Looking for a rewarding career in the fast-paced world of technology but wondering which tech job is right for you? You’ve come to the right place!
In 2023, some of the biggest technology companies added $2.4 trillion to their market capitalizations, and with AI setting the industry ablaze with excitement for 2024, there’s never been a better time to switch to a tech job.
Breaking into tech means opening yourself up to a world of possibilities: rewarding salaries, plenty of flexibility, and the chance to work on innovative products that transform users’ lives. Moreover, there’s a tech job out there to suit almost every interest, skill set, and personality type.
In this blog post, we’ll explore some of the best tech jobs you can get—and leave you with some practical advice on making the switch into tech with no experience.
- What is a tech job?
- The tech job market at a glance
- The best tech jobs
- How to get a tech job
- Key takeaways
Off we go!
1. What is a tech job?
Not too long ago, the tech field was relatively small—and pretty hard to break into. When people thought of “tech jobs”, they usually thought of developers and graphic designers.
Today, it’s hard to imagine life without technology. From our social lives to getting groceries, technology permeates almost every facet of modern life.
As technology itself has developed, so has the industry—and our understanding of what a “tech job” is.
Today, tech is a broad field that encompasses a wide range of positions—with new job titles and roles emerging every year. In general, “tech job” refers to any role that involves the use of technology to design, develop, or enhance products, services, or processes.
This can include UX/UI design, software engineering, data analysis, web development, digital marketing, cybersecurity, and more; essentially, any job that requires extensive use of technology and technical skills can be considered a tech job.
2. The tech job market at a glance
Before you make the jump into a tech job, you’ll want to make sure the industry is stable—and you’ll be on track for financial security in the long run (especially with the backdrop of post-pandemic economic uncertainty). So what’s the job outlook for tech professionals at the moment?
If you’re unsure if now is a good time to break into tech, we’ve got good news: The tech industry is still growing—and that growth means tech jobs will remain in high demand for the foreseeable future.
Job board Indeed’s 2023 annual ranking of the U.S.’s best jobs listed tech jobs as eight of the top ten—and according to Zippia, the tech industry is in second place for driving the US economy.
In 2024, this doesn’t look to be slowing down, with tech roles like web developer and web designer (UX and UI design) roles predicted to grow over 15% over the next eight years.
Remember: tech jobs are in demand far beyond the tech industry itself. With almost every business across sectors requiring a digital presence (and often a digital product) tech professionals can find work in sectors like
- Healthcare
- Government
- E-commerce
- Media
- Finance
- Sustainability
…and more! So, if you’re considering pursuing a tech job, now is a great time to explore your options. To learn more, check out our blog post exploring why tech is one of the most recession-proof career paths.
3. The best tech jobs
And now for the fun part: Exploring some of the best tech jobs you can pursue! We’ve split the tech jobs into three categories: High-earning, entry-level, and remote-friendly—but it’s worth noting that all of these jobs are lucrative and remote-friendly with a low barrier to entry (just to varying degrees!)
Let’s explore the best tech jobs in more detail.
Highest-paying tech jobs
Product manager
Product managers are the masterminds behind new product development, launch, and success. They work closely with cross-functional teams such as UX design, software, marketing, and sales to ensure that the product meets user needs while aligning with business goals.
Product management requires a combination of technical expertise, business acumen, and excellent communication skills—making it a rewarding career path for those interested in innovation and problem-solving.
Becoming a product manager could fetch you an average base salary of $163,885 in the U.S., according to Glassdoor. To learn more about how much product managers make worldwide, check out our ultimate product manager salary guide.
Full-stack web developer
Full-stack web developers handle every aspect of a web product’s development, including front-end (server side) and back-end (client side). They create and maintain well-rounded applications while ensuring their functionality throughout the entire development process.
Being a full-stack developer often requires knowledge of various programming languages and frameworks, making it an exciting but challenging job.
As for the pay, full-stack development is considered to be one of the highest-paying jobs in the tech industry. Employers value the expertise and versatility of the role and usually pay handsomely as a result.
An average full-stack developer’s salary currently sits at around US$90,943. Give our web developer salary guide a read to learn more.
Software engineer
Software engineers design, develop, test, and refine software programs and applications that solve real-world problems. They work with various stakeholders to determine the needs of the end users, design data structures and algorithms, test and troubleshoot software, and ultimately deploy it to users.
Some software engineers specialize in a particular area—like web development, mobile app development, or game development—while others work on backend systems or specialize in particular programming languages.
Because of the complex nature of the role, it makes sense that software engineers would be among the highest earners in tech. The average base pay for software engineers in the U.S. is currently $117,835. You can explore what software engineers earn globally in our salary guide.
Best entry-level tech jobs
Digital marketing specialist
Digital marketing specialists help businesses develop and implement online marketing strategies to achieve their goals. From running digital campaigns to coming up with creative ways to generate leads, this is a multidisciplinary role that requires a balance of creativity and analytics.
As digital channels become increasingly important for businesses of all sizes, digital marketing is an excellent entry-level career choice for those interested in a fast-paced and constantly evolving industry.
Digital marketing doesn’t necessarily require the same level of complex technical skills you’d need to pursue a role like software engineering—and many of the most in-demand digital marketing skills, like SEO and content strategy, can be learned on an online course.
If you’ve got a creative mind, good business acumen, and strong communication skills, digital marketing might be the tech job for you!
Frontend developer
Frontend developers take static design mockups and turn them into functional, dynamic websites and applications. They use front-end programming languages like HTML and CSS to determine how each element looks and works for the user on a website.
This can include designing layouts, creating interactive elements, and optimizing the website for speed and performance.
Front-end development is a popular entry-level career path, as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript typically don’t take as long to learn as other, more complex languages (and once you’ve mastered those, you can code websites!).
It’s all about building up your experience and learning how to use these programming languages in increasingly complex ways.
UX designer
UX designers create digital experiences that are accessible, functional, and seamless to use. UX design is a versatile and multidisciplinary tech job that involves conducting user research, creating user personas, wireframing and prototyping, testing and iterating, and a lot of cross-team collaboration.
Because UX design ties so many different disciplines together—like visual design, psychology, and research—it’s a popular choice for career changers. It might seem like a crowded market, but demand for UX designers isn’t slowing down any time soon.
Best tech jobs for remote work
UI designer
UI design is the art of designing beautiful, intuitive, and seamless user interfaces for websites, apps, and software.
They use visual storytelling to communicate the brand’s values, all while tying every digital touchpoint together with cohesive designs. This is a highly creative role, for individuals who are enthralled by typography and color palettes—but still want to maintain a user-centric approach.
But is UI design a good career path for remote work? The answer is a resounding “Yes!” Modern design and collaboration tools like Figma make it easier than ever to deliver unique, high-quality designs without ever stepping foot in an office.
Cybersecurity specialist
As cyber threats continue to increase, so does the demand for cybersecurity specialists. These professionals play a crucial role in preventing cyber attacks by identifying and mitigating potential security risks in a company’s IT infrastructure.
Their responsibilities include monitoring network security, maintaining and upgrading security systems, conducting vulnerability assessments, and analyzing security data to detect patterns and potential threats.
Part of a cybersecurity specialist’s role is to protect company data while growing a remote workforce, so it’s only natural that they’d be trusted more than anyone else to be able to successfully do their job remotely!
Data analyst
If you’re someone who likes to work with numbers and look at data for clues, then data analytics could be the tech job for you. Data analysts extract meanings and patterns from raw data using tools like statistical analysis, machine learning algorithms, and data visualization software.
They then distill their findings into actionable suggestions for business leaders and decision-makers.
As well as being lucrative and rewarding, data analytics is highly compatible with remote work. Most of the work can be done using cloud-based tools and communication software, none of which requires a presence in the office.
What’s more, data analytics requires a large degree of focused work while looking at complex data sets (which is a lot easier to do when you can control your work setup).
To learn more, check out our blog post rounding up the best remote jobs you can get with no experience.
4. How to get a tech job
Once you’ve decided which tech job to explore, you might wonder how you can actually make the switch.
Sure, it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to walk straight into a tech job without any skills or portfolio (I mean, you never know!) but with enough time and dedication to making the switch, you can land your first tech job in a matter of months, not years.
Here’s how.
Learn the in-demand tech skills
In today’s tech job market, employers are much more focused on the skills you bring to the table than the experience you have. Great news for beginners—because skills can be learned!
You can start by doing free online courses like CareerFoundry’s free short courses, which are a good way to get a sense of which career paths might interest you before segueing into in-depth courses.
You can also supplement these courses with YouTube tutorials, live demos, webinars, hackathons, and any other learning resources you can get your hands on.
If you’re looking for a more comprehensive option, investing in a career change tech bootcamp will see you graduate with a job-ready portfolio—in other words, the golden ticket to getting your first tech job.
These programs are designed to help individuals with no background in tech learn the skills necessary to land a job in tech and often come with a team of mentors and career specialists dedicated to helping you find a job.
Read next: Here’s how to pick out the best UX bootcamp for your career change
Build a personal brand
Building a personal brand as a tech professional is crucial in today’s job market—especially for tech newcomers with little to no experience behind them. Your personal brand is a testament to your skills, passions, and your journey into tech.
In other words, it’s what will help you stand out to employers in a sea of competition.
Your portfolio and website will serve as the cornerstone of your personal brand, showcasing your projects, work samples, and accomplishments.
To gain visibility and get your name out there, you can write blog posts, contribute to open-source projects, speak at conferences, or volunteer at tech events.
Just because you’re a tech beginner doesn’t mean you don’t have something to say!
How to find your tech job
Once you’ve learned the necessary skills and have built your personal brand, it’s time to start looking for tech jobs.
It’s not enough to mindlessly upload your resume to every job ad; you’ll need to be equal parts committed and strategic.
Here are a few ways to initiate your job search:
- Utilize job boards like LinkedIn, Indeed, and Glassdoor, which are excellent resources for tech job listings.
- Attend networking events, job fairs, and webinars to meet other tech professionals and get face time with potential employers.
- Work with a recruiter who specializes in tech recruiting. These recruiters have a better understanding of what tech employers are looking for, which can help you stand out from other candidates.
- Be proactive in your job search. Instead of waiting for job listings to come your way, apply to companies directly, send out cold emails to recruiters or HR personnel, and reach out to your network to help you find openings.
5. Key takeaways
Hopefully, this article has given you a better understanding of the best tech jobs available and how to take advantage of the high demand—even with no experience.
As technology continues to evolve at a rapid pace, the demand for tech jobs is only set to rise.
Companies of all sizes and industries now recognize the importance of technology in their operations, resulting in a growing need for skilled professionals to develop, implement, and maintain innovative tech solutions.
From software engineers and data analysts to cybersecurity specialists and artificial intelligence experts, you’re bound to find a tech job that you love doing (and that pays well!).
Still trying to decide which route to take?
Dip your toes into the water with CareerFoundry’s free short courses, speak directly with a program advisor, or check out our related blog posts below to learn more about tech jobs: