5 High Paying Careers in Tech for 2016

A good salary isn’t the only thing that makes a specific career a great choice. However, it usually ranks high on the list of reasons that people select a specific vocation.

If you’re in high-tech, you want a job that will not only challenge you in your technical discipline, but also provide excellent compensation. Here are 5 high paying careers in tech for 2016.

1. Chief Technology Officer

It shouldn’t surprise you that a Chief Technology Officer (CTO) is one of the best paying high-tech jobs. The good news is that it doesn’t always require years of experience, so it can be one of the best paying jobs for college grads.

Some CTOs are recent graduates. They happen to be people who’ve invested a great deal of their free time studying best practices in modern technology. They’re people who not only tinker, but spend sleepless nights developing software.

If you’re looking to move into the CTO slot, consider investing your free time to educate yourself about popular technologies. Then, wow somebody during an interview. You might just land a high-paying job.

2. Senior Web Developer

The World Wide Web has become an indispensable communications medium. Businesses that want to succeed at this point in the 21st century know that it’s impossible to do so without a web presence. That’s why those businesses hire web professionals to design, develop, and deploy their websites.

However, there are many flavors of web development professionals. There are Java developers, PHP developers, Python developers, JavaScript developers, and others. If you’re hoping to launch your career as a web developer, it might be best to choose one specific aspect of web development or one programming language and focus on that.

3. Mobile App Developer

It’s impossible to overstate the significance of the mobile space to modern-day marketers. Businesses that don’t go out of their way to ensure that their digital marketing efforts are suitable for a mobile audience are going to lose market share to their competitors.

If you’re interested in mobile development, there are a few different ways that you can go about it. You could learn to develop “responsive” websites, or websites that look great on any platform. You could also learn how to develop apps for Apple’s iOS operating system or the Android platform.

4. Big Data

Another popular buzz-phrase in modern IT is “Big Data.” That basically refers to huge databases that store countless rows of information.

It’s not very easy to learn how to be an application developer against a Big Data database. However, if you do manage to educate yourself, you stand to make an outstanding salary.

5. Network Architect

It’s the Information Age. All of these computers have to “talk” to each other somehow. That’s why network architects exist.

If you can land a job as a network architect, you’ll not only earn a great salary but you’ll also ensure that you stay up-to-speed on all the latest trends in networking.

Whether you’re interesting in working with a viral website or developing an app that provides access to checking accounts for young professionals, you stand to do very well if you opt for a career in the high-tech space. Pick one of the 5 careers listed here and you’ll lead the pack in terms of compensation.