Your 2023 Guide to the Best-Paying Jobs in Tech (2024)

Growing up, my vision of the future was shaped by Disney channel original movies. Unfortunately Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century wasn’t as prescient as my childhood brain hoped it would be. But Smart House, the movie about a family whose entire life is enhanced (then taken over) by technology, was pretty spot on. From entertainment to healthcare, it’s hard to think of an area of our lives that hasn’t been touched by technology in the years since I watched Zenon save the space station from a flash-animatedcomputer virus and rock out with Proto Zoa.

So the salaries above have piqued your interest—how do you get some of that in your bank account? It should come as no surprise that positions like CTO and principal software engineer are unlikely to be your first stop in tech. So how do you get on the path to the highest-paying positions?

We’ve got descriptions of the highest-paying tech career paths—leading to the highest-paid jobs—below. Keep in mind that for any of these job functions, you can also choose to specialize in a certain type of tech—such as cybersecurity, web development, cloud computing, hardware, video games, or databases just to name a few.

1. Software engineering

Software engineers and developers write computer code, which is the backbone of all things tech. The code they create is used to build or update applications, websites, or other technical programs and tools. If you love solving problems and working as part of a team, software engineering may be a good fit for you. In addition to being one of the highest-paid jobs in tech on its own, working as a software engineer is a stepping stone to more senior positions that pay even more, whether you want to manage people, have more technical and creative input on products, or master a specific type of coding, for example.

Find software engineering jobs on The Muse

2. Systems administration

While engineers and developers write the code that dictates what any given tech does, IT (information technology) professionals, like systems administrators (sometimes called sysadmins) make sure that the code is running correctly, a company’s hardware and networks are functioning properly, and users can access the company’s tech and all its features. Sysadmins may be responsible for setting up hardware and software, troubleshooting issues for employees or customers, optimizing performance, and maintaining security. Network administrators and database administrators are similar to sysadmins, but they unsurprisingly focus on networks and databases respectively.

Find system administration jobs on The Muse

3. DevOps

Short for development operations, “DevOps is a set of practices revolving around bringing software development and IT operations closer together, ideally within a single team,” according to Muse writer and software engineer Joy Ebertz. There are a wide variety of DevOps jobs, but most will include some aspect of both coding and IT operations. For example, a DevOps engineer may be responsible for identifying ways that a tech company’s product could operate better and coding a fix for that issue.

Find DevOps jobs on The Muse

4. Systems architecture

You’re probably familiar with the architects who design buildings and other offline structures. In a similar fashion, systems architects conceive of, plan, implement, and manage the different computer systems and networks that admins oversee. For example, systems architects might design a database that securely and efficiently stores a company’s data, figure out how all the components of a new application will fit together, or be responsible for managing and overseeing the servers of a tech company.

Find systems architecture jobs on The Muse

5. Data science

For better or worse, we’ve all had those times when we thought about how some product might be cool to maybe consider possibly buying sometime and then had an ad for that product pop into our social mediafeeds. This happens because tech companies have massive amounts of data (and not all if it is used this creepily!). Data science professionals are the ones who figure out the best ways to collect, track, analyze, and use this data to answer questions and solve problems for businesses in the tech sector and beyond.

Find data science jobs on The Muse

6. Project management

Project managers plan, coordinate, and oversee initiatives from start to finish—and tons of them work in tech. They’re responsible for using resources—including budget, time, and other tech workers—in the best way possible to reach goals and build new features and products while taking into account the input of stakeholders across a company or even among multiple companies. They also ensure a project stays on track and respond to changes and issues along the way. Some project management professionals, like Scrum masters, focus on the more technical aspects of a project using certain methodologies.

Find project management jobs on The Muse

7. IT and computer support

Technical support specialists maintain systems and help users with hardware, software, network, and other technical issues. Some support workers focus on helping coworkers—think of the colleague you call when your computer keeps freezing or left your laptop charger at home (guilty!). Other technical support workers help clients of a company over the phone, in a text chat, or even in person.

Find technical support jobs on The Muse

8. Quality assurance

Those who work in quality assurance test and analyze technical products to identify issues and ensure they’re working properly. They identify risks and bugs so that they can be fixed before they affect users. They’re also responsible for identifying what’s causing issues, but if you like the idea of using tech knowledge to intentionally break things, QA could be for you (but, you know, remember the ultimate goal is to make those things you’re trying to break better).

Find quality assurance jobs on The Muse

9. Systems analysis

Like the name implies, systems analysts monitor and evaluate different technical systems to look for issues, vulnerabilities, and areas for improvement. They may also work with other parts of a company to come up with requirements and figure out how new products or initiatives fit into an existing network, tech stack, or other system.

As with many of the careers on the list, you can specialize in certain kinds of analysis, but one of growing importance is information security. Information security analysts make sure that an organization’s network and software are secure and that any private information belonging to the company, their clients, or their customers can’t be hacked. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects that the demand for information security analysts will grow 35% over the next 10 years—compared to 5% for all occupations and 15% for all computer occupations.

Find systems analysis jobs on The Muse

10. Design

Put simply, designers are responsible for how things look. A graphic designer might create logos, layouts, templates and the other visual elements for anything from marketing campaigns to software products. There’s also user experience design (or UX design) which specifically focuses on creating interfaces that make it easy and intuitive to use a piece of technology.

Find design jobs on The Muse

Your 2023 Guide to the Best-Paying Jobs in Tech (2024)

FAQs

What is the best tech job in 2023? ›

Here are some of the highest paying tech jobs in 2023:
  • Web Developer. ...
  • Application Analyst + Developer. ...
  • Database Developer. ...
  • Computer and Information Research Scientists. ...
  • Site Reliability Engineer. ...
  • Software Quality Assurance Analyst. ...
  • Software Architect. ...
  • Software Developers.
Mar 13, 2023

Are tech salaries going down 2023? ›

Predictably, this hiring binge didn't last. Soon, tech salaries and contractor rates dropped by 10-15% in 2023 compared to the previous year.

What is the easiest highest paying job in tech? ›

What is the highest-paying job in tech that doesn't require experience? A software developer is one of the highest-paid jobs in tech that does not require experience. The BLS reports that software developers earned a median annual salary of $110,140 in 2021.

What will be the highest paid jobs in 2023? ›

Highest Paying Occupations
OCCUPATION2023 MEDIAN PAY
Physicians, all other$236,000 per year
Prosthodontists$234,000 per year
Dentists, all other specialists$227,690 per year
Family medicine physicians$224,640 per year
16 more rows
Apr 17, 2024

Which tech skill pays the most? ›

Let's check the top highest paying jobs in technology for 2024.
  • Big Data Engineer. ...
  • Internet of Things (IoT) Solutions Architect. ...
  • Data Scientist. ...
  • Cyber Security Engineer. ...
  • IT Systems Security Manager. ...
  • Applications Architect. ...
  • Data Architect. ...
  • Site Reliability Engineer.
5 days ago

What is the highest paid IT job? ›

Highest-paying IT jobs in the US and outlook
  1. IT vice presidents and C-suite executives. Vice presidents and chief officers are the highest-paid IT jobs in the United States. ...
  2. IT architects. ...
  3. IT managers and directors. ...
  4. IT engineers. ...
  5. IT consultants. ...
  6. IT analysts. ...
  7. IT developers.
Nov 29, 2023

Are tech salaries declining? ›

Despite having the highest tech salaries in the country, Silicon Valley has experienced the biggest drop in pay compared to other tech hubs, falling 15% from 2022 to 2023, according to Women Impact Tech. And with inflation, DeWeese and others are watching their spending power shrink.

Is tech hiring slowing down 2023? ›

Layoffs peaked in January 2023 with trueup reporting over 108,000 tech workers let go, while open jobs in tech dropped by 2/3rds, while new startup hires dropped 50% in 2023: But here's an interesting observation: the new hire rate was about the same in 2019.

What is the average salary increase for tech in 2023? ›

In the years that Dice has been collecting tech salary data, average tech salaries have increased virtually every year. Until 2023. Dice's annual Tech Salary Trends report released Tuesday found that in 2023, tech salaries stagnated and even slightly dipped by $155 to an average of $111,193.

Which tech career is least stressful? ›

Data Scientist

“This profession is often seen as less stressful due to the flexibility of working conditions, the option to work remotely and relatively manageable deadlines compared to other technology jobs,” Horne said.

Which tech job is in most demand? ›

Most In-demand tech jobs and sought-after jobs in IT
  • Software developers: Architects of the digital world. ...
  • Business Intelligence Developer. ...
  • Data Scientist: Discovering Insights in Data Goldmines. ...
  • Cybersecurity Analysts: Guardians of Digital Fortresses. ...
  • Project Managers. ...
  • Cloud Architects: Artists of Scalable Infrastructure.
May 17, 2024

What entry level IT jobs pay the most? ›

Here are five high-paying, entry-level tech jobs you should consider:
  1. Software Engineer. Software engineers are the builders behind the software that shapes our digital world. ...
  2. Junior Project Manager. ...
  3. Tech Sales Engineer. ...
  4. DevOps Engineer. ...
  5. Data Analyst.
May 3, 2024

What is the #1 best paying job? ›

Get Matched!
  • Anesthesiologist. #1 in Best-Paying Jobs (tie) ...
  • Obstetrician and Gynecologist. #1 in Best-Paying Jobs (tie) ...
  • Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon. #1 in Best-Paying Jobs (tie) ...
  • Psychiatrist. #4 in Best-Paying Jobs. ...
  • Nurse Anesthetist. #5 in Best-Paying Jobs. ...
  • Pediatrician. #6 in Best-Paying Jobs. ...
  • Orthodontist. ...
  • IT Manager.

What job pays the most an hour? ›

11 high-paying hourly jobs
  • Air traffic controller.
  • Veterinarian.
  • Senior creative director.
  • Management consultant.
  • Tattoo artist.
  • Psychiatrist.
  • Orthodontist.
  • Anesthesiologist.
Apr 18, 2024

Which jobs are most in demand in 2023? ›

A mix of roles and industries see highest growth in job postings
RankJob Title% change in job share, Period ending 2020-01-01 vs Period ending 2023-01-01
1listing agent591%
2psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner180%
3solar consultant135%
4site reliability engineer121%
1 more row
Apr 18, 2024

Which technology is demand in 2023? ›

AI and ML have been in trend in the tech industry for several years, and their importance is growing in 2023. Developers specializing in AI and ML will be in high demand as companies continue to leverage these technologies to improve efficiency and increase profits, process automation, and enhance customer service.

Which jobs are most in-demand in 2023? ›

A mix of roles and industries see highest growth in job postings
RankJob Title% change in job share, Period ending 2020-01-01 vs Period ending 2023-01-01
1listing agent591%
2psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner180%
3solar consultant135%
4site reliability engineer121%
1 more row
Apr 18, 2024

Which technology will dominate in 2023? ›

The most in-demand and top tech trend in 2023 is Artificial Intelligence (AI). AI has huge potential and most of the industries are utilizing AI in different aspects. Interest in AI has increased threefold from 2021 to 2022, as per a report by McKinsey.

Which is highest paid IT job in 2023? ›

Top 10 Highest Paying Tech Jobs for 2023 and Beyond
  • Product Manager.
  • Cloud Architect.
  • Blockchain Engineer.
  • Data Scientist.
  • Software Engineering Manager.
  • Cyber Security Engineer.
  • Big Data Engineer.
  • IT Systems Security Manager.

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