Five High-Paying Jobs for Computer Science

Updated January 5, 2024 | Staff Writers

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High Paying Jobs for Computer Science

  • IT Director
  • Software Development Engineer
  • Cybersecurity Engineer
  • Network Architect
  • Android Software Developer

There are high paying jobs for computer science degree holders throughout the modern workforce. Every industry has positions that require their skills, and there is a great variety of the types of jobs that they have the ability to fill. As a group, they comprise some of the highest-skilled and best-compensated workers in the world today. The rapid advance of technology, coupled with the further integration of automation and cloud computing guarantees that this will continue to be the case for many years to come.

IT Director

An IT director is responsible for recruiting and managing IT staff for a company. They organize and deploy resources to manage, secure, and maintain all IT assets within a business.They also play a role in technology procurement, budgets, and information policies. In a typical organization, they are directly below the chief technology officer in the overall hierarchy. The large role that they play in most businesses makes theirs one of the highest paid computer science positions available. On average, they earn $141,874 yearly.

Software Development Engineer

Software development engineers can find positions in companies of all kinds. They also may be employed as freelance consultants, working for numerous companies at any given time. They design, create and test software that operates the computer systems of their employers. Depending on the industry that they're working in and the specific needs of their employer, they may be tasked with creating software from the ground up or modifying existing systems to add or change functionality. It's a high paying job, with an average salary in the U.S. of $116,679 annually.

Cybersecurity Engineer

The threat of hackers, malware, and ransomware rising every year has made the position of cybersecurity engineer a high paying job for computer science degree holders. It's a field that is growing rapidly and positions are outpacing the number of qualified applicants. There were a reported one million cybersecurity job openings by 2016, with the figure expected to rise sharply in the future. Cybersecurity engineers design and implement security procedures and install hardware and software solutions to defend computer networks from attacks. They also typically monitor systems in order to effectively detect and respond to any malicious activity. The position has an average yearly salary of $107,072.

Network Architect

Another high paying computer science position is that of a network architect. Network architects design and build computer networks for companies worldwide. The networks may be designed to facilitate internal business communications and workflow or may be large-scale public networks, such as those that form the backbone of the internet. They are responsible for choosing network hardware and assuring that network topology is efficient and conflict-free. The average network architect earns a salary of $103,901 each year.

Android Software Developer

Google's Android operating system currently represents the largest share of the devices in the mobile industry. Google has reported that there are over two billion active Android devices monthly. This large, worldwide device ecosystem has made the position of Android software developer a very lucrative one. Android software developers create apps that are specific to the Android platform, often working for many employers at once. As a Linux based operating system, Android requires that developers be familiar with versioning and code repository maintenance. Their average salary is about $81,994 per year.

The role of technology in the global economy has created a boom in high paying jobs for computer science professionals. The current trajectory of the field indicates that there's no reason to believe that the explosive job growth that's been the norm is likely to change anytime soon. These jobs are now and are likely to remain a path to high earnings and advancement for those with the skills to succeed in them.

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