Is the CCSP worth it? What 305 job postings say
305 open job postings from 196 employers name CCSP. 39% require it; the rest list it as a nice-to-have. It's asked for most in security jobs, where 5% of postings name it.
39% of the 305 postings that name it require it. It signals experience: 98% of the postings that state a level are senior or above.
- Employers name it
- 19612th of 40 we track
- Require it
- 39%of postings that name it
- Level
- Professionalour classification
- Exam fee
- $599official price
Who should take it?
Built from what the 305 postings ask for, not from opinions.
Take it if you…
- aim at security jobsNamed in 5% of security postings
- target employers that screen for it39% of the postings that name it require it
- already have years in the field98% of these postings are senior or above
Skip it (for now) if you…
- want it to land your first jobOnly 1% of the postings that name it are junior or intern roles
- don't meet the requirements yetRequired: 5 years of work experience
- see CISSP in your target postings594 employers name it, against 196 for CCSP
Recognition: recognised by a narrower set of employers, 12th of 40 by the number of employers that name it (196). We can't yet measure whether CCSP gets a particular person hired: that needs outcomes from people who earned it.
How much it counts in each kind of job
Share of each job family's postings that name CCSP, and how many of those require it.
Job titles
CCSP shows up most in Security Engineer, Cloud Security Engineer and Security Architect postings. Ranked by the number of different employers, so one big hirer can't fill the list.
| Job (level and location removed) | Employers | Postings |
|---|---|---|
| Security Engineer | 31 | 35 |
| Cloud Security Engineer | 13 | 13 |
| Security Architect | 9 | 10 |
| Cybersecurity Engineer | 7 | 7 |
| Sales Engineer | 4 | 12 |
| Application Security Engineer | 4 | 4 |
| Solutions Engineer | 3 | 10 |
| Chief Information Security Officer | 3 | 3 |
Required or a plus?
How the 305 postings that name CCSP ask for it.
Who it's for: seniority
Level stated in the job title, 183 postings.
Who asks for it
Employers with the most postings
- Zscaler · 17
- Netskope · 9
- GuidePoint Security · 7
- AnaVation · 5
- Coupang · 5
- True Zero Technologies · 5
- Accenture Federal Services · 4
- Agile Defense · 4
- AHEAD · 4
- Capco · 4
Where the jobs are
58% are fully remote (of 137 postings that say).
61% of the postings are in the United States: the job boards we read lean towards US tech companies, so other markets are under-represented.
What these jobs pay
Advertised US base pay in postings that name CCSP and publish a salary range (133 postings).
Often asked for together
Other certifications named in the same postings as CCSP.
Share of the postings that name CCSP. Postings often list several certifications as alternatives (“CISSP, CISM or equivalent”).
Compared with similar certifications
CISSP, CompTIA Security+ and CISM are named by more employers.
| Certification | Level | Exam fee | Employers | Required | Senior or above | Junior or intern |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CISSP | Professional | $749 | 594 | 35% | 97% | 2% |
| CompTIA Security+ | – | – | 356 | 51% | 76% | 13% |
| CISM | Professional | $575–$760 | 353 | 31% | 96% | 2% |
| GIAC (any) | – | – | 302 | 34% | 90% | 5% |
| CompTIA A+ / Network+ / CySA+ / CASP+ | – | – | 296 | 41% | 68% | 18% |
| CISA (auditor) | Professional | $575–$760 | 231 | 31% | 96% | 3% |
| CCSP | Professional | $599 | 196 | 39% | 98% | 1% |
| OSCP / OffSec | Associate | $1,749 with course | 192 | 18% | 95% | 1% |
| Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) | Associate | – | 118 | 28% | 91% | 5% |
Exam and requirements
From the official ISC2 pages, checked 14 November 2026. Formats change: confirm before you book.
What the exam covers
Share of the exam, from the official exam outline.
What it costs
- Exam
- $599
- Keeping it
- Continuing education (CPE) credits and a $135 annual maintenance fee (one fee covers all your ISC2 certifications)
Official prices only. Courses, practice tests and retakes come on top; their prices vary too much between providers to average.
Sources: ISC2: annual maintenance fees, ISC2: CCSP exam outline, ISC2: CCSP, ISC2 exam pricing, ISC2: adaptive testing update (2025).
How we count
- Source. 199,799 unique open postings from company job boards on Greenhouse, Lever, Ashby, crawled November 2026.
- Named only. A posting counts when it names CCSP, not the bare word “certified”. Certifications offered as a benefit (“we pay for your exam”) don't count.
- Required or a plus. Read from the section and the sentence the mention sits in.
- Checked by hand. In 150 random matches the extractor had never seen, 148 named the right certification and 147 had the right type.
- Minimum sample. Seniority, locations and pay are shown only with at least 30 postings behind them.
- Limits. A posting is what an employer asks for, not who they hire. The boards lean towards tech companies and the US.
FAQ
Is CCSP worth it in 2026?
It depends on the job you're aiming at. 196 employers name it in 305 open postings, most often in security (5% of that family's postings). 39% require it. For those jobs it can decide whether your application gets past the first screen.
Will CCSP help me get an entry-level job?
Rarely on its own. Only 1% of the postings that name it and state a level are junior or intern roles; 98% are senior, lead or staff. Employers treat it as a mark of experience, not a way in.
How much do jobs that ask for CCSP pay?
US postings that name it and publish a salary advertise a median base pay of $183K (middle half $149K–$214K, 133 postings). Compared with a job without a certification at the same company, same job family and level, they advertise the same. That's what the job pays, not what the certificate adds.
Which certifications are asked for together with CCSP?
Most often CISSP (named in 88% of the same postings), CISM (named in 31% of the same postings) and GIAC (any) (named in 30% of the same postings).
What is on the CCSP exam, and what is the pass mark?
The official outline weights cloud data security (20%), cloud concepts, architecture and design (17%) and cloud platform and infrastructure security (17%) most. Pass mark: 700 out of 1,000.
How much does CCSP cost?
$599, according to the official page as of 14 November 2026. Prices change, so check before you pay.
Not sure a certification is your gap?
See all 40 certifications side by side, or check the skills employers in your target role ask for.