Job Future Remains Bright for Tech Professionals

The recession is lingering and the job market is barely showing signs of improvement. Although the official unemployment numbers have dropped below the 7 percent line, other data shows the workforce has dramatically shrunk. And if you count those individuals who stopped looking for work altogether, the unemployment rate would be in the mid- to high teens, according to many experts.

However, the need for skilled information technology workers continues to dominate the job landscape, both in terms of senior positions and specific and evolving skills. They're also the best-paying jobs coming right out of college.

The top IT hiring trends this year will focus around security, cloud computing adoption and implementation and Big Data, according to a recent roundtable of IT executives gathered together by the TechRepublic. All 16 executives that participated in the roundtable agreed that the need for tech skills are still exploding, and, as a result the job market for IT professionals is outpacing other industries—specifically software developers, database administrators and engineers, according to the panel.

On the downside, there are certain IT skills that are becoming less valuable.

Tech skills in decline include older programming languages such as Cobol, which has given way to Java, Python and Ruby, according to the executives. They also mentioned UI designers and ERP skills as not in high demand anymore.

Not only are IT-related jobs on the rise, they also pay well from college on. ThinkAdvisor.com came out with its list of top 30 best-paying college majors and careers, and those associated with the IT field took up 12 spots on the list. ThinkAdvisor rated the fields by starting salary and then also gave each one a mid-career salary rank.

Below are the findings of IT careers in the top 30:

• Information Technology: Starting Salary: $49,700; Mid-Career Salary: $81,300
• Computer Information Systems: Starting Salary: $49,000; Mid-Career Salary: $84,800
• Civil Engineer Technology: Starting Salary: $49,500; Mid-Career Salary: $80,500
• Medical Technology: Starting Salary: 49,600; Mid-Career Salary: $60,200
• Industrial Technology: Starting Salary: $49,700; Mid-Career Salary: $81,300
• Information Systems: Starting Salary: $50,900; Mid-Career Salary: $86,700
• Management Information Systems: Starting Salary: $51,600; Mid-Career Salary: $88,600
• Management Engineering Technology: Starting Salary: $52,900; Mid-Career Salary: $83,400
• Computer Science: Starting Salary: $58,400; Mid-Career Salary: $100,000
• Electrical Engineering Technology: Starting Salary: $58,400; Mid-Career Salary: $86,900
• Software Engineer: Starting Salary: $59,100; Mid-Career Salary: $90,700
• Computer Engineering: Starting Salary: $62,700; Mid-Career Salary: $105,000

Although IT skills remain in demand, it's important IT professionals keep up with new technologies through professional development programs and certifications. Learning doesn't end at school, and what's in demand today perhaps won't be tomorrow, as the TechRepublic roundtable executives noted.