List Of 10 High-Paying IT Jobs (And How To Pursue Them)

Updated 23 July 2023

Information technology (IT) is a fast-growing sector that often provides high-paying employment opportunities. These jobs span different industries, companies and duties, which increases your chances of finding a role that matches your requirements. Learning about various jobs in this sector can help you choose one that suits your skills and career goals. In this article, we list seven high-paying IT jobs with their primary duties and average salaries, explain how you can pursue them and highlight useful IT skills and factors you may consider when searching for work.

Salary figures reflect data listed on Indeed Salaries at time of writing. Salaries may vary depending on the hiring organisation and a candidate's experience, academic background and location.

List Of 7 High-Paying IT Jobs

Here are seven high-paying IT jobs and their duties to help you decide which one is best for you:

1. Cyber Security Specialist

National average salary: ₹6,17,562 per year

Primary duties: Also called information security specialists, these professionals identify existing vulnerabilities and potential threats in a system or application. They may also implement systems to collect data during a potential security breach to assess its extent and outcomes. Cyber security engineers conduct continuous research to stay current with industry trends to ensure maximum security for a company's network and systems infrastructure.

2. Software Project Manager

National average salary: ₹6,56,877 per year

Primary duties: Software or IT project managers lead a development team by organising, assigning and scheduling tasks, resolving issues in the development cycle and submitting progress reports to management. They also communicate with a project's stakeholders to understand their requirements and instruct their team accordingly. Additionally, they review a project's progress to confirm it is on schedule and make necessary changes to ensure timely completion and delivery.

3. Database Administrator

National average salary: ₹7,92,242 per year

Primary duties: Database administrators ensure a company's databases are working efficiently. Also called database architects, they build, execute and maintain organisational databases. Depending on the company they work for, database administrators may also draft security policies and educational materials for employees to ensure database security, management and best practices.

4. Machine Learning Engineers

National average salary: ₹8,81,498 per year

Primary duties: Artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning engineers create programs and train complex algorithm networks to build self-running artificial intelligence systems for automating predictive models. This role often requires relevant expertise in software development, programming, data science and data engineering. ML engineers can also identify and extract data from a variety of sources to develop and test machine learning models, depending on the organisation for which they work. They may also use different application programming interfaces (APIs) or embedded code to create and deploy AI-powered applications.

5. DevOps Engineer

National average salary: ₹10,84,977 per year

Primary duties: DevOps combines the two words, development and operations. DevOps engineers write and edit software code for optimisation, perform server administration and conduct tests to ensure the efficiency of various software applications. They also collaborate with developers to deploy updates and ensure the efficient operation of a company's IT network and infrastructure.

6. Data Scientist

National average salary: ₹13,52,433 per year

Primary duties: Data scientists acquire large amounts of structured and unstructured data from various sources. They then analyse it to identify trends to facilitate objective and effective organisational decisions. Depending on the organisational practice, they may present their findings to management for consideration and make any changes if required.

7. Systems Architect

National average salary: ₹15,80,122 per year

Primary duties: Systems architects plan and configure computer and network systems. They examine the overall design, identify requirements and maintain an organisation's systems. System architects collaborate with other IT experts to innovate solutions to meet different client requirements, considering various factors, such as cost efficiency, human resources, associated risks and time.

How To Become An IT Professional?

Consider the following steps to help you develop a career in IT:

1. Pursue relevant education

As a career in IT often requires significant expertise and skills in specific domains, employers usually require candidates to have a bachelor's or master's degree. These requirements may vary depending on locations, industries and organisations, so it is helpful if you ensure you possess the required educational qualification for the role for which you want to apply. You can review job postings to see the most common qualifications that employers seek in candidates.

2. Get certifications

Short-term certifications and training programmes often provide specific IT or other technical skills and add value to your CV and job applications. Choose the most relevant and result-oriented programme to suit your requirements. You may also choose programmes based on your interests to demonstrate your commitment to the industry and willingness to improve your skills.

3. Seek relevant experience

Consider looking for internships and professional opportunities early while you are in college. You can work in the information technology industry to develop computer and programming skills. This can help attract potential recruiters as they may prefer hiring a candidate with working data science knowledge.

4. Prepare an attractive application

It is essential for your CV, cover letter and job application to highlight your skills, education and relevant work experience in IT effectively. List all the tools and processes you know in your job application and customise them for each job posting per their requirements. Practise answering questions about the information on your resume to help hiring managers assess the benefits of hiring you.

Useful IT Skills

Here are useful soft and hard skills that can enhance your candidacy when applying for IT jobs:

Communication: As IT professionals often collaborate with others, including other project members, efficient communication skills help explain their analyses to non-technical teams if required and enable a smoother workflow.
Adaptability: IT professionals adapt quickly to innovations in the industry. Embracing changes and upskilling are essential to increase your chances of getting hired.
Teamwork: IT professionals require teamwork and collaboration skills to work with different organisational departments. For example, collaborating with the project or client relationship management team to create effective strategies to meet business goals.
Programming skills: High-paying IT jobs typically require a strong knowledge of various programming languages to work in the front-end or back-end, with networks or in system administration and security. Knowledge of multiple programming languages can enhance your value as a candidate.
Database management: Databases store and manage critical company data. IT jobs may require data entry or database management knowledge, so learning the basics can be helpful.
Machine learning: Having this skill can help differentiate you from other candidates, as demand for it is increasing in almost every industry. Some machine-learning techniques include logistic regression, clustering, decision trees, natural language processing, outlier detection, deep learning and classification.

Factors To Consider When Looking For A Job

Here are some factors you can consider when looking for a job:

Skills required: Choose a career that aligns with your skills for the benefit of both you and an employer. This can help you enhance your skills and you may also perform better due to your familiarity and proficiency.
Salary: Research the job to help you estimate your expected salary. Ensure that you choose an employer that pays at industry standard rates or higher.
Location: Getting a job near your home means you have less travel time, which can benefit your work-life balance.
Career scope: Besides remuneration, a job can provide you with opportunities to learn and grow. This can ensure that you have scope for career advancement and increase your income eventually.