Tech jobs are one of the highest-paying jobs in the world. Here is a list of the 14 top-paying tech jobs in America in 2016, according Glassdoor.
Rank
|
Job
|
Median Base Salary
|
Openings
|
#1
|
Research & Development Manager
|
$142,120
|
112
|
#2
|
Software Development Manager
|
$132,000
|
3,495
|
#3
|
Software Architect
|
$128,250
|
655
|
#4
|
IT Manager
|
$120,000
|
3,152
|
#5
|
Solutions Architect
|
$120,000
|
2,838
|
#6
|
Application Development Manager
|
$120,000
|
263
|
#7
|
Systems Architect
|
$116,920
|
439
|
#8
|
Data Scientist
|
$115,000
|
1,985
|
#9
|
Creative Director
|
$115,000
|
696
|
#10
|
Data Architect
|
$113,000
|
762
|
#11
|
Product Manager
|
$107,000
|
7,758
|
#12
|
Design Manager
|
$106,500
|
510
|
#13
|
Analytics Manager
|
$106,000
|
988
|
#14
|
Information Systems Manager
|
$106,000
|
147
|
As you can see from the above list, the Product Manager openings are more plentiful than any other job, followed by Software Development Manager and IT Manager.
In another report published by Forbes (original source Indeed) that did not include management positions, the Software Architect positon is the highest-paying job in America. Here is a list of the top 10 highest-paying tech jobs in America in 2016.
Rank
|
Job
|
Salary
|
1
|
Software Architect
|
$116,267
|
2
|
Data Scientist
|
$109,399
|
3
|
DevOps Engineer
|
$106,045
|
4
|
Software Engineer
|
$98,304
|
5
|
Java Developer
|
$98,304
|
6
|
Mobile Developer
|
$96,133
|
7
|
Frontend Developer
|
$92,133
|
8
|
Software Developer
|
$87,185
|
9
|
Database Admin
|
$87,025
|
10
|
.NET Developer
|
$83,936
|
OK, now let’s take a look at the typical path of a software professional.
Student -> Programmer -> Developer -> Tech Lead -> PM/Architect -> IT/Product Manager -> CTO/CIO -> CEO.
In this path, each title means more experience and better salary. That obviously means, a CTO gets paid much more than a programmer. An article published on MUO lists 6 of the Best Paying Tech Careers for 2016 of MUO.
- Chief Technology Officer ($147,500 - $229,000)
- Senior Web Developer ($111,250 - $154,000)
- Mobile App Developer ($115,250 - $175,750)
- Big Data Engineer ($129,500 - $183,500)
- Data Scientist ($109,000 - $153,750)
- Network Architect ($120,000 - 175,000)
Now, this list looks very realistic.
Here is a list of the six top-paid CTOs and their salaries.
- Rasmus Norling, Poly Shield Technologies: $81.845 million
- Michael Schroepfer, Facebook: $12.558 million
- Neville R. Ray, T-Mobile US: $9.14 million
- Kevin L. Timmons, Cyrusone: $6.85 million
- Cadir B. Lee, Zynga: $6.185 million
- Peng Xiao, MicroStrategy: $5.55 million
Impact on salaries
Salaries of tech jobs vary based on location, company, skillset, and need. The need is actually one of the most important factors. If a company needs a C# programmer and they can’t find a suitable candidate within their salary range, they will pay a premium for that. If a developer is also a product manager, even if he or she still writes ruby code, he or she may get an additional bonus. A Java developer in New York makes almost twice as much as one somewhere in a small town in Ohio.
RECOMMENDED READINGS
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