With technology firms coming to dominate more and more of our daily lives, it seems that the tech sector is going to see another decade of record job growth in the 2020s. With that in mind, many of those considering a new career (or a first career) are looking for where they might fit in as part of this fast-growing field.
Luckily, there are a wide variety of positions to choose from that offer different challenges & benefits. Depending on your strengths and interests, you may find that some are far more appealing than others, and that's alright. All of these positions offer stable and rewarding careers.
Here are some of the most in-demand tech careers that you may want to pursue:
Median annual salary: $101,420
Expected jobs available: 27,291
This has to be one of the most desirable fields to pursue. Out of 300 HR managers from US tech companies with a minimum of 200 employees, 80% said they intended to invest more in recruiting and hiring of sales talent, so there is obviously a great deal of demand.
But one of the best things about this career is that it’s one of the easiest tech jobs to break into, since it requires the least technical experience.
Of course, some technical knowledge is required, as well a strong baseline of sales ability. But, this position usually includes commissions, and there is room for advancement from an entry-level position as a Sales Development Representative into an Account Executive or sales management.
Software sales reps introduce clients to new products and providing them with technical advice to help them decide which products best fit their needs.
Their responsibilities include conducting sales meetings, identifying new markets, negotiating contracts, providing training and technical support to clients.
Some technical knowledge is required, and candidates must also be able to translate that technical info into language that can be easily understood by the people who will be using the software.
Median annual salary: $113,000
Expected jobs available: 23,996
Depending on the company, data science can include a wide range of responsibilities. However, the primary purpose of all data scientists is to evaluate data in order to provide valuable business insights. Responsibilities usually include collecting and organizing data, as well as performing both statistical and predictive analysis. Data scientists will also often create machine-based learning tools for the company, such as expanded artificial intelligence (A.I.) functions.
This position requires in-depth knowledge and experience with big data techniques (Spark, Pig, Hive) and/or machine learning, statistical theory and applications, performing investigations on large-scale data sets, as well as coding experience and a high skill level with at least one top programming language such as Java, Python or equivalent. Most companies will also expect the data scientist to have at least 3 years of experience leading data science projects.
Median annual salary: $111,000
Expected jobs available: 70,105
Solution architects use technology to manage complex processes in order to solve business problems. Responsibilities not only include addressing issues and weaknesses by defining the problems and determining the best tech solutions, but also explaining all of the details to stakeholders in order to achieve the most favorable buy-in.
Since this position includes dealing with people, as well as tech, candidates must have experience in product and project management, in addition to engineering and software architectural design, cloud development and IT infrastructure.
Median annual salary: $100,000
Expected jobs available: 52,337
Security Engineers are responsible for protecting computer systems and networks. They create and implement strategies to monitor and protect sensitive systems and data from infiltration and cyber attacks.
Expertise is required in computer forensic tools, methods and technologies and disaster recovery. They must be skilled enough in coding languages to understand malicious and mobile code. Experience with intrusion detection, antivirus software, content filtering and firewalls is also required. Security engineers should also have in-depth understanding of risk-assessment methods, technologies and tools. A computer science or information technology degree is preferred, but not necessary.
Median annual salary: $100,000
Expected jobs available: 24,440
The primary duties of DevOps engineers are to streamline and automate existing systems and processes, as well as create and maintain tools for operations, monitoring and deploying systems. They are also responsible for diagnosing and resolving issues in testing, development and production.
DevOps engineers must have scripting skills in languages such as Ant, Bash, Ruby Python, Maven and Gradle. They should be experienced with cloud-based infrastructure environments, multi-threaded algorithms, data structures and object-oriented design.
Median annual salary: $92,046
Expected jobs available: 107,516
This is one of the most in-demand jobs available in tech. Software engineers are responsible for the design, development, and installation of software and systems. While they can start in an entry-level position, there is opportunity for advancement to senior roles.
Proficient skills are required in multiple programming languages such as JavaScript, Java, CSS, HTMLand MySQL/Oracle/DB. Software engineers must also be able to solve system and architectural issues involving relational databases and scalability. Candidates should have expertise with basic database schema design, relational data modeling and SQL.
Median annual salary: $78,000
Expected jobs available: 67,949
System engineers must have knowledge of both coding and engineering in order to provide the best computer systems possible. They evaluate existing systems for performance, and software errors, as well as implement new systems.
Not only does this position require knowledge of network hardware and operating systems, but also well-developed communication skills. Candidates should also have experience with troubleshooting and repairing systems and networks, technical review, planning design and the implementation of new infrastructure for networks. Many companies will give preference to those who have a computer science- or computer-related degree, but it is not strictly necessary.
Median annual salary: $77,000
Expected jobs available: 59,603
Software developers design, test, implement and maintain software programs. They also modify existing programs to meet their company’s changing needs, train new users and continually evaluate the efficiency and usability of the software, as well as develop methods of quality-assurance testing.
This position requires excellent problem-solving skills and analytical thinking. Candidates should also have experience with object-oriented design, software testing and debugging, coding languages such as Python, Java, Ruby, Mean and C#/.Net.
Whether you're thinking about jumping from one career to another, or are a student thinking about which industry to dive into upon graduation, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better environment for career growth than the tech industry.
Even throughout the coronavirus pandemic, the tech industry continued to be a source of strength for the U.S. economy. That's exactly the sort of platform you want as you chart your career - a stable, growing industry brimming with opportunity for those willing to put in the work.
We hope you’ll find this information about job outlook, requirements and salary helpful in deciding which would suit you best - and if you decide software sales is the right path for you, we'd love to train you in our Science-Based Sales® methodology, and help you land a six-figure career.
As FastTrack's Founder & CEO, Josh Jordan is leading the mission to help 10,000 people launch 6-figure software sales careers by the end of 2024.
How? With FastTracks Science-Based Sales® process -- born from helping dozens of software companies build their sales teams...
...and then consulting with hundreds of Software Sales Managers on exactly what they wanted new hires to know...
...and then helping hundreds of regular folks break into software sales in 12 weeks, on average.
Josh created Science-Based Sales® to help nearly anyone succeed in software sales, because it creates clarity for prospects. No killer closer instincts, charisma or kissing up to decision makers needed.
