Coding jobs are going unfilled. In fact, an estimated 1 million coding jobs will be vacant in the U.S. by 2021, according to a January 2015 Huffington Post article. If you’re looking for a field where there will be plenty of vacancies in the coming years, coding might be right for you. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that while there are anticipated to be many open coding jobs, there will likely also be plenty of other vacant positions in information technology that use coding on a daily basis.
Software Developers
If you’re more into design than actually writing lines and lines of code, you might like to be a software developer. These are the innovative thinkers who come up with the ideas for computer programs and design them. According to the BLS, “Software developers are the creative minds behind computer programs. Some develop the applications that allow people to do specific tasks on a computer or another device. Others develop the underlying systems that run the devices or that control networks.” Software developer jobs are expected to increase by 17 percent through 2024, and their median annual salary in 2015 was $100,690 as of 2015.
Web Developers
Web developers are responsible for making websites look good and function even better. If you’re looking for a job with better job prospects than software development, web developing is the answer. The BLS expects 27 percent job growth, or an addition of 37,500 web developing jobs through 2024. This is much faster than average for all jobs. The growth is expected to be due to the rise in ecommerce and people using their mobile devices to search the web. The annual median salary in 2015 was $64,970.
Computer Programmers
As a computer programmer, you will write the code that transforms software developer and engineers’ ideas for computer programs into reality. In 2015, their annual salary was $79,530. The BLS’ Occupational Outlook Handbook states that you will probably need a bachelor’s degree to enter the field, although some employers hire applicants with associate’s degrees. There is expected to be an 8 percent decline in the number of software developer positions through 2024, and this is due mostly to companies shipping their software development needs overseas where labor is cheaper.
Network and Computer Systems Administrators
As a network or computer system administrator, you lead the daily operations of computer networks. Administrators work in several types of environments. As of 2015, the annual median salary for a network or computer system administrator was $77,810, and the expected rate of job growth was 8 percent through 2024, which is about as fast as average for all occupations. The economy is expected to add 30,200 network and computer system administrator positions between 2014 and 2024. An increase in the use of and demand for cloud computing is expected to cause a climb in the number of jobs available with these titles.
By learning to code, you open up several possible career options. Some of them are growing as fast as other types of jobs in the economy, and some are actually declining in number. However, the IT field in general is usually a safe bet for finding work. The guys over at appendTo explained that learning more programming languages and increasing your coding skills as technology changes, you can find freelance work, start your own company, or find a good job with a start-up or established organization.