At the start of each new year, it is not uncommon to find career-affiliated sites setting out to predict various fields that expect job growth that year. It can be a good way to get a feel for what other professionals are seeing as the next big thing or area of demand to be expected. US News has a careers section that does just that, but instead of just sharing their 2013 picks with you, I wanted to take a comparison look of this year’s and last year’s predictions.
The technology career field is an ever growing, ever changing playing field at times. While there may be many new directions, it appears that there is some consistency in what is expected to be among the top jobs for the year according to these lists. U.S. News gave a list of the top six technology jobs for 2012, but this year increased it to show the top nine jobs. The top five positions are the same as last year, but in a different order, while 2012’s number six job fell to number nine this year, as other positions entered the list.
For 2013, the U.S. News top-nine jobs include:
- Computer Systems Analyst: Related to the ins and outs of hardware, software and networks, this position jumped from the number-four position in 2012 to the top position this year, with a median salary listed at $78,770.
- Database Administrator: Holding the number-two position in 2012 and 2013 makes this one of the prime career fields to be in, with a median salary of $75,190.
- Software Developer: With an expected growth of 143,000+ jobs over the next seven years and a median salary of $89,280, the Software Developer position went from the number-one position last year to the number-three spot this time around.
- Web Developer: Falling down one slot from last year’s number three position, this is still a growing and in-demand field with a median salary of $77,990 and an expected growth of 65,000 new jobs over the next few years.
- Computer Programmer: Holding the number-five slot in 2012 and 2013, programmers are still a much needed commodity, with a median salary of $72,630.
- Mechanical Engineer: This position was not among the top six in 2012’s list but made it this time around. This position boasts a median salary of $79,230.
- IT Manager: Another entry not on last year’s short list, this field manages the IT department and keeps things running smoothly on your company’s network. US News reports a median salary of $118,010.
- Computer Systems Administrator: “Aside from maintaining a healthy computer network, they also lend their tech knowledge to managing telecommunication networks. This profession is expected to add 96,600 new positions by 2020.” Median salary: $70,970.
- Civil Engineer: Falling from number six on the 2012 list to holding the ninth position on this year’s list, this career field is still a top ranking place to be, and with a median salary of $77,990, it still falls in the higher-paying jobs on the list.
While no one can tell you exactly what the future holds or what jobs will be booming tomorrow, these types of lists are based on a variety of research techniques and can give a great idea of the foreseeable future in the technology field. If you are looking to start training for a technology career, or have the training and are just looking for that new job and your next career step, hopefully these types of lists can assist in the process.
Image courtesy of Freedigitalphotos.net
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