The 10 Hottest Tech Jobs You Should Know About
Careers with solid pay and security
Tech innovations and industries are booming, and show no signs of slowing down. The tech industry comes in just below medical careers as far as availability of high paying jobs. However, information technology jobs have the most demand overall for skilled workers in the future.
Individuals and businesses have an array of computing needs and range of devices to be supported. Hiring managers say skills in cybersecurity, cloud, data analytics, Internet of Things, and converged infrastructure (just to name a few) are in high demand. In addition to great compensation, many jobs can be done remotely.
We’ll take a look at the top-ranking tech jobs right now, but also emerging tech positions and tech jobs in nontraditional fields. Don’t want to start over gaining education or experience to work in these high demand jobs? There are also great jobs with tech industries for non-technical employees.
First, here is a brief summary of the 10 best tech jobs for 2020 from the U.S. News & World Report Best Jobs rankings. You’ll find many review sites list the same or similar positions because the data comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Top tech jobs right now
1. Software Developer
Median Salary:$105,590
Expected Job Growth by 2028:21%
Pretty much everything you do online or on a device has a software developer behind it. Kids are learning coding as early as elementary school. The education path is a college degree in computer science. Well paying jobs can be found with software companies or businesses that design computer systems.
Read the full job description about software developers.
2. IT Manager
Median Salary: $142,530
Expected Job Growth by 2028: 11.3%
Sometimes referred to as an IT systems manager, a person working as an information technology manager is responsible for overseeing many responsibilities for larger companies. These may include being in charge of cyber security personnel and planning for system reliability and recovery. IT managers also provide leadership deciding the technology a company adopts.
Read the full job description about IT managers.
3. Web Developer
Median Salary:$69,430
Expected Job Growth by 2028:13%
At the lower end of the pay scale for tech jobs (but still decent wages), web development jobs also have less educational requirements—applicants can often apply with an associate’s degree. However, the field is constantly evolving and web developers must be constantly learning. Work in this field is not limited to working for a company, as there are many freelance opportunities.
Read the full job description about web developers.
4. Database Administrator
Median Salary: $90,070
Expected Job Growth by 2028: 9%
Data is one of a company’s most valuable assets. A database administrator manages the digital side of office operations, in conjunction with computer programmers. A database administrator may also have a role in IT security to protect businesses from hackers.
Read the full job description about database administrators.
5. Information Security Analyst
Median Salary: $98,350
Expected Job Growth by 2028: 31.6%
An information security analyst protects a company’s information systems from hackers and cyberattacks. Malware, hacks and cyberattacks are constantly evolving and getting more sophisticated, making this a high demand job.
Read the full job description about information security analysts.
6. Computer Systems Analyst
Median Salary: $88,740
Expected Job Growth by 2028: 8.8%
A computer systems analyst needs to understand how a company operates and be current on technology and tools to address business needs. The job typically entails designing more efficient computer systems and processes for clients.
Read the full job description about computer systems analysts.
7. Computer Network Architect
Median Salary: $109,020
Expected Job Growth by 2028: 5.3%
Computer network architects design, build and maintain the digital world we rely on. Roles could include creating data communication networks, from small intranets cloud infrastructures.
Read the full job description about computer network architects.
8. Computer Systems Administrator
Median Salary: $82,050
Expected Job Growth by 2028: 4.7%
A computer systems administrator works with servers and computer networking, including the hardware and software that runs the company’s local area and wide area networks. The role requires the ability to troubleshoot and resolve problems to keep systems running.
Read the full job description about computer systems administrators.
9. Computer Support Specialist
Median Salary: $53,470
Expected Job Growth by 2028: 9.6%
A computer support specialist helps customers or in-house staff when something goes wrong on the computer, such as log in errors, or answers software or hardware questions.
Learn more about computer support specialists.
10. Computer Programmer
Median Salary: $84,280
Expected Job Growth by 2028: -7.2%
A computer programmer is like an interpreter. He or she receives instructions from a software developer or engineer, then writes directions in computer languages that the computer carries out.
This highly skilled job pays well and many programmers work for themselves or telecommute. However, many companies are hiring programmers outside of the U.S. for much lower pay, making this position have a negative job growth prediction.
Read the full job description about computer programmers.
Emerging Tech Jobs
Labor market research company Emsi gathered data on rapidly emerging tech jobs by reviewing new job posting data from a variety of sources over the past two years. Here are their top findings and a summary of the parts of the country where these jobs are emerging.
1. Cloud Data Engineer
There is heavy demand for migration from internal data systems to cloud data storage. Cloud data engineers configure and manage these complex cloud integrations.
Top five companies posting: Javen Technologies, Essex Management Corp., Slalom, Everest Technologies, Google
Top 10 skills: Data engineering, Google Cloud, data analysis, devops, Amazon Web Services, Python, SQL, Java, Extract Transform Load, big data
Top areas to find this job: California, Illinois
2. Site Reliability Engineer/Developer
Site reliability engineers and developers combine skills of software engineering and operations to create and maintain scalable and reliable software systems, often including automation. Big companies such as Google and Apple have a high demand for this position.
Top five companies posting: Oracle, Google, IBM, Apple, JP Morgan Chase
Top 10 skills: Reliability engineering, Python, Infrastructure, Linux, Java, automation, scalability, management, scripting, operations
Top areas to find this job: California, Texas, New York and Washington
3. MVC Developer
Model-View-Controller is a software design pattern that’s become popular for designing web applications. MVC developers use this pattern to separate what they see on the back end from what users see and interact with on the front end.
Top five companies posting: Oracle, Camden, Bayshore Solutions, Buchanan & Edwards, Jack Henry & Associates
Top 10 skills: Model view controller, C#, .NET framework, unit testing, integration, software development, software engineering, SQL, Java, ASP .NET MVC framework
Top areas to find this job: Texas, California, Florida and New York
4. Data Analytics Specialist
Data analytics specialists gather, clean, validate, aggregate, and analyze data from various sources to make conclusions about industry trends and best practices.
Top five companies posting: Verizon, Booz Allen Hamilton, CBRE, Accenture, IBM
Top 10 skills: Data analysis, SQL, management, Tableau, communications, SAS, research, R, Python, Microsoft Excel
Top areas to find this job: Texas, California, New York, Virginia and Illinois
5. Cyber Defense Engineer
More specialized than an information security analyst, cyber defense engineers use cyber defense technologies to mitigate their organization’s exposure to Advanced Persistent Threats (APT), Advanced Evasion Techniques (AET), hacktivism, cybercrime, other types of online attacks.
Top five companies posting: U.S. Bank, General Dynamics, Deloitte, Coalfire Systems, AT&T
Top 10 skills/certifications: Cyber defense, operations, Linux, management, IT, Certified Information Systems Security Professional, network security, in-plane switching (IPS), leadership, scripting
*Note: There is not sufficient compensation data yet for some of these emerging tech jobs (including cyber defense engineers below). This is why average salary ranges may not be included for some jobs in some states.
Top areas to find this job: Virginia, California, Washington DC, Texas and Maryland
6. Visual Interaction Designer
You may see variations of this job posted, whether it’s visual designer, interaction designer, UI designer, UX designer, etc. But it appears that companies are looking to combine some of these duties into one job: visual interaction designer. True to their name, visual interaction designers have one foot in the visuals bucket and one in the interaction bucket. They use both design and UX skills to shape and improve user experiences on websites and apps.
Top five companies posting: The Barrel Company, Ideo, U.S. Bank, Viewpoint, Ivy Exec
Top 10 skills/certifications: Interaction design, graphic design, prototyping, Sketch, presentations, Adobe Creative Suite, animations, user experience, design strategies, digital media
Top areas to find this job: California, Ohio, Texas, Oregon and Minnesota
7. Content Management Specialist
Content management specialists are often more on the “front end” than other tech jobs, controlling the information uploaded to a website or app. They use marketing-focused skills like writing and content strategy (and sometimes a content management system, or CMS) to tell a story via digital mediums.
Top five companies posting: Anthem, Berkshire Hathaway, Amazon, Wieck, Louis Berger
Top 10 skills/certifications: Content management, management, writing, workflows, digital content, governance, content strategy, scalability, innovation, advising
Top areas to find this job: California, Texas, Virginia, Georgia and Washington
8. ETL/Informatica Developer
Like data analytics specialists, ETL/Informatica developers are wranglers of data. They use the ETL (extract, transform, load) procedure to copy data from one or more sources into a new host system, such as a data warehouse, to optimize data for analytics. They are also well-versed in Informatica, an enterprise cloud data management tool.
Top five companies posting: Anthem, Launch, Nityo Infotech, Cognizant, CommEx Consulting
Top 10 skills/certifications: Extract Transform Load (ETL), SQL, data warehousing, scripting, mapping, PL/SQL, Informatica PowerCenter, shell script, data modeling, performance tuning
Top areas to find this job: California, New Jersey, Texas, Ohio and Virginia
9. RPA Developer
With automation disrupting the workplace, there are more RPA (robotic process automation) developers. Typically, RPA developers create, design, develop, and implement RPA systems and automated processes to maximize efficiency.
Top five companies posting: Altran, Capgemini, Swift Transportation, Systems Technology Group, Tachyon Technologies
Top 10 skills/certifications: Automation, business process automation, .NET framework, Java, SQL, agile software development, business process, C#, robotics, communications
Top areas to find this job: Texas, Florida, New Jersey, California and New York
10. Infrastructure Developer
Infrastructure developer is a relatively new role in IT. As infrastructure needs more coding for virtualization, infrastructure developers are needed for the apps that are the foundation for servers and networks.
Top five companies posting: Oracle, JP Morgan Chase, Liberty Mutual, IBM, The Judge Group
Top 10 skills/certifications: Infrastructure, Python, Java, agile software development, management, Linux, software development, integration, scripting, operating systems
Top areas to find this job: New Jersey, Texas, California, New York and Ohio.
Top Jobs in Technology for Non-Techies
You don’t need a programming degree or even a tech background to land a good job with one of the country’s top tech employers. Giants like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft hire the same type of non-tech business positions as other industries do. Some of these include human resource managers, operations managers, admin managers, marketing, sales and customer service managers. These positions can have hefty salaries attached.|
Compensation monitoring site Comparably compiled the most popular jobs for non techies at tech companies, along with salary information.
What are the Professions of the Future?
Not only is technology changing rapidly, but more internet and cloud connected devices are being applied to non-tech industries. Here are some examples of professions that are now emerging to support technical needs of diverse companies.
+ IT-medicine workers
+ Smart and Digital farming
+ Builders of Smart greenhouses, homes and roads
+ Intellectual property appraisers
Labor shortages are prompting companies to hire more people into tech roles without a four-year degree. If you are at the beginning of your career or looking to make a switch, online courses or seminars may be a good place to explore tech jobs of the future.
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