Long seen as a method to maximize employment opportunities and salaries in the post-dot-com-bust era, a study finds that pay for certified IT skills falls short of the pay for non-certified skills. The Q1 2006 Hot Technical Skills and Certifications Pay Index found that pay premiums for non-certified IT skills <A HREF="http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,1954198,00.asp?kc=ewnws042706dtx1k0000599">grew three times faster</A> than for certified ones in a six-month period spanning 2005-2006. The study suggests that there has been a change in employers' acceptance of the value of non-certified tech skills versus certifications in maintaining competitive pay for their workers.