Top 10 Highest Paying IT Jobs in 2021

You have hustled hard throughout all those years of your formal education. And now you need a job that justifies those years of burning the midnight oil.

Hence, I bring to you my list of the "Top 10 Highest Paying IT Jobs" for the year 2021.

Also, consider that the rankings of this list has been decided not just on the average salary but also the salary range and the number of job openings for each and every job. So keeping that in mind, let's get started.

Full Stack Developer

Starting off our list we have the Full Stack Developer.

Now, Full Stack Development might overwhelm anyone. After all, you have to learn way more than an average front-end or back-end developer. Also you have to keep learning throughout your career life cycle to keep up with the growing trends in technologies. 

Now to become a full-stack developer, you need to have certain skills.

Starting with the basics of web development, API development and database technologies. Apart from these, you also need to have hands-on experience in technologies such as React JS, Node.js, Angular and MongoDB.

Now, having so much knowledge comes with its set of benefits for starters top-notch companies such as Wipro, IBM, Infosys, Tech Mahindra, Tata and Cognizant are all hiring full-stack developers with an average salary of 112,000 dollars in the U.S and nearly 9 lakhs in India.

DevOps Engineer

At number nine we have the DevOps Engineer.

Now, the DevOps Engineer introduces the team to different tools, technologies, methodologies and practices throughout the software development life cycle,I'm talking about coding, deploying, maintaining, and updating the app in an organization. 

Now, to become a DevOps engineer you need to have certain skill-set in place. Definitely proficiency in coding and scripting is one of  them. Apart from these you need to know tools such as Docker, Jenkins, Git, Kubernetes and Puppet.  

A key skill to have is also having the knowledge of Operating Systems such as Unix and Linux all of this for an average salary of 114, 000 U.S dollars or 21 lakhs depending on your geography and expertise.

Now, top-notch companies such as SAP, MacAfee and Oracle are hiring DevOps engineers, but to achieve all of  this you need to have a very structured learning approach towards DevOps.

Data Scientist

Next on our list we have the Data Scientist.

Now, data scientists allow companies to make smarter business decisions every day. It's no surprise, companies rely on data scientists and their expertise to figure out trends and patterns in the market and convey crucial business insights to their clientele, which is why data scientists perform a pivotal role in any company.

Now, to become a data scientist you need to have a certain skillset. Starting off with a strong grasp on statistical analysis as well as a command over programming languages, such as Python, R and SQL.

Apart from that you also need to know Database technologies and let's not forget a strong business acumen and data  insight.

Now, as a data scientist you get an average salary of 133,000 USD in the US and nearly 18.2 LPA in India by companies such as Mu, Sigma, Visa, Netflix and Google. 

Market Intelligence Analyst

Next, we have the Market Intelligence Analyst.

The consumer marketplace is ever growing and evolving as businesses try to keep up and engage their customers, they try to look into the market research to form informed business decisions. Now, this is where these analysts come in.

Simply put,  a Market Intelligence Analyst basically tells these businesses what products do people want in the market and how much are they willing to pay for them.

Now in a broader scope of this career these people examine market conditions for a certain potential product or service and for this, they need a very specific skill set including Search Engine Optimization, Pay-Per-Click Marketing, content marketing, email and mobile marketing, conversion, optimization and web analytics.  

Now, companies such as Etsy, eBay Walmart and Amazon are ready to pay an average salary of 136,000 USD or 13.1 LPA in India. Now, if you are digging into this and researching this particular job role for your career, chances are you already have a certain skill set for the job.

IT Program manager

At number six, we have the IT Program manager.

Now, an IT Program Manager is a strategic project management professional whose job is to oversee and co-ordinate all the technical aspects of a project.

Now, in essence they basically initiate a project, track its progress and help in troubleshooting.In case issues arise they typically coordinate the efforts of the development team, stakeholders and external vendors when it comes to a certain project of an organization.

While also scheduling tasks and timings and making sure that deadlines are met now, while no company in this day and age can function without an IT Program Manager, there are a few who are hiring heavily for this position, this includes Google, Standard Chartered, Boeing and Accenture for really high average salaries of about 136, 000 dollars in the US and nearly 16 lakhs in India.

Software Architect 

At number five we have the Software Architect.

Now, Software Architects design, develop and implement software systems and solutions for a company. They basically determine new tools and processes to be adopted by the dev team to produce high-performing software solutions.

Now, depending on where you work, you might have to create software systems from scratch or incorporate new technology into already existing pipelines. Apart from that, you also are expected to bridge the communication gap between your Dev team and your managers and occasionally create custom solutions for your clients.

It is reckoned to get hired for this job role that you get certified in either one of the programming languages such as Java, PHP, C++ and SQL.

Now, your role basically consists of converting software characteristics such as security, scalability and manageability into a streamlined structured solution which aligns with your company's, business and technological goals and for that you shall be rewarded highly with an average salary of 139,000 in the US and nearly 21 lakhs in India from high paying companies such as Nvidia, Dell, Intel, Microsoft and JP Morgan.

Network Security Engineer

Moving up on our list we have the Network Security Engineer.

Now, a Network Security Engineer is somebody that protects your computer networks from threats and attacks. So if this quarantine season, you want to quarantine the virus, malware and spyware in your computer network, these professionals are some people you should be reaching out to.

Now a network security engineer typically conducts investigations in your computer network, to seek violations and policy breaches in them. They also conduct penetration testing, set up security standards for organizations as well as encrypt and set up firewalls, to protect sensitive data.

Now, to become a Network Security Engineer, you need to be well versed in certain topics, including data and network security, obviously operating systems. Apart from that you also need to understand risk management methods and have hands-on experience in testing and encryption tools.

Now, there are certain companies who pay as high as $143,000  in average in the US and 26 Lakhs in India. These companies are top-notch companies, such as, FireEye, HackerOne, IBM and Cisco.

With that we move on to the top three of our list.

Data Engineer

At number three we have the Data Engineer.

Now, Data Engineer is responsible for connecting all the pieces of the data ecosystem of an organization. They are responsible, for acquiring, assessing, auditing  and processing data from different applications, building data pipelines as well as maintaining database architectures in several companies. 

Now a strong foundation in software engineering and programming equips these data engineers to give companies the tools which will lead them to success. Apart from that, they also have to be proficient in big data processing frameworks, real-time processing frameworks, database architectures, ETL, query languages, as well as a sound understanding of Operating Systems like Linux or Unix.

Companies such as MacAfee, Walmart, and Ernst & Young are all paying high salaries such as 144,000 US dollars or 16 LPA in India.  

Cloud Architect

At number two, we have the Cloud Architect.

Now, Cloud Architect is somebody that is responsible to take all the requirements of a cloud-based project and turn it into an architecture or design that will guide the final product.

Oftentimes, they are also expected to bridge the gaps between business problems and cloud solutions so as a cloud architect you need certain skills such as an understanding of an OS like Unix or Linux, cloud security, cloud architectures and understanding of vendors such as AWS, GSP and Azure.

Companies such as Google, Amazon, Microsoft and HTC pay as high as 155,000 US dollars  

to cloud computing experts and 16 LPA in India.

With that, finally we are at the top of our list .

Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning Engineers

At number one we have Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning Engineers.

Now what do they do they build and test AIML models of course! It's that simple, but is it? AI has reached a point today, where it can surpass the human decision making, more accurately consistently 24 /7 and based off of more facts which is why AI and ML Engineers are on top of the game.

As they are the ones leading the path into our future. But you need a certain skill set to be an AI ML engineer. We can start out by learning essential math and statistics and follow on by learning a programming language with a rich library of statistical packages such as Python and R.  

You also need to know the tools and technologies involved in Machine Learning, Deep Learning and Neural Networks.

There are companies brilliant pay masters such as Google, Uber, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter paying an average salary of 171,000 US dollars or 20 lpa in India to AI and ML engineers.

Other mentions to

Now there are a few other job profiles ,which we just couldn't end our list without mentioning.

Now there are a few other job profiles ,which we just couldn't end our list without mentioning.

I'm talking about Blockchain Engineers, Enterprise Architects, RPA Solution Experts, and Data Warehouse Architects.

Now, these job profiles also pay quite handsomely and have a huge, huge demand. So I really do hope they land a spot on our list the next year.

With that, I come to the end of my list for the Top 10 Highest Paying Jobs in the year 2021.

Kindly leave us with your suggestions in the comments section below. 

With that, I conclude this blog.