IT is an interesting field. It’s growing in leaps and bounds as technology advances and jobs become increasingly specialised. This means that it offers skilled professionals many exciting, not to mention lucrative, career opportunities all over the world. Unfortunately, it also means that certain sectors are saturated as every Tom, Dick, and Harry try to get their slice of the pie. According to several different reports, the good news is that, on the whole, employment prospects in IT are rosy.
Let’s look at some of reports, with some of the best IT jobs with the best prospects.
Mondo and the six-figure salaries
In July 2013, CIO ran an article on the highest paid IT jobs for 2013. It cited stats from the Bureau of Labor Statistics that showed over 18,200 jobs in IT were created in June 2013, and it went on to cite a report from Mondo, a top-notch IT staffing firm, that outlined the top-paying IT jobs currently available. All of the top-paying jobs earn six-figure salaries, and they are good six figures, too.
The top three jobs according to Mondo are:
1) CIO: Chief Information Officer
CIOs can expect to earn enviable salaries of between US$195,000 and US$230,000. So, if your areas of specialisation happen to include strategising, planning, and managing, then you should get your career on an upward trajectory as soon as possible.
2) CTO: Chief Technology Officer
CTO salaries range from US$145,000 to US$208,000. So, once again, if strategising is your thing, and you have an absolute passion for staying on top of developments, and driving developments of your own, then you need to start making yourself visible in your company and aim for those promotions.
3) CSO: Chief Security Officer
CSOs’ salaries are in the same range as CTOs, US$145,000 to US$208,000. They carry a lot of responsibility on their shoulders, as they are responsible for the security of the entire IT infrastructure. They need to stay on top of developments as they impact security, and they need to stay on top of the dangers these developments pose – always working hard to stay one step ahead of the bad guys.
AOL Jobs and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
In April 2013, David Schepp wrote an article on the 10 highest paying jobs in IT, based on forecast data by the BLS.
The top three according or AOL Jobs are:
1) Computer and Information Research Scientist
The average salary is around US$100,600, which isn’t bad if you’re a whiz at compiling and analysing data and solving IT-related problems in all fields of business, medicine, finance, education, and the like. According to Schepp, the minimum education requirement is a doctorate, so if you haven’t completed your postgrad studies, best you register now.
2) Software Developer
Software developers are always en vogue, and niche software developers are always in demand, so it seems that much won’t change, at least not for the next seven or so years. The average salary is around US$90,500, depending on experience, education level, and, of course, the company you work for.
3) Computer Systems Analyst
The average salary is a little lower than the others at around US$77,700, but there is plenty of scope of advancement and you can always use the position as a stepping stone to those super highly paid Chief positions mentioned in Mondo’s report.
Monster’s IT jobs in demand
Dona DeZube, Monster Finance Careers Expert, believes that IT professionals are going to do well in federal stimulus-boosted industries, especially medicine. DeZube believes that security-related positions will thrive in particular.
Monster’s top IT jobs include:
1) Systems managers with salaries of around US$108,000.
2) Network security specialists with salaries between US$80,000 and US$110,000.
3) Senior web developers with salaries between US$80,000 and US$112,000.
Even low-paying jobs aren’t all that low
Ann Bednarz from Network World, mentions some of the lowest paying jobs in IT as determined by Mondo, and they aren’t all that low, to be honest. An entry-level job as a help desk staffer pays around US$40,000 to US$65,000, and hardware technicians can earn between US$43,000 and US$70,000.
So it seems that if you want to chase the big bucks, IT is definitely the way to go.
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Jemima Winslow doesn’t have a brain for IT, which is terribly unfortunate because she does have a love for money. She consoles herself by pretending that money doesn’t matter and meditating on the secret to happiness.