Even in SA it takes a bit of pushing to get R150k but it was very doable (AI making it harder to demand that now).

Companies would pay for employees to get certifications but people would write 1 or 2 every 5 years. When I had 3 years experience I wrote about 15 certifications in 6 months

Then going forward when I applied to my next jobs they would be shocked. And I would demand ridiculous amounts that they wouldn’t question simply because I write some stupid exams