ITCareerFinder analyzes the latest data on tech salaries, employment, cost of living and quality of life to uncover the best cities for IT professionals to call home.

Many of the best computer jobs can now be done remotely, but plenty of tech roles still come with a commute. And even if you work from home, where you live shapes what you earn, what you spend and how much you enjoy life after hours. This study compares 74 U.S. metro areas with at least 10,000 computer and math jobs to find the best places to live in or relocate to as an IT professional.

To rank the best cities for tech jobs, we weighed what tech pros actually take home after local prices, how many tech jobs each metro offers and how concentrated they are, and quality of life, because after all, once the 9-to-5 is over you still have to live there.

Jump down to the bottom of the page for the ranking methodology and source list, or read on for this year's top 10 cities for IT professionals.

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.

The computer and technology job market is changing fast. Artificial intelligence is creating new jobs and specialties, even while it automates others. At the same time, tech hiring has become more competitive, especially for those breaking into the field. This guide identifies the computer jobs with the best future prospects, along with the trends shaping demand and the likely impact of AI.

For this ranking, we looked at the latest 2025-2035 employment projections from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), annual job openings, median pay, current hiring conditions, and the long-term outlook of each career.

AI received special attention in our 2026 update. The new BLS AI exposure categories reinforce that being more affected by AI doesn’t automatically mean job losses. AI can replace some tasks while making workers more productive and creating new jobs.

Explore the benefits of pursuing an IT degree with certifications and determine which tech credentials align with your education and career goals.

The debate over formal education versus IT certifications has been raging for decades. One compelling solution to this conundrum is earning an IT degree that includes industry-recognized certifications. This rapidly popularizing approach offers the best of both worlds, blending the deep theoretical knowledge of a college education with the contemporary real-world skills of IT certification.

In this post, I will outline the benefits of pursuing an information technology degree with certifications and highlight which IT credentials you should look for in an accredited degree program.

A guide to penetration testing certifications, including what they are, why they're valuable, and the best pen testing credentials for your cybersecurity career path.

This post will be updated annually with the top pen-testing certificates.

Penetration testing - a.k.a. “pentesting” - involves simulating attacks on networks and computer systems to identify vulnerabilities which can then be shored up by the cybersecurity team. Pen testing is a vital component of an organization’s information security strategy.

Pen testing certifications are professional credentials earned by IT security specialists who demonstrate a level of proficiency in this field. The leading pen-tester certificates are offered by various types of institutions, including cybersecurity industry associations, globally recognized certifying bodies, and technical training providers.

In this post, we will identify the best penetration testing certifications by experience level and specialization. For each certificate, we’ll highlight the key skills it covers, prerequisites, costs, benefits, training options, and more.

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.

From medicine and software to energy and construction, engineering represents some of this decade's most lucrative and exciting career paths.

Sweeping advances in science, industry and computing have sparked a revolution in engineering employment. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts rapid growth for a range of engineering occupations through the next decade and beyond, but record job creation is only part of what makes this sector so attractive; six of the top 7 highest paying [undergraduate] college majors are in engineering, according to a salary survey from the National Association of Colleges & Employers.

Featured Computer Engineering Programs

Compare top-rated online courses and degrees in computer engineering and related fields.

Southern New Hampshire University

Top Engineering Programs:

• A.S. in Computer Science
• B.S. in Software Engineering
• M.B.A. in Engineering Management

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Coursera

Top Engineering Programs:

• Robotics Specialization Certificate
• Google IT Support Pro Certificate
• IBM AI Engineering Certificate

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Taking into account growth potential, compensation, and emotional "x-factors" for each position, here are the top five engineering careers for the future:

Darril Gibson, certified technical trainer and best-selling author of IT study guides, lays out a rock-solid IT certification path to begin or advance your career as a network administrator.

Aspiring IT professionals frequently ask me questions like “How can I get into an IT job?” and “What is the best IT certification path for a network administrator?” Unfortunately, there isn't a one-size-fits-all answer because there are so many variables, such as how much knowledge you start with and what type of jobs are available where you live.

However, if you are focused on landing an IT job and you‘re willing to take the time to master the materials, you can earn several certifications that will make you highly desirable as a network administrator, one of the industry’s most essential and opportunity-rich positions. Learn the material, earn the certifications, and you’ll have an opportunity to shine at network administration job interviews.