• 2016 median salary: $100,080²

• Required education: Bachelor’s degree

• Projected growth (2016-2016): 30%

Software developers are responsible for creating and enhancing applications for cell phones, tablets and other mobile devices. This is a great career for someone who has a “big picture” mentality and likes to collaborate with others to bring ideas to life. Knowing coding basics and having an aptitude for math are also important.

• 2016 median salary: $66,130²

• Required education: Associate’s degree

• Projected growth (2016-2026): 13%

How a website looks and functions is the direct result of a web developer’s work. All programming careers take patience, but this one provides more instant gratification than most. Web developerslisten well to their clients’ needs and problem-solve to give them the best website possible for their business. At the end of a project, you have a working, accessible website to show off your hard work. Web developers do well when they can show a portfolio of their work and have a deep understanding of coding.

• Required education: Bachelor’s degree

• Projected growth (2016-2026): 11%

Database administrators are tasked with securing, organizing or troubleshooting storage for large amounts of information for companies online. If you love analyzing and recovering information, as well as fast problem-solving, this could be a great career for you.

• Education: Bachelor’s degree

• Projected growth (2016-2026): 6%

Connecting multiple people within a company through one central system is the role of a computer systems architect. This architect solves company needs to communicate by upgrading a system or troubleshooting it using code. Evaluating the technology and putting together a company analysis report is also part of the job.

• Education required: Bachelor’s degree

• Projected growth (2016-2026): 9%

The strategist behind the computer systems architect is the computer systems analyst. The analyst works on behalf of the corporation with the computer network system to see which upgrades would be worth the financial cost to make their online communication more efficient. Once an analyst convinces a company to upgrade their system, coding is analyzed for errors and corrected.

• Education requirements: Bachelor’s degree

• Projected growth (2016-2026): 9%

Software QA engineers are at the beginning of software, documenting defects, designing tests and scenarios and creating manuals for new software. They also review software designs for functionality and potential problems.

• Education requirements: Bachelor’s degree

• Projected growth (2016-2026): 9%

Programming is a bonus, but not as much of a necessity for the business intelligence analyst. This position is for the behind-the-scenes marketer who gathers all the cold facts about software products and trends to determine which software can help solve business initiatives.

• Education requirements: Bachelor’s degree

• Projected growth (2016-2026): 6%

Network system administrators maintain computing environments in their networks and prevent disasters by backing up data. Providing network security and avoiding viruses are the major tasks, along with making sure codes are free of errors and protecting both the network and hardware of the computers.

• Education requirements: Bachelor’s degree

• Projected growth (2016-2026): -2%

Computer programmers write programs and rewrite programs until they are free of errors. They use a workflow chart and coding formulas until the desired information is produced. Attention to detailand patience set you apart in this career.

• 10-Year Job Growth: 19%

• Responsibilities: Video Game Designers set the creative vision for a video game and manage a team of designers and developers to bring the vision to life.

• Median Pay: $96,400

• 10-Year Job Growth: 37%

• Responsibilities: Info Assurance Analysts keep personal information stored online (in email, on the cloud, etc.) from getting into the wrong hands while still remaining easily accessible by those who need it.

 • Median Pay: $89,300

 • 10-Year Job Growth: 18%

 • Responsibilities: User Experience Designers study how people interact with online products and make changes to improve it—from changing button placement to completely reworking the flow of a website.

• Median Pay: $122,000

• 10-Year Job Growth: 15%
* Bachelor's Degree and 3-5 years of management experience

• Responsibilities: IT Program Managers work with teams to efficiently create tech products, from web apps to large-scale software.