Dear Reader,
If you've ever taken a college freshman-level psychology class, chances are you studied Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Maslow documented six levels of human needs, often depicting the hierarchy as a pyramid. The base of the pyramid included the basic physical requirements needed for human survival – things like food, water and shelter. Only after the physical needs were met, Maslow argued, could humans focus on the next levels of needs: the need to feel safe (including financial security) and the need to be loved and to belong. Considering the latest CNN research, I'm pretty sure SAS professionals can check those off.

Every year CNN Money puts out their Best Jobs in America list. The survey considers salary and a number of quality-of-life factors such as stress, flexibility, satisfaction and how the job benefits society. Other critical factors are growth of the field in the next decade and median pay for experienced workers in that job. The 2012 version of the study examined more than 9,000 job titles (requiring at least a bachelor’s degree) and you might be surprised to hear what came in at number 81: SAS Programmer.

According to the report, SAS Programmer made the top 100 largely because of its great pay, the number of growth opportunities and the satisfying nature of the work. (The study reported a median pay of more than $92,000 and a projected 10-year job growth of nearly 25 percent.) "Corporate IT departments often rely on SAS…for everything from data mining to statistical analysis to project management," the survey reports.

Now that you know you are, and will continue to be, in such high demand, maybe it’s time to update your technical skills with training and certification from SAS. SAS provides state-of-the-art technical training from a curriculum of more than 150 courses in dozens of job paths, all aimed at improving user performance and skills. And if you’re looking to distinguish yourself from the competition even further, we also offer globally recognized certification credentials in SAS Programming, Analytics, Administration, Data Management, and Business Intelligence.

For individuals looking to begin a career using the software, SAS offers a number of entry-level training courses (see our Getting Started page on the Web).

So whether you're ready to tackle the basics of the software, sharpen your SAS skills, or simply get SAS certified, we're ready to help you get to the next level in your professional hierarchy.

Wishing you a steady climb up that pyramid,

Larry LaRusso
Editor, SAS Training Report