Experienced tech consultant and enterprise architecture PhD, Eetu Niemi, explores the importance of setting and meeting realistic expectations in the IT job market - both for employers and employees.

• Every organization wants to profile itself as modern, innovative, financially solid, a forerunner in diversity - and generally the best place to work. Naturally, not just anyone can work in such a great place, so also the positions have matching requirements. Nothing less than a world-renowned expert will do. You must have 20 years of relevant work experience, proficiency in all the technologies the recruiter can think of, a doctorate - and of course, be less than 30 years old.
• To have a chance of being picked, potential employees must do even better. They must take every achievement in their resume to at least the power of ten. “Implementing a SalesForce SaaS solution” turns into “leading strategic transformation on the enterprise level.” If their work history has unexplainable gaps, they need to invent “jobs” to fill them. Acting as a board member in your in-law’s startup or a neighborhood nonprofit will do nicely.

As a result, we arrive at a match made in hell. New employees will get fed up when they discover the truth behind clever employer branding. Still, they will need to suffer in a stressful or tedious job long enough not to ruin their resume. Employers will get disappointed when new employees cannot deliver to the standards they led the employer to expect. There is a thing called a probationary period - and it works both ways.

Still, you can be different! Let’s take a look at an alternative approach:

ITCareerFinder analyzes wages and hiring data to identify the highest paying jobs in information technology.

This article will be updated annually with the latest jobs and salaries. Current year: 2021.

Pay may not be everything, but it’s very important. How important? According to a recent study by Indeed, 93% of tech workers cite pay and benefits as the most important factor when considering a new job.

What’s more, in a rapidly changing field like information technology, workers often need to reach into their own pockets to acquire new skills and maintain their marketability. In other words, to make money in tech, you need money to invest in professional development. Enough said.

To help you maximize your income potential, here is a look at 12 of the highest paying technology jobs, why they are so valuable to employers, and what you need to land a position.

ITCareerFinder examines 10 sought-after roles that will thrive in the age of automation, as well as some popular jobs that will be replaced as automation accelerates.

Employers estimate that by 2025, 85 million jobs may be eliminated by automation. But at the same time, a report by World Economic Forum (WEF), notes that 97 million new roles may emerge that are more adapted to the new division of labor between humans, machines and algorithms.

From the workers’ standpoint, an overall addition of 12 million jobs, even after accounting for job losses due to the pandemic, is good news. Additionally, a Deloitte study found that automation technologies eliminated 800,000 low-skilled jobs, but the new jobs created by automation and robotics paid an average of $13,000 more per year than the ones that were lost.

So, what kind of jobs will technology create or expand? After careful research and review, here’s a look at 10 jobs that will benefit directly from increased automation. Many of these roles are technical in nature, but not all. Best of all, these desirable jobs will not be replaced by artificial intelligence. They pay good salaries, provide interesting and challenging work, and will continue to grow for years to come.

Here are ten jobs that will thrive with increasing automation:

As the economy diversifies, so do the choices you face when you're preparing to enter the workforce. A four-year degree is no longer a must for many lucrative positions, nor is it an automatic ticket to career success. And with the cost of a traditional college education continuing to rise, student loans are becoming more of a burden, as well.

In short, it pays to look around at the growing number of alternatives that can jump-start you on a career path. Specialized professions in the culinary arts, sewing, carpentry, and money management (everything from credit to budgeting to investing) offer a wealth of opportunities through affordable certificate programs and apprenticeships.

But nowhere are the opportunities greater than in the IT field, which is good news because you can pursue training and certification in much of this space online. This has become even more crucial during the pandemic, as distance learning has become the norm in many places.

And if you're trying to save money (and who isn't?), here's some good news: There are numerous free online courses to explore, and plenty of places to get started.

Follow these steps to gain real-world expertise without a college degree:

Business and education leaders share tips and tricks for overcoming the challenges of distance learning and getting the most value from your online education.

For many of us, the global coronavirus pandemic has made in-person learning a temporary impossibility, but even with the promise of a vaccine, the shift toward learning online is likely to be a permanent trend.

Beyond its current expedience, there are many advantages to pursuing a training or degree program online, including the ability to study at your own pace and schedule, practicing self-motivation, gaining expertise in the increasingly valuable array of digital collaboration tools, and saving money versus traditional classroom programs.

However, online learning, be it in front of your computer or on a mobile device, presents numerous challenges, from the lack of interaction with fellow students, to potential struggles with motivation, concentration, and time management.

For a deeper look at the challenges of distance learning and how to conquer them, we asked industry experts in business, education and technology for their best tips and tricks for online learning. Here’s what they had to say.

ITCareerFinder breaks down the latest employment and wage data and speaks with technology executives to identify the hottest skill sets of 2021 (and beyond).

Possessing the right combination of technical expertise, soft skills and practical experience can help you impress potential employers and land a high-paying job in one of the fastest growing fields in information technology.

In fact, according to PayScale’s data team, knowledge of high-demand technologies and key fundamentals boosts compensation by 14% to 26%.

If you’re looking to advance your career by acquiring new skills or certifications, here are ten of the hottest areas of technology you may want to consider and the best skills to learn in each:

Trying to determine your ideal IT career path? Want to know which computer jobs will be in the greatest demand, offer the highest salaries and best opportunities for advancement once you finish training? ITCareerFinder assembled this comparison of the decade’s hottest technology careers to serve as your guide. These 10 computer jobs will experience the fastest growth, pay salaries well above the national average, boast top employment rates, and offer a range of promotion opportunities.

Compare the best computer jobs by employment projections, key growth factors, salary and more, then click the links of your favorite IT career paths for deep dive career profiles featuring skills and responsibilities, desirable certifications, wage analyses, education requirements, training & degree programs, local job openings and tips from IT insiders.

Methodology used to discover this decade’s best computer jobs centered around a four-point weighted analysis of employment growth forecasts from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook, IT salaries from Indeed.com, the ratio of job listings to qualified applicants on leading technology job boards, and potential for upward mobility based on interviews with technology and employment experts, as well as recent IT hiring trends.

Discover the ten best computer jobs for the future:

1. Mobile Application Developer

   

   Mobile App Developer Employment Projections | 2018 - 2028

   • 10-Year Growth Pct: 26% (much faster than avg.)†
   • 10-Year Growth Volume: 241,500 new jobs
   • Average Salary: $109,000
   • Mobile App Developer Career Path ››
   Key Growth FactorsMobile application development is one of the world's fastest growing occupations. As smart phones and tablets continue to change the way we communicate, do business, and access news & entertainment, the demand for new and innovative mobile apps is growing at an incredible speed. This increased demand translates to one of the largest IT skills gaps ever realized – there are simply more mobile application development job openings than skilled developers to fill them. Google's Android and Apple's iOS (iPhone & iPad) platforms will continue to offer the most job opportunities for mobile developers; view this graph for a breakdown of mobile OS market share.

2. Software Engineer

   

   Software Engineer Employment Projections | 2018 - 2028

   • 10-Year Growth Pct: 21% (much faster than avg.)†
   • 10-Year Growth Volume: 284,100 new jobs
   • Average Salary: $106,000
   • Software Engineer Career Path ››
   Key Growth FactorsWorkforce demand for software engineers will rise along with technological advancement and the growing ubiquity of software. For example, rapid adoption of cloud technologies is driving demand for applications software engineers who can build secure and scalable cloud programs. Likewise, as the proliferation of computer systems continues and software spreads into new industries and smart devices, the need to develop the computer systems that power these initiatives will create jobs for systems software engineers.

3. Video Game Designer

   

   Video Game Designer Employment Projections | 2018 - 2028

   • 10-Year Growth Pct: 26% (much faster than avg.)†
   • 10-Year Growth Volume: 241,500 new jobs
   • Average Salary: $80,000
   • Video Game Designer Career Path ››
   Key Growth FactorsThe $140+ billion dollar gaming industry has more than tripled in size over the last decade. Beyond the booming market for PC and console games, the increased popularity, processing power, and graphics capabilities of mobile devices has unlocked a new world of job opportunities for video game designers, artists and programmers. Game designers with mobile development expertise will be especially sought after as smart phones and tablets continue to change how video games are played. Game designer employment will also benefit from emerging technologies and rising demand for augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) applications.

4. IT Security Specialist

   

   IT Security Specialist Employment Projections | 2018 - 2028

   • 10-Year Growth Pct: 32% (much faster than average)†
   • 10-Year Growth Volume: 35,500 new jobs
   • Average Salary: $118,000
   • IT Security Specialist Career Path ››
   Key Growth FactorsSecurity will remain a top concern for IT executives and hiring managers as the frequency, scope and complexity of cyber attacks continues to escalate. Year after year, IT executives report actively seeking professionals with information security skills, but finding it difficult to locate good talent. This indicates an incredible opportunity for technology professionals to advance their cyber security skills and certifications. Computer security skills in the greatest demand include IT operations security, mobile device security, risk management, information assurance, network and cloud/virtualization security.

5. Computer Systems Analyst

   

   Computer Systems Analyst Employment Projections | 2018 - 2028

   • 10-Year Growth Pct: 9% (fast than average)†
   • 10-Year Growth Volume: 56,000 new jobs
   • Average Salary: $88,000
   • Computer Systems Analyst Career Path ››
   Key Growth FactorsAs organizations continue to increase their reliance on technology, computer systems analysts will be hired to architect new systems. Health care is a key industry for systems analyst job growth, as aggressive government mandates and funding initiatives continue to drive increases in electronic medical record (EMR) adoption, electronic prescription services and other health-centric software projects that require custom computer systems. The U.S. Department of Labor also predicts a 43% increase in systems analyst hiring at IT consulting firms, which translates to a huge amount of freelance and contract employment opportunities in this position.

6. Web Developer

   

   Web Developer Employment Projections | 2018 - 2028

   • 10-Year Growth Pct: 13% (much faster than average)†
   • 10-Year Growth Volume: 20,900 new jobs
   • Average Salary: $73,000
   • Web Developer Career Path ››
   Key Growth FactorsEach year, a record number of businesses bring their offerings to the Internet. As the number of products and services online continues to grow, web developers and designers will enjoy increased job opportunities. Proliferation of social networks will boost demand for web developers as businesses look to engage a new generation of customers and spur a competitive advantage in this rapidly growing space. Responsive web design, user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) skills are a hot commodity in this position as displays must increasingly adapt to varying device sizes and types, e.g., smart watches.

7. Health Information Technician

   

   Health Information Technician Employment Proj. | 2018 - 2028

   • 10-Year Growth Pct: 11% (much faster than average)†
   • 10-Year Growth Volume: 23,100 new jobs
   • Average Salary: $46,000
   • Health Information Technician Career Path ››
   Key Growth FactorsHealth care will produce more new computer jobs through 2020 than any other single industry. Aggressive government mandates and funding incentives for medical practices to adopt centralized electronic health records is driving unprecedented hiring of health information technicians trained and certified in these new technologies. Health information technicians may earn the lowest starting salary on this list, but the required education is the quickest (typically a 2-year degree program in Health IT), plus candidates learning now will be well-positioned for lucrative management positions as the health IT job market continues to mature.

8. Technology Manager

   

   Technology Manager Employment Projections | 2018 - 2028

   • 10-Year Growth Pct: 11% (much faster than average)†
   • 10-Year Growth Volume: 46,800 new jobs
   • Average Salary: $143,000
   • Technology Manager Career Path ››
   Key Growth FactorsJob growth for information technology managers is directly tied to the growth rates of the IT workers they supervise. Record-breaking growth in a variety of technical jobs – including networking, mobile development, software engineering, data management and cloud computing – will continue through 2025 and beyond, in turn fueling strong demand for talented IT managers. Additional growth will be driven by increased focus on information security and the hiring of additional cyber security personnel.

9. Database Administrator

   

   Database Administrator Employment Projections | 2018 - 2028

   • 10-Year Growth Pct: 9% (faster than avg.)†
   • 10-Year Growth Volume: 10,500 new jobs
   • Average Salary: $91,000
   • DBA Career Path ››
   Key Growth FactorsBusinesses are racking up impressive amounts of digital information, spurring the need for trained and certified DBAs to store, organize, analyze and secure this data. In addition, as more databases are connected to the Internet and cloud, data security will become increasingly vital and complex; database administrators and developers - especially those with information security skills - will be hired to protect corporate data from hackers and other cyber threat vectors.

10. Network Administrator

    

    Network Administrator Employment Projections | 2018 - 2028

    • 10-Year Growth Pct: 5% (as fast as avg.)†
    • 10-Year Growth Volume: 18,200 new jobs
    • Average Salary: $67,000
    • Network Administrator Career Path ››
    Key Growth FactorsDemand for network administrators will rise as organizations invest in new computer systems and network technologies to increase productivity and gain a competitive advantage. The rapid adoption of mobile devices and cloud computing into corporate culture means more organizations will use the Internet to conduct business online, translating to increased job opportunities for network administrators and network managers who can help businesses securely use these emerging technologies.

Links Favored by Blog Readers:

• Find IT Training and Certification Prep
• Research and Compare IT Certifications
• Explore all Technology Career Paths
• Browse and Apply to Local Tech Jobs

†The average ten-year growth rate for all occupations is 5% (bls.gov)

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Outlook Handbook • Indeed.com

An increase in high-profile cyber security breaches is driving new and emerging opportunities in the IT job market. This article presents a look at noteworthy attacks and the in-demand skills and cyber security job roles employers must fill to combat future threats.

Despite recent advancements in cyber security infrastructure and technologies, the frequency and severity of high-profile attacks is on the rise. A January 2013 attack on the U.S. Energy Department is the latest in a string of malicious technological assaults targeting The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and social media giant, Twitter. During the last several years, governments and corporations alike have seen critical digital defenses circumvented by sport-hackers, political dissidents and technologically-inclined malcontents. These attacks and thousands of others have reinforced the demand for a competent cadre of next-generation IT security specialists.