Software
5DevOps EngineerBuild the pipes and servers other programmers ship on. Nobody starts here, everybody arrives here.$136kTypical pay4 to 8 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandGame DeveloperBuild the thing you grew up playing. Great work, hard industry, and a portfolio matters more than a diploma.$136kTypical pay2 to 4 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandMobile App DeveloperBuild the software people carry in their pocket, ship it to an app store, then keep fixing it on devices you have never held.$136kTypical pay1 to 4 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandSoftware DeveloperYou write the thing, then spend most of your time working out why it does not do what you meant.$136kTypical pay2 to 4 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandWeb DeveloperBuild the websites and web apps people actually use. The tech job with the shortest distance between learning something and being paid for it.$93kTypical payup to 4 yearsTo qualifyModerateDemand
Data and AI
4Data AnalystTurn a company's messy data into answers people can act on. The most reachable job in the data field.$120kTypical pay2 to 4 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandData ScientistTurn messy company data into numbers a boss can act on, using code and statistics.$120kTypical pay4 to 6 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandDatabase AdministratorKeep a company's data fast, backed up and locked down, so nobody ever notices it.$105kTypical pay4 to 7 yearsTo qualifyLimitedDemandMachine Learning EngineerBuild the systems that learn from data, and keep them running once real people use them.$140kTypical pay4 to 6 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemand
Security and networks
5Cloud EngineerBuild and run the servers, networks and storage that other people's apps live on, without ever touching a physical machine.$134kTypical pay2 to 4 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandCybersecurity AnalystWatch a network for attacks and shut them down. Certifications count as much as a degree here.$129kTypical pay2 to 5 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandNetwork AdministratorKeep the network, the servers and the Wi-Fi running so everyone else can work. Two years of college and a certification or two get you in.$99kTypical pay2 to 4 yearsTo qualifyLimitedDemandPenetration TesterYou break into computer systems on purpose, with written permission, and then explain exactly how you did it.$129kTypical pay1 to 4 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandSystems AdministratorKeep the servers, accounts and backups running so everyone else can do their job. Certifications count as much as a degree.$99kTypical pay1 to 4 yearsTo qualifyLimitedDemand
Design and product
4Business AnalystWork out what a company actually needs, then write it down clearly enough to build.$102kTypical pay4 to 6 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandIT Project ManagerYou do not write the code. You make sure the right IT (information technology) system gets built, on time, by people who do not report to you.$175kTypical pay4 to 8 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandProduct ManagerDecide what a product should do next, then get engineers, designers and the business to agree.$167kTypical pay4 to 8 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandUX DesignerDecide how an app or a website actually works. UX (user experience) design has a national median above $100,000 and nobody licenses it.$104kTypical pay2 to 4 yearsTo qualifyGoodDemand
Support and testing
2IT Support TechnicianThe fastest way into IT (information technology) without a degree, and the job most people in tech started in.$62kTypical payup to 2 yearsTo qualifyLimitedDemandSoftware TesterYou try to break things before customers do, then prove exactly how you broke them.$104kTypical pay2 to 4 yearsTo qualifyGoodDemand