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Choosing the right career path is a lot like playing a poker game. Having the right-hand rewards you with a high-paying salary and job satisfaction, but the wrong hand can make you feel stuck and unhappy. And this is why it is crucial to do a detailed study before pursuing any career path.
While Agile Scrum was designed by and for software developers, the principles can be applied to other industries beyond technology, making it a highly lucrative career path. As 66% of organizations adopt Scrum, the demand for experts who know how to implement it has also risen astronomically.
But will Scrum remain relevant in 2023? Let’s find out with this detailed guide.
The current demand for Scrum Master job roles
The year 2022 has been a rollercoaster ride for the tech job market. With fears of recession, layoffs, and an overall slump, many feared that the demand for Scrum Masters will also decrease. But the opposite happened.
Over the past months, the term ‘Scrum Master’ came up to 119,428 times in job postings across portals. And this figure is estimated to grow in the upcoming years.
This is not all. Studies show that those pursuing a Scrum Master career path can earn handsome salaries of up to $104,492 in the United States.
From these figures, it is clear that the demand for Scrum masters is only growing from here. You may wonder why. Let’s discuss the reason why Scrum Masters are in-demand:
Product development is the lifeblood of tech companies. It is how they gain a competitive edge in the market and meet customer wants. However, when there are thousands of engineering teams in a large company, getting work done can be overwhelming. Moreover, businesses never work in a static environment. They need to adapt to trends and make rapid changes to their products to ensure that it meets customer needs.
And this is where Scrum Masters come in. They bring down the disconnects in a team and ensure that they are on track with their goals. They are facilitators, mentors, and servant leaders who apply Scrum principles consistently and foster a culture of continuous improvement.
As an Agile transformation expert, their job involves eliminating bottlenecks, improving time-to-market, and the development process with each iteration.
The future of the Scrum Master career path
Scrum Master job growth won’t slow down any time soon. As a matter of fact, job portals like LinkedIn report 113,137 job results for Scrum Master. And Indeed even listed the ‘Certified Scrum Master certifications’ as one of the top paying IT certifications of 2022.
As companies switch to a hybrid working mode, Scrum Masters act as a facilitator between remote and distributed teams, ensuring a smooth workflow and a faster delivery pipeline. And this only increases their importance in the workplace.
The above figures indicate a strong demand for Scrum Masters across organizations, attracting candidates globally. However, this is not all. The job opportunities for those with experience in the Scrum Master role are ever-expanding. Let’s discuss them briefly:
- Product Owner
Scrum Masters who wish to explore the business side of product development can become excellent Product Owners. They are responsible for the project’s outcome and seek to maximize the value stream by prioritizing the product backlog.
The average salary for a Product Owner in the USA is $106,603. And experienced professionals can even earn more.
- Agile Coach
Scrum Masters act as servant leaders to their teams. And this is why becoming an Agile Coach is also a lucrative opportunity for them. A skilled Agile Coach helps organizations implement Agile principles at scale and eliminates challenges for a smooth workflow. They promote quality improvement, productivity, and maximizing the company’s value chain to customers.
Agile Coaches have an average salary of $131,797 in the USA. Scrum Masters who wish to expand their role can choose to become Agile coaches.
- Chief Scrum Master
Professional Scrum Masters who want to level up their career can take on the role of Chief Scrum Master. They ensure enhanced collaboration between Scrum teams. They work on a multi-team level to remove impediments and create a conducive environment for the development teams. It is a senior-level position for efficient Scrum Masters.
Chief Scrum Masters can earn up to $151,136 in the USA, depending on their skills and experience.
- Product Manager
If you are keen on product development, the Scrum Master career path allows you to become a Product Manager. They research the market, create the product vision, think about product strategy, and lead the product development cycle. As the Scrum Master helps the development team enhance the product features and finish off the product backlog list, they can explore the opportunity to become a Product Manager. The average salary of a Product Manager in the USA is $102,553.
- Release Train Engineer (RTE)
A Release Train Engineer is a servant leader responsible for guiding Scrum teams by facilitating Agile Release Train (ART) practices. They ensure continuous improvement and development. A Scrum Master can move into an RTE role if they like cross-functional and strategic roles. All you have to do is get RTE certified and enjoy high-paying salaries of up to $135,917.
Also, read here about the top industries looking for Scrum Masters.
How can a Certified Scrum Master (CSM) Training help?
At its core, Scrum is a lightweight framework that helps people, teams, and organizations deliver customer value faster. CSM training can help you develop a skillset to advance your career and explore different job opportunities across multiple industries and technologies.
Here are a few advantages of CSM certification training:
- Future-proofing your career
Part of becoming a tech professional is responding to new challenges. As the Scrum Master career path continues to grow in the upcoming years, you can future-proof your career from economic upheavals like recession, lay-offs, and even hiring slowdown. Completing your CSM certification training will help current and aspiring Scrum team leaders across industries—or anybody who expects to move to leadership positions and solve complex problems.
- Grow your skillset
In 2022, 75% of organizations report talent shortages. So this is the best time to showcase your skills to employers and unlock high-growth job opportunities. CSM certification training will strengthen your technical and interpersonal skillset to tackle organizational challenges. Most organizations offering CSM training have practical exercises, industry-driven case studies, and group simulation activities to help you embrace your role as a servant leader.
P.S. If you want to learn more about the top skills a Scrum Master needs, read this guide here.
- Set yourself apart from the competition
Scrum Master job growth attracts global candidates. To set yourself apart, you need to demonstrate to potential employers that you have what it takes to work in a rapidly changing environment. Having a badge of honor like the CSM certification evokes trust and showcases your grit. With training from reputed Scaled Agile partners, you can ace your CSM exam and tell employers that you have the skills and the talent to get the job done.
- Master Scrum and improve team collaboration
For most IT leaders, team collaboration remains an obstacle. CSM training will help you understand how to set Scrum teams up for success and motivate them. It will also give you a heightened understanding of Scrum, opening multiple career opportunities compared to your non-certified peers. You can leverage your training to gain interpersonal skills that will help you manage large teams and fulfill organizational goals.
- Grow your career in a challenging environment
The role of a Scrum Master is not static. You have to constantly adapt and meet challenging business conditions. Industries such as fintech, marketing, product development, and more are looking for reliable Scrum Masters to help achieve business goals. With proper training, you can grow your career in an Agile environment and learn the latest Scrum tools and techniques to lead complex projects seamlessly.
Earn your CSM Certification today!
Building a successful career involves immediate and long-term planning. The future of Scrum Master is bright and offers professionals many opportunities to establish themselves in a leadership role. The key here is putting in the work, so that when opportunities come knocking, you are ready to answer.
Pursuing your CSM training is the first step you can take here.
If you are looking for CSM training from authorized partners of Scaled Agile, ATC can help. Our 2-Day training program includes real-time activities to help you grasp advanced Scrum principles and concepts.
With our CSM training, you will:-
- gain a comprehensive understanding of the Scrum framework from highly-vetted industry experts.
- understand the role of a Scrum Master with practical case studies, group activities, and simulations.
- learn how to become a servant leader by developing core competencies.
- connect with global experts and enhance your leadership skills to facilitate Scrum teams.
Register here and get exciting offers that will help you save up to $450.
