What Factors Affect a Computer Analyst's Salary?

A computer analyst uses computers and technology to help a business, company or organization reach its goals. A career as a computer analyst can be a lucrative and productive career. How much money a computer analyst makes or a computer analyst’s salary typically depends on several factors. These factors include the education level and experience of the computer analyst, as well as the other benefits and the type of company with which the analyst is hired or employed.

Education is one of the primary factors in considering a computer analyst’s salary. Some companies will hire an analyst that does not have a college degree or only possesses a training certificate. Most organizations, however, prefer to hire computer analysts that at least have a bachelor’s degree in an IT or computer-related course of study. The higher the education level, the higher the salary tends to be. Bachelor degree holders tend to make more money than associate’s degree holders, but master’s degree holders make more money than both.

The experience the analyst has working in the field also contributes to the computer analyst’s salary. Similar to the education level, the experience level can also increase the amount of money the analyst can make. As technology continues to change, experience and education levels tend to go hand in hand. Even experienced analysts need to take courses to stay abreast on what is new in the industry. This new knowledge in combination with existing knowledge and experience all relates to the salary.

The other types of benefits a company offers an analyst may also offset the computer analyst’s salary. For example, if a company offers full health insurance benefits, a stock option plan, a 401k and onsite daycare services, the salary of the analyst may be lower than a company that does not offer all of these additional benefits to its employees.

The type of company the analyst is working for dictates the salary paid. A government agency, for example, may pay computer analysts a higher salary than a small to medium sized, privately owned company. A public corporation may pay a higher salary than the other types of organizations. A non-profit organization or a charity may pay the lowest salary of them all. A startup business may pay less of a computer analyst’s salary than a company that has been in business for the last 20 years.