Whether 2013 really will bring much-needed economic relief remains to be seen, but there is no shortage of job forecasts saying this will be a rosy year for the IT sector. From mobile and web developers to network administrators, all the leading reports have identified a number of IT roles as the ones most in demand or up and coming in the workforce.
Where should you expect the best technology jobs to be in 2013? Software development, web development, and computer systems analyst jobs are your best bet; all three made the top 10 on lists published last month by Forbes and US News & World Report.
In fact, software developer topped the Forbes list, which was compiled by CareerBuilder and Economic Modeling Specialists International. Since 2010, 70,872 of these jobs have been created -- that's a 7 percent growth rate.
"It's no surprise that technology and engineering occupations comprise six of the top 10 positions on our list," CareerBuilder CEO Matt Ferguson said in a press release.
Software developer ranked seventh in the US News "100 Best Jobs" report, which used data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. High demand has pushed the median salary for these pros to $89,280, US News said.
Computer systems analyst ranked fourth on both lists. According to Forbes, 26,937 such jobs have been created since 2010 -- a 5 percent growth rate. According to US News, the median salary for systems analysts is now $78,770.
Web developer ranked eighth on the Forbes list and ninth on the US News list. These jobs have grown 5 percent since 2010 (according to Forbes) and now bring in a median salary of $77,990 (according to US News).
Other jobs that scored high on one or both lists:
Computer programmer (11th on Forbes, 13th on US News)
Database administrator (15th on Forbes, sixth on US News)
IT manager (20th on US News)
Quality assurance analyst ranked fourth on the "Top 10 Best Jobs for 2013" report published this month by the online community CareerBliss. QA engineer ranked sixth. According to CareerBliss, QA people are in high demand but are drawing lower salaries than other IT folks. The average salary for a QA analyst is $62,634; the average for a QA engineer is $59,373.
What if you're the type of person driven by big bucks, instead of high demand? Last month, the recruiting firm Robert Half International released its list of hot technology and design jobs for 2013. Mobile applications developer topped the list, and that comes as no surprise to anyone following that market.
"As companies strive to reach consumers on smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices, they need professionals who can develop for the small screen," Robert Half said in a press release. "Average starting salaries for mobile applications developers are expected to rise 9 percent, with compensation ranging from $92,750 to $133,500."
Here are the other IT jobs on the Robert Half list, along with their expected starting salaries.
Business intelligence analyst: $94,250-$132,500 (growth rate of 7.3 percent)
Network architect: $102,250-$146,500 (growth rate of 7 percent)
Interactive creative director: $95,500-$160,000 (growth rate of 4.9 percent)
Interactive designer: $52,250-$77,500 (growth rate of 4.9 percent)
User experience designer: $73,750-$110,500 (growth rate of 4.8 percent)
You know, there is a huge gap between IT( or Natural Science) guys and us - people of Humanities and this gap is...THE LANGUAGE.
If you are a programmer- you have np boundaries- you can work wherever you want, wherever you go- you don't need to know the language of the country - you are living in. You know Java, C++, html- whatever, you live wherever you are hired- you do what you have done thousand of times.
But, what happens to us- our tool is a language. I am from Russia, moved to Germany and though now I can express my thoughts in everyday situations, but I still can't be a University Professor. Nobody needs a teacher of Advertising or Business Communication who doesn't speak the local language. Moreover, there is a cultural connotation- you need to know the cultural hints, to be at the same cultural space- My English is ok, I lived in the States but I don't know american classical movies( I am not even talking about German films).So , I do think that it's much easier for IT people to find a job, just because there are no connotations or language problems
I don't see IT going away anytime soon. It seems like a lasting kind of industry as technology finds new ways to sneak into our lives. But I will admit that it is nice to see that they haven`t allowed down during this recession that we are currently living through.
nasimson, - Thats right hackers are talented but not all of them are under any commissioning to do some legal work...i haven't really met any career hackers i could talk to, maybe the situation on the ground is different than what i read online.
" One other job category i didn't see here is security. I wonder how come as i thought cybersecurity, digital forensics, ethical hacking/pen testing and related areas were gaining importance over the years as threats get more sophisticated."
Or you can say this blog hasn't included the hackers among the highly paid professionals.After all hacking is a job too,a much creative job than any other and no doubt hackers can be considered as one of the highest earners of IT field.
It is certainly challenging but I am remaining optimistic. I have had a couple of contract IT jobs while I have been in school, so little by little, I am gaining some experience. I worked for twenty years before I went back to school for IT, so it is kind of like teaching an old dog new tricks. I am thankful that I had some experience with networking, data entry, and inventory management systems in the past, it can help me get my foot in the door with the right company eventually. I will be finished with my MIS degree in about three months, then I will have six months left to earn my MBA. I am hoping that all the education I am getting under my belt will be helpful as well.
StaceyE, - I connect with your frustration on career change..when you find you have experience in one area but which cannot be considered much in another area you want to switch to. i did a career change to IT as well, though i hadn't worked too long when id did...just about two years or so. i had to go back to being an unpaid intern at the time in order to gain entry to the field.
Mashka, please don't be discouraged. I'd actually argue the opposite is true, and that despite some evidence to the contrary, there is also a lot of evidence that people with expertise in and a love of the humanities, the languages, and other non-STEM careers are also in high demand. I'll come at it from an Internet POV because we're all here on Internet Evolution! Consider websites, ecommerce, and all things Internet-related, and the need they all have for well-written, intelligent, articulate content written by people who can do more than string together a few words. Then add the need for visuals, whether it's a drawing, a video, a fancier illustration that involves multiple media... You get the idea of my argument! A lot of folk I went to school with - both high school and college - are involved in artistic-type careers, many to do with some aspect of the Internet.
No. That's why you want to hire and partner with people who have integrity. There are things that can't be discovered on a pre-hiring test, unfortunately.
After such posts, I am trying to figure out again, if there is any place in the world in Social Studies or Humanities people. And it's not only about a general demand, it's also about relation towards them( us). Most of my friends are IT people and they treat me as I am disabled- they just do not consider that jobs wihtout any programming or fixing bugs worth existing at all. Ok, medicine is fine, but it still fixes the bugs in a human body, (sigh) so what should we do?
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