Trying to determine your ideal IT career path? Want to know which computer jobs will be in the greatest demand, offer the highest salaries, and best opportunities for advancement once you finish training? ITCareerFinder assembled this comparison of the decade’s hottest technology careers to serve as your guide. These 10 computer jobs will experience the fastest growth, pay salaries well above the national average, boast top employment rates, and offer a range of opportunities for promotion.

Compare the best computer jobs by employment projections, key growth factors, salary, and more, then click the links of your favorite IT career paths for deep-dive profiles featuring skills and responsibilities, desirable certifications, wage analyses, education requirements, training & degree programs, local job openings, and tips from IT insiders.

The methodology to discover the best computer jobs for the future centers around a four-point weighted analysis of employment forecasts from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook, IT salaries and the ratio of job listings to qualified applicants on leading job boards, and potential for upward mobility based on interviews with technology and employment experts, as well as recent IT hiring trends.

Discover the 10 best computer jobs for the future:

1. IT Security Specialist

   

   IT Security Specialist Employment Projections | 2022 - 2032

   • 10-Year Growth Pct: 32% (much faster than average)†
   • 10-Year Growth Volume: 53,200 new jobs
   • Average Salary: $112,000
   • IT Security Specialist Career Path ››
   Key Growth Factors

   Security will remain a top concern for IT executives and hiring managers as the frequency, scope, and complexity of cyber attacks continue to escalate. Year after year, IT executives report actively seeking professionals with information security skills but finding it difficult to locate good talent. This indicates an incredible opportunity for technology professionals to advance their cybersecurity skills and certifications. Computer security skills in the greatest demand include IT operations security, secure web and mobile application development, risk management, information assurance, network security, and cloud security.

2. Mobile Application Developer

   

   Mobile App Developer Employment Projections | 2022 - 2032

   • 10-Year Growth Pct: 26% (much faster than avg.)†
   • 10-Year Growth Volume: 410,400 new jobs
   • Average Salary: $127,000
   • Mobile App Developer Career Path ››
   Key Growth Factors

   Mobile application development is one of the world's fastest-growing occupations. As smartphones and tablets continue to change the way we communicate, do business, and access news & entertainment, the demand for new and innovative mobile apps is growing at an incredible speed. This increased demand translates to one of the largest IT skills gaps ever realized – there are simply more mobile application development job openings than skilled developers to fill them. Google's Android and Apple's iOS (iPhone, iPad & Apple Watch) platforms will continue to offer the most career opportunities for mobile developers, as these 2 platforms combine for over 99% of the mobile OS market share in the US.

3. Software Engineer

   

   Software Engineer Employment Projections | 2022 - 2032

   • 10-Year Growth Pct: 25% (much faster than avg.)†
   • 10-Year Growth Volume: 451,200 new jobs
   • Average Salary: $124,000
   • Software Engineer Career Path ››
   Key Growth Factors

   Workforce demand for software engineers will rise along with technological advancement and the growing ubiquity of software. For example, the rapid adoption of cloud technologies is driving demand for applications software engineers who can build secure and scalable cloud programs. Likewise, as the proliferation of computer systems continues and software spreads into new industries and smart devices, the need to develop the computer systems that power these initiatives will create jobs for systems software engineers.

4. Video Game Designer

   

   Video Game Designer Employment Projections | 2022 - 2032

   • 10-Year Growth Pct: 16% (much faster than avg.)†
   • 10-Year Growth Volume: 34,700 new jobs
   • Average Salary: $81,000
   • Video Game Designer Career Path ››
   Key Growth Factors

   The $140+ billion dollar gaming industry has more than tripled in size over the last decade. Beyond the booming market for PC and console games, the increased popularity, processing power, and graphics capabilities of mobile devices have unlocked a new world of job opportunities for video game designers, artists, and programmers. Game designers with mobile development expertise will be especially sought after as smartphones and tablets continue to change how video games are played. Game designer employment will also benefit from emerging technologies and rising demand for augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) applications.

5. Computer Systems Analyst

   

   Computer Systems Analyst Employment Projections | 2022 - 2032

   • 10-Year Growth Pct: 10% (much faster than avg.)†
   • 10-Year Growth Volume: 51,100 new jobs
   • Average Salary: $102,000
   • Computer Systems Analyst Career Path ››
   Key Growth Factors

   As organizations continue to increase their reliance on technology, computer systems analysts will be needed to increase the efficiency of existing technologies and architect new systems. Health care is a key industry for systems analyst job growth, as aggressive government mandates and funding initiatives continue to drive increases in electronic medical record (EMR) adoption, electronic prescription services, and other health-centric software projects. The U.S. Department of Labor also predicts a 43% increase in systems analyst hiring at IT consulting firms, which translates to a huge amount of freelance and contract employment opportunities in this job role.

6. Web Developer

   

   Web Developer Employment Projections | 2022 - 2032

   • 10-Year Growth Pct: 17% (much faster than avg.)†
   • 10-Year Growth Volume: 16,700 new jobs
   • Average Salary: $79,000
   • Web Developer Career Path ››
   Key Growth Factors

   Each year, a record number of businesses bring their offerings to the Internet. As the number of products and services online continues to grow, web developers and designers will enjoy increased job opportunities. The proliferation of social networks will boost demand for web developers as businesses look to engage a new generation of customers and spur a competitive advantage in this rapidly growing space. Responsive web design, user interface (UI), and user experience (UX) skills are a hot commodity in this position as displays must increasingly adapt to varying device sizes and types, e.g., smartwatches.

7. Health Information Technician

   

   Health Information Technician Employment Proj. | 2022 - 2032

   • 10-Year Growth Pct: 16% (much faster than avg.)†
   • 10-Year Growth Volume: 6,200 new jobs
   • Average Salary: $58,000
   • Health Information Technician Career Path ››
   Key Growth Factors

   Health care will produce more new computer jobs through 2025 than any other single industry. Aggressive government mandates and funding incentives for medical practices to adopt centralized electronic health records are driving unprecedented hiring of health information technicians trained and certified in these new technologies. Health information technicians may earn the lowest starting salary on this list, but the required education is the quickest (typically a 2-year degree program in Health IT). Candidates learning now will be well-positioned for lucrative management positions as the health IT job market continues to mature.

8. Technology Manager

   

   Technology Manager Employment Projections | 2022 - 2032

   • 10-Year Growth Pct: 15% (much faster than avg.)†
   • 10-Year Growth Volume: 86,000 new jobs
   • Average Salary: $164,000
   • Technology Manager Career Path ››
   Key Growth Factors

   Job growth for information technology managers is directly tied to the growth rates of the IT workers they supervise. Record-breaking growth in a variety of technical jobs – including software development, project management, data analytics, and cloud computing – will continue through 2025 and beyond, in turn fueling strong demand for talented IT managers. Additional growth will be driven by an increased focus on information security and the hiring of additional cybersecurity personnel.

9. Database Administrator

   

   Database Administrator Employment Projections | 2022 - 2032

   • 10-Year Growth Pct: 7% (faster than average)†
   • 10-Year Growth Volume: 6,000 new jobs
   • Average Salary: $112,000
   • DBA Career Path ››
   Key Growth Factors

   Businesses are racking up impressive amounts of digital information, spurring the need for trained and certified DBAs to store, organize, analyze, and secure this data. In addition, as more databases are connected to the Internet and cloud, data security will become increasingly vital and complex; database administrators and developers - especially those with information security skills - will be hired to protect corporate data from hackers and other cyber threat vectors.

10. Network Administrator

    

    Network Administrator Employment Projections | 2022 - 2032

    • 10-Year Growth Pct: 2% (about as fast as avg.)†
    • 10-Year Growth Volume: 8,300 new jobs
    • Average Salary: $91,000
    • Network Administrator Career Path ››
    Key Growth Factors

    Demand for network administrators will rise as organizations invest in new computer systems and network technologies to increase productivity and gain a competitive advantage. The rapid adoption of mobile and smart devices and cloud computing means more organizations will use the Internet to conduct business online, translating to increased job opportunities for network professionals who can help businesses securely wield these emerging technologies.

Helpful Links for Blog Readers:

• Find IT Training and Certification Prep
• Research and Compare IT Certifications
• Explore Information Technology Careers
• Browse and Apply to Local Tech Jobs
• Jobs You Can Get with IT Degrees

†The average ten-year growth rate for all occupations is 3% (bls.gov)

Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Outlook Handbook

New workforce studies indicate the best computer majors by salary.

I'm always analyzing employment studies and talking with technology executives about the IT skills and certifications they’re looking for in new hires. In addition to experience and credentials, education is a key factor in landing your dream job. In this article we’re going back to school for a look at the best paying IT majors of study.

The January 2013 salary survey from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), which tracks college graduates’ job offers, and a recent Georgetown University study based on employment data from the U.S. Census Bureau, independently verified that Computer Science (CS), Computer Engineering (CE) and Computer Information Systems (CIS) graduates earn the highest starting salaries of all technology majors.

Here's a breakdown of the top 3 best paying IT majors:

In a tough job market, it pays to be strategic, and to look for positions in industries with the best opportunities for career growth and upward mobility. ITCareerFinder examined tech job growth rates from the leading unbiased employment sources, including the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, to identify the fastest growing IT careers for 2012 and beyond.

Here are the top five fastest growing IT career paths: