Data scientist is the best job on offer in America this year, according to BusinessInsider’s rankings based on job satisfaction, number of job openings and median base salary. Computer Science and IT graduates could expect to step into an entry-level data scientist position with an average annual salary of $89,000.
In general, IT-related positions dominate the top 50 best jobs in the U.S. list, with development operations engineer coming in at a close #2, and mobile developer coming in #8. Other positions in the top 50 include front end developer, hardware engineer, and software engineer (another great career option with a 24% growth in employment by 2026).
How much can I earn on average with a career in the IT industry?
Because of the technical and specific skills required of IT professionals, in general their salaries tend to be higher than other industries. An average salary for entry-level graduates of $60,600 and an average salary for experienced professionals $84,600 can be expected, with some occupations making significantly more than this at both levels.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment within the IT industry is expected to grow 13% by 2026.
Which occupation within IT pays the most?
According to average salary statistics taken from PayScale.com, data and information scientists on average pay the most ($89,000) at graduate level, while experienced computer network architects can expect to earn $122,000 on average. Network and computer systems administrators seem to have the lowest average salaries, ($50,000 at entry-level and $64,000 for experienced professionals) as well as the smallest salary-growth potential across their career.
Average salaries of popular occupations within IT
| Occupation | Average entry-level salary (0-5 years experience) |
Average experienced salary (10+ years experience) |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Network Architect | $85,000 | $122,000 |
| Computer Programmer | $52,000 | $78,000 |
| Computer Support Specialist | $37,000 | $46,000 |
| Computer Systems Analyst | $54,000 | $73,000 |
| Database Administrator | $60,000 | $91,000 |
| Data & Information Scientist | $89,000 | $120,000 |
| Information Security Analyst | $63,000 | $89,000 |
| Network & Computer Systems Administrator | $50,000 | $64,000 |
| Software Developer | $65,000 | $92,000 |
| Web Developer | $51,000 | $71,000 |
Do I need to study to work in IT?
In general, working within the IT industry will require a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in a field related to IT or computer science. But this is not always the case. According to PayScale.com, only 30% of cyber security analysts hold a university degree with a computer science major. In contrast, 98% of computer scientists hold a computer science degree.
You can see the full breakdown of occupations vs percentage of workers who hold majors below:
| Occupation | % workers with major |
| Computer Scientist | 98% |
| Software Development Director | 88% |
| Software Developer | 86% |
| Software Architect | 83% |
| Mobile Applications Developer | 81% |
| Software Development Manager | 80% |
| Application Developer | 68% |
| Development Operations (DevOps) Engineer | 62% |
| Programmer Analyst | 61% |
| Web Developer | 59% |
| Support Engineer, Information Technology (IT) | 48% |
| Database Administrator (DBA) | 45% |
| Computer Repair Technician | 39% |
| Information Technology (IT) Support Specialist | 37% |
| Desktop Support Engineer | 35% |
| Network Engineer, IT | 35% |
| Security Architect, IT | 35% |
| Support Technician, Information Technology (IT) | 33% |
| Network Analyst | 33% |
| Computer Help Desk Representative | 32% |
| Network Technician, IT | 32% |
| Information Technology Specialist | 32% |
| Network Administrator, IT | 32% |
| Systems Administrator | 31% |
| Cyber Security Analyst | 30% |
| Computer Support Specialist | 29% |
| Information Technology Supervisor | 29% |
| Information Security Analyst | 26% |
| Security Engineer, Information Systems | 26% |
| Cyber Security Engineer | 26% |
Originally from New Zealand, Josh now works in Sweden for educations.com, findcourses.com and findcourses.co.uk, helping international students and professionals around the world find the right education. As well as these websites, their parent company, EMG - Educations Media Group also operates in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany and the Netherlands.
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