How To Become A SAS Programmer: What It Is and Career Path

What is a sas programmer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Dr. Jim Huggins

Information technology professionals who choose to specialize in statistical analysis systems (SAS) often become SAS programmers. As SAS programmers, their main role is to design and write programs to create various data sets, such as lists, graphs, and tables, to make it easier for companies to analyze their data.

More than that, the work responsibilities of a SAS programmer include leading system testing, automating data maintenance, creating macros, generating efficacy reports, and presenting data to the management team.

If you want to become a SAS programmer, the best way to start your career is by obtaining a degree in information technology. Then, you must specialize in SAS and build your skills until your competency is adequate for the employer you're eyeing. But aside from education and experience, you must also display exemplary skills in communication, strategy, and analysis to become an attractive candidate.

In terms of salary, the average pay for a SAS programmer is around $72,000 per year. However, your earning potential can be as high as $102,000 a year or even more.

What general advice would you give to a sas programmer?

Dr. Jim Huggins

Associate Professor of Computer Science, Kettering University

Computer science is a problem-solving discipline. Computer scientists help people solve problems. Typically, those problems deal with data; someone has a large set of data and needs to answer questions about that data, or process it in some way. Computer scientists write programs that run on computers to help their clients answer those questions and perform those processing tasks. On a given day, a computer scientist might do any or all of the following tasks, working alone or in teams: - Meet with clients to understand their problems and how a computing system might help them solve their problems. - Design computing systems to meet client needs. - Build computing systems to meet design specifications. - Test computing systems in order to find errors in their construction and fix those errors. - Repair computing systems that are not functioning properly. - Instruct users how to use the computing systems the computer scientist has designed for them. - Brainstorm new ideas for computing systems that would meet the needs of new customers.

ScoreSAS ProgrammerUS Average

Salary

6.2

Avg. Salary $79,182

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.1

Growth rate -7%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.4

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.18%

Asian 25.84%

Black or African American 4.13%

Hispanic or Latino 7.27%

Unknown 4.42%

White 58.17%

Gender

female 33.88%

male 66.12%

Age - 48

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 48

Stress level

5.1

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.3

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.7

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a sas programmer

Explore sas programmer education requirements

Most common sas programmer degrees

Bachelor's

59.6 %

Master's

33.0 %

Doctorate

2.9 %

Start to develop specific sas programmer skills

Skills	Percentages
Macro	8.22%
Data Analysis	5.75%
SAS Macros	5.64%
Statistical Analysis	5.06%
SAS/SQL	4.59%

Complete relevant sas programmer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New sas programmers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a sas programmer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real sas programmer resumes.

Gain additional sas programmer certifications

Sas programmer certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific sas programmer certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for sas programmers include SAS Certified Advanced Programmer for SAS 9 and SAS Certified Base Programmer for SAS 9 (CBP).

More About Certifications

Research sas programmer duties and responsibilities

Lead the system testing and work with the users to do UAT.
Lead migration from an NT SAS environment to a Unix SAS environment including porting code and designing the Unix environment.
Reduce previous single 26 file game into one easy to manage SWF file by making static content dynamic XML driven.
Serve as a UNIX system administrator for ERP system.

Prepare your sas programmer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your sas programmer resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a sas programmer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable sas programmer resume templates

Build a professional sas programmer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your sas programmer resume.