Scrum Professionals: We’re Just Getting Started

An analysis of the Salary Survey of Scrum Professionals by Bennie Covington

Technology has shifted our world over the course of the past 20 years or so, in the popularization and optimization of Internet use for the general public. And it’s no secret that that shift in market and demand would call for a shift in workforce.

And, no — I’m not just referring to Silicon Valley.

Like the Internet, the Scrum framework is paradoxically both young in its application and extremely mature in its influence. (Click to Tweet)

Just three years after the launch of the World Wide Web, Scrum became common practice for IT and software development professionals. Like the Internet, the Scrum framework is paradoxically both young in its application and extremely mature in its influence.

Likewise, the majority of Scrum professionals are currently in only the first five years or less of their Scrum career, and just nine percent report more than 10 years of Scrum-related experience.

The relative youth of the Scrum career field has not meant the Scrum professional community falls into a younger age bracket, though. In fact, individuals under 35 make up the smallest category of Scrum practitioners, with a great majority of practitioners falling into the mid-age range.

As a possible corollary to the prevalence of mid-age Scrum practitioners, the majority (79 percent) of Scrum professionals report having either master or bachelor’s degrees.

However, higher education alone is not a key determinant when it comes to salary. The average salary for every education level falls below the North American average of $116,544.

And while those with a master’s degree pull slightly ahead of the worldwide salary average ($100,500), it’s worth noting that Scrum professionals with just high school or some college still earn competitive salaries compared with professionals holding bachelor’s degrees.

Graduate education was previously the singular showcase for in-depth understanding around a particular skill. When it comes to continuing education for the purpose of furthering a career and growing skill sets, hopefuls old and young are looking at a broader set of options.

From Steve Jobs to Michael Dell to Mark Zuckerburg, skipping higher-level education is something of a trend for tech geniuses. As such, it’s a trend we may anticipate developing for Agile and Scrum professionals as well. Scrum certification had a significant impact on average annual base salary.

The Scrum industry can be an insular one. Think of it like another technological feat: Facebook. Only 14 years ago, Facebook existed merely in the mind of a young Harvard student. Today, one in every seven people in the world is on the social media platform.

Even so, explaining Facebook to a complete outsider might pose a challenge. Once you’re on Facebook, its jargon, capacities, purpose, meaning and function make perfect, intuitive sense. But it takes consistent engagement and interaction to utilize it well.

The attraction to Scrum is already present for many Agile or Agile-hopeful organizations, but they lack the insider knowledge to execute successfully an Agile framework for better business. (Click to Tweet)

That’s why the experienced Scrum professional is so valued. The attraction to Scrum is already present for many Agile or Agile-hopeful organizations, but they lack the insider knowledge to execute successfully an Agile framework for better business.

And while already a highly lucrative and satisfying career path, Scrum is really just getting started.

Bennie Covington is the Director of Talent and Organizational Development at Scrum Alliance, the largest professional association of Agile professionals. To download the full Salary Survey of Scrum Professionals, click here.