As the economy picks up, and cloud computing truly takes off for even the most novice of users, careers in information technology are once again in high demand, coming back from two years of layoffs, hard choices, and virtually frozen hiring.
Information Security Analysts
It’s no secret that the Internet is an increasingly malicious landscape dotted with hackers and those who want to steal personal information from customers and businesses alike. Because of that reality, information security analysts as a whole are expected to see their numbers grow by up to 20% year over year for the next five years. Their importance is underscored by recent attempts at customer identity theft — whether at Citibank or through the PlayStation Network online marketplace.
Their increased role in the information technology field means that their entry-level salary begins around $35,000 per year in the United States, but the average salary soars to $73,500 after just a few years in the field. The highest-paid information security analysts make, on average, about $105,000 per year. It is one of the highest-paid information technology professions and its increased importance looks to elevate that statistic over time.
Systems Administrators
It is perhaps the oldest, most tried-and-true of the many IT jobs, and systems administrators rely on that fact for their continued marketability as IT professionals. While hiring had slowed down during the height of the economic recession in 2008 and 2009, it has once again picked up as companies begin hiring for new, cloud-based endeavors. Overall, the occupation can look forward to eight percent job growth over the next three years, and perhaps even better growth by mid-decade.
The average systems administrator makes $71,600 per year in the United States. Those just entering the field can expect to pull in an average entry level salary of $55,000; over the lifetime of a career, the highest-paid systems administrators demand a salary of $92,000 per year. Combined with excellent job growth, this remains one of the most stable positions in the field.
Chief Information Officers
A relatively static position within the information technology field, the demand for chief information officers looks to grow by a mere 1% over the next several years. With the raft of new hiring among IT departments, most of the growth is concentrated on entry-level or mid-level hiring; this position is the holy grail for information technology professionals, and the competition will be stiff due to its small growth and relatively stable set of executives.
For those who make the cut, however, the benefit is a fantastic salary. First-year chief information officers pull in an average of $140,000 per year — almost three times the median salary in the United States. The average salary for these information executives increases to $226,000 per year over time and the highest paid group of professionals in this area can expect a high-end salary of more than $340,000 per year at the height of their career.
These salaries do not include the generous sign-on bonuses that are typically offered to chief information officers, which can reach as high as $50,000 at the time a position is accepted. Many chief information officers sign contracts for the first year of their employment in this executive role, which allows them to reap the benefits of such generous bonuses.
Network Engineers
Another area of near-flat growth within the information technology field is that of the network engineer. Simply put, they deal less with information and more with systems; the demand for this position has stagnated as the focus of IT jobs has shifted almost exclusively to managing and securing private data. Growth for network engineering jobs is expected to increase by roughly 2% over the next two years, and then stay roughly static — with growth under one percent for the middle part of the decade.
An entry level network engineer can expect a starting salary of about $51,000 per year for positions in the United States. That’s still well above the starting salary for numerous other careers and bests the median American wage by about $5,000. Over the course of their career, network engineers can expect to reach about $98,000 per year, with an average salary in the profession of $71,500.
The game is slightly changed for those who achieve the title of senior network engineer. Though job growth is the same as the lower-level profession, salaries start at $70,000 per year for first-year senior network engineers. Their salary growth expands into the six figures, pulling $121,000 per year after a longer tenure in the position. The average senior network engineer can expect $86,700 per year as their average salary in the field.
Where the Growth Is
Overall, positions dealing with information security and information management (such as that done by systems administrators) are where the growth lies for the information technology sector. They’re also home to some of the best salaries in the field and look to have excellent job security through at least the end of the decade.