The 7 Most In-demand IT Careers

Around the world, the amount of spending on digital transformation is projected to skyrocket to $2.4 trillion by 2024. With more and more businesses turning to digital solutions to power their processes and products, the demand for IT professionals continues to rise. Read on to learn what the seven most in-demand IT jobs are, what they involve, and how much they pay.

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1. Data Scientist

Data scientists enable companies to discover ways to leverage the massive amounts of data they produce to improve on how they operate. The information gleaned by data scientists comes from a variety of sources, such as customers, employees, and applications.

Although this takes a significant amount of work, you can earn a handsome salary: around $122,338 a year.

2. Cybersecurity Engineer

A cybersecurity engineer is responsible for examining an organization’s cyber defense system, discovering new ways of protecting their digital assets, and designing and implementing solutions using existing technologies. To do this, you need to have an understanding of how networks function, the threats that today’s businesses face, and how to protect both on-premise and cloud environments.

Cybersecurity engineers may also work with teams of IT professionals by coordinating efforts around the protection of a network or the systems within it. Your pay reflects the important work you do: the average cybersecurity engineer earns around $120,708 a year.

3. Machine Learning Engineer

Machine learning is one of the most in-demand jobs in the IT world because it enables organizations to weave artificial intelligence into their systems that can automate time-consuming, challenging tasks. A machine learning engineer has to do the following:

• Examine the challenges of the organization.
• Find ways of addressing them using a neural network architecture.
• Design the machine learning system.
• Oversee its implementation.

An effective machine learning solution can enable a company to significantly cut back on its investment in human resources. As a result, machine learning engineers bring home an average of $138,000 a year.

4. Full-Stack Developer

A full-stack developer designs both the back- and front-ends of applications, giving a business all it needs to launch an effective solution. In contrast with developers who focus only on the front- or back- end, full-stack developers need to understand:

• What creates a successful user experience (UX) and user interface (UI).
• How apps work with dependencies to produce effective end-products.
• Network design principles, particularly when it comes to building web apps.

Full-stack developers earn about $106,250 a year in return for developing end-to-end solutions.

5. IoT Engineer

An Internet of Things (IoT) engineer works with IoT devices, using them to solve business problems. This may involve hand-held scanners, smart devices, self-driving cars, and more. As an IoT engineer, you not only have to understand how IoT devices work but the basics of how to write code for apps that run within them.

In exchange for the solutions you produce, you can earn an average of $131,975 a year.

6. Product Managers

A product manager ensures an application’s design is on-target to solve business-critical problems all through its life cycle. Product managers interface with executives, software engineers, and even consumers to make sure the app designed delivers on its promise.

As you move between different teams and individuals, you play an integral role in an app’s destiny, so it’s no surprise that as a product manager, you bring home an average of $113,446 for your services.

7. Programmer

Programmers write, test, and implement the code that drives business applications, games, and consumer apps. Often, they take their cues from product managers or executives, incorporating a balance of technical and business knowledge as they design their solutions.

There are many different kinds of programmers, and salaries vary widely. As a result, the average salary is a little lower than some of the others on this list, around $86,650, but you can easily make far more depending on the company, where it is, and options for bonuses and other compensation.

Whether you’re pursuing a career as a data scientist, cybersecurity, machine learning, or IoT engineer, product manager, programmer, full-stack developer, or another IT discipline, you can enjoy both a strong salary and intriguing challenges. Membership in the IEEE Computer Society gives you access to professionals, groups, and employment opportunities that enable you to maximize your professional potential. Learn more about membership today!