician may vary with location, but the programs are usually short.

As an emergency medical technician, your job will involve the following tasks:

  • Administration of first aid to people in an emergency medical situation
  • Transportation of people to medical facilities in an emergency situation

Annual Salary of Emergency Medical Technicians

  • The median annual salary of emergency medical technicians: $35,470
  • The mean annual salary of emergency medical technicians: $36,690

According to the BLS, the lowest 10% of working emergency medical technicians are paid $23,620 per year, while the highest 10% are paid $47,580 per year. The report has an RSE of 0.4%. For more information about the pay of emergency medical technicians, see Emergency Medical Technicians.

Medical Assistant Training

Short-term medical assistant training programs take between six weeks and three months to complete, while most other programs take between nine months and two years to complete. Though you can get a well-paying job with a short program, people who complete longer programs tend to get better pay.

As a medical assistant, your job may include the following tasks:

  • Performing basic laboratory tests
  • Disposal of contaminated supplies
  • Sterilization of medical instruments
  • Phlebotomy

Annual Salary of Medical Assistants

  • The median annual salary of medical assistants: $37,190
  • The mean annual salary of medical assistants: $38,190

Based on the report from the BLS, the lowest-paid 10% of medical assistants earn $29,070 per year, while the highest-paid 10% earn $48,170 per year. The report has an RSE of 0.3 percent. For more information about the salary of medical assistants, see Medical Assistants.

Also read: the 13 Free Online Courses With Certificates in Ontario.

Blogging

Blogging programs are very short, you can learn to write an article in 2 days. I learned blogging within a day and created made my first article, which was full of mistakes. Though my first post was not really good, I kept on improving to be the content creator I am today.

Some blogging programs are free, but most of them are paid programs. To enroll in a blogging program, you have to pay between $0 and $1,000.

You can make a lot of money by doing your job as a blogger, which is to search for information online and also use your own experiences to help others find the information they need online. Sourcing for information and writing articles for people and search engines is not so easy, but if I can, then you can.

As a blogger, your job may include the following tasks:

  • Research
  • Article writing
  • Web designing
  • Content management

Annual Salary of Bloggers

Bloggers earn anywhere between $0 and $400,000,000 per year. An average blogger earns around $48,000 per year.

Commercial Tandem Paragliding

You can complete a commercial tandem paragliding training and get certification in as little as three weeks. In tourist areas where paragliding activities are possible, tandem paragliding pilots can make as much as $200 to $400 dollars daily in 2-4 flights.

Commercial tandem paragliding is not a very popular business, so there are not so many documentaries about the subject. So it takes first-hand experience to learn about it. As a tandem paragliding pilot, you can work alone or join a company.

Reference video published by Dale Philip on Facebook with the title Paragliding in Pokhara, Nepal NP:

Annual Salary of Commercial Tandem Paragliding Pilot

Tandem paragliding pilots make $48,000 to $96,000 per year. The pay of tandem paragliding depends so much on location and weather activities. In some regions, weather activities like strong winds make it impossible to perform paragliding activities.

Financial Clerk

Financial clerk training programs may take as little as three months to complete, the length of the program depends on your previous experiences. Financial clerks get good pay for their services.

As a financial clerk, you will do the following:

  • Manage statistical data: record, and compute statistical data.
  • Manage finances: record, and preserve financial transactions.

Annual Salary of Financial Clerks

The salary of financial clerks in the US range from $35,827 and $58,499 per year. The average salary of financial clerks in the US is $38,259. For more information about the salary of financial clerks as reported on indeed.com, see Finance Clerk Salary in the United States.

Private Household Cooking

Training to be a private household cook takes between 2 weeks and 2 years to complete. The better your experience in cooking, the shorter the program.

As a private household cook, your job will include the following:

  • Procurement of groceries
  • Preparation of meals
  • Serving meals
  • Making meal plans

Annual Salary Private Household Cooks

As stated by the BLS, the lowest-paid 10% of private household cooks earn $29,010, while the highest-paid 10% earn $54,110. The median salary of private household cooks is $42,920 while their mean salary is $43,260. The salary report of private household cooks has an RSE of 12.3%. For more information about the salary of private household cooks, see Cooks, Private Household.

Locomotive Engineering

Locomotive engineering certificate programs are short and take 2-3 months of on-site training to complete. Locomotive engineering is one of the highest-paying jobs that don’t require a degree.

The primary job of locomotive engineers is to ensure the safety of locomotives and the people traveling in them. The following tasks are done by locomotive engineers:

  • Maintenance of locomotives and their components
  • Operation of locomotives
  • Inspection of locomotives before and after use

Annual Salary of Locomotive Engineers

  • Median salary of locomotive engineers: $79,740
  • Mean salary of locomotive engineers: $72,940

The annual salary range of locomotive engineers is between $48,780 and $84,120. The salary report of locomotive engineers is from the BLS and has an RSE of 1.0%. For more information about the salary of locomotive engineers, see Locomotive Engineers.

AWS Certified Solutions Architect

Amazon Web Services (AWS) Certified Solutions Architect is one of the short certificate programs that pay well.

The certification program was created for people with 1+ years of experience in available, cost efficient, fault-tolerant, and scalable distributed systems on AWS.

To earn the certification, you have to pass the certification exam which has multiple-choice and multiple-response questions. If you pass the certification exam, then you will become a certified AWS Solutions Architect.

Annual Salary of AWS Solutions Architects

The average annual salary of AWS solutions architects: $151,424.

According to ZipRecruiter, AWS Solutions Architects earn between $78,500 and $205,000 annually. For more information on the short certificate program, see ASW Certified Solutions Architect.

HVAC Technology

Heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) technology programs are short certificate programs and take about six months to complete. To become an HVAC technician, you have to go through a training program or apprenticeship. You can get a well-paying job with a six-month certification in HVAC technology.

The job of HVAC technicians include the following:

  • Installation and maintenance of heating equipment
  • Installation and maintenance of ventilation systems
  • Installation and maintenance of air conditioning equipment

Annual Salary of HVAC Technicians

  • Median annual salary of HVAC technicians: $48,630
  • Mean annual salary of HVAC technicians: $54,690
  • Average annual salary of HVAC technicians: $57,636

Using the tenth and ninetieth percentile of HVAC technicians’ salary data from the BLS, HVAC technicians earn between $34,320 and $78,210. Though salary data from Indeed show that some HVAC technicians are paid as much as $135,015 annually. For more information, see HVAC Technician salary in United States.

References

More on Short Certificate Programs

Here are some articles that you may want to read: