The IT industry is known for paying well. Although it’s generally true, the spectrum of salaries within it is quite broad. Which software skills are the most valuable on the market at the moment? We have prepared a ranking that may help you find a profitable direction for your career growth.
Whether you are only entering the IT market now or already have an established career, your income will likely vary depending on the current demand for the particular skills. Technology evolves, and that impacts the spectrum of the most desired skills. The trends come and go, and the programming languages and frameworks that once were used by everyone get replaced by those with better performance, scalability, and speed. That’s why, while specialization is crucial in IT, it is also essential to stay flexible in terms of skills development.
Now that we emphasized that, let’s look at the highest-paying software development skills in 2023.
Blockchain development
Era of Web 3.0 is inevitably coming, and with it, the Internet as we know it today will gradually fade, replaced by decentralized structures. Decentralization means there will be more and more demand for solutions based on blockchain.
Although you may associate it mainly with cryptocurrencies, there is much more to this decentralized technology. It can serve security purposes, enable the quick exchange of funds and data, and secure the interests of parties that sign a contract. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg!
Which blockchain skills, specifically, are worth developing? Firstly, you may want to learn Solidity – a leading programming language for blockchain used for writing smart contracts. In order to write them, you can also reach out for other languages, like Rust or Vyper, but as a Solidity developer, your inbox will be likely blowing up with offers! If you want to work with blockchain, you should also have basics in CSS, HTML, React, Python, Node, and generic SQL. Of course, the spectrum of required skills will depend on the specifics of your project, but these are usually the standard requirements.
The demand for blockchain development is skyrocketing, but you can also pick non-development, high-paying roles like a blockchain project manager or blockchain consultant. For the majority of companies, blockchain still remains a big unknown, but they see its business potential and thus, they are ready to pay a lot of money to someone with expertise who will guide them through its adoption.
NFT development
Speaking about Web 3.0, we could not omit the metaverse and its essential blockchain-based element – the NFTs. Demand for NFTs will likely rise in the following years since they have proven to solve various business challenges in sectors like events, manufacturing, etc. They can support authentication processes, secure data, protect ownership, and much more. As an NFT developer, you should also master Solidity and Rust and have extensive JavaScript/TypeScript experience, as well as fluency in cryptography and a good knowledge of Ethereum.
Deep learning
AI is already fuelling the development of various sectors, and more and more companies are relying on it in their fundamental processes. Deep learning is its subcategory which has been gaining momentum lately. The data is modern gold – and deep learning algorithms are capable of drawing insights from the largest, unstructured datasets, allowing companies to find patterns and correlations and identify trends that impact their businesses. One example of a deep learning-based AI tool is ChatGPT, which uses a form of GPT language model to create responses similar to these that human would come up with. Mechanisms such as ChatGPT are gaining popularity in a variety of industries, including e-commerce or customer service. Therefore, the demand for professionals with a deep learning background is thus increasing, and it is worth having that in mind when searching for growth opportunities. Neural networks have great potential to solve complex problems, and companies are increasingly conscious of that!
A quick note to sum up: although money is important, chasing the highest-paying IT jobs should not be your main objective. Of course – it is worth developing a skill that pays well, but above all, you should focus on something that suits your interests and that you are good at. Focusing just on trends is never the right solution!