I ran across this fascinating post on ClearanceJobs, the largest career network for professionals with federal government security clearance, listing the "10 Highest Paying Tech Jobs in 2024 and Beyond."
What caught my eye were two things: 1) The number of these jobs that did not exist 10, five, or even one or two years ago; and 2) How many of the roles are tied to cybersecurity—directly or indirectly.
Here's the list (you can check the link above for specific job details):
1. Data Scientist
2. Cloud Solution Architect
3. Artificial Intelligence Engineer
4. Cybersecurity Manager
5. Block Chain Developer
6. DevOps Engineer
7. Machine Learning Engineer
8. Solutions Architect
9. Product Manager
10. Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer (CAIO)
Here's my breakdown of the roles above.
Emerging/new roles
- Artificial Intelligence Engineer: This role has emerged in the last five to seven years as AI/ML became more mainstream.
- Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer (CAIO): An extremely new C-suite position created in just the last one to two years to lead AI strategy.
- Blockchain Developer: Blockchain is a disruptive technology that has created new development roles in the last five years or so.
- Machine Learning Engineer: Similar to AI Engineer, this specialized role didn't exist a decade ago.
Cybersecurity-related roles
- Cybersecurity Manager: A direct cybersecurity leadership role.
- Cloud Solution Architect: While not purely cybersecurity, this role is heavily focused on cloud security in addition to architecture.
- Solutions Architect: Solutions architects, while broader, often work on secure solution design and implementation.
- DevOps Engineer: DevSecOps has made security a key part of these roles to bake it into DevOps processes (also known as shift-left).
The remaining roles, like Data Scientist and Product Manager, are more established positions, though their scope and required skills continuously evolve over time.
In a nutshell, four out of the 10 highest paying tech jobs listed are roles that essentially didn't exist until the last five to seven years or so due to emerging technologies like AI, machine learning, and blockchain. An additional four roles have either direct cybersecurity responsibilities or significant security components.
"The days of 'full-stack engineer' may be behind us as focus shifts towards specialized roles in technology and cybersecurity. For those aiming to secure these lucrative roles, it is critical to focus on acquiring specialized skills such as AI, machine learning, and blockchain technology, which are in high demand offering high salaries," said Derek Fisher, Executive Director of Product Security at JPMorgan Chase & Co. "The pace of advancement also means that those who are coming out of school today will need to continue learning and adapting to changes in their respective field as new applications of old technology takes hold, and new technologies come along."
It illustrates how rapidly evolving technologies are creating brand new job categories and titles that didn't exist previously. It also shows how cybersecurity priorities have become intrinsically embedded across various tech roles and domains beyond just dedicated security positions.
"Because many of these jobs are jobs that didn't exist until lately, it probably means that recent graduates as newcomers to the job market—or anyone else, for that matter—don't have enough understanding of what these jobs actually entail," said Lisa Plaggemier, Executive Director of the National Cybersecurity Alliance. "HR departments and recruiters need to get creative on how they describe these positions and how they communicate what types of traits or interests are a good fit for a role. You can't look for candidates with specific experience for a job that didn't exist a year or two ago."
"Organizations looking to attract top tech talent need to be attuned to these shifts in both new roles being created and existing roles having security responsibilities layered on. The talent pipeline for these cutting-edge positions remains extremely competitive," said Richard Staynings, Board Member and International Healthcare Cybersecurity Luminary; Teaching Professor, University of Denver. "It wasn't all that long ago that 'Chief Information Security Officer' was considered a unique and prestigious new role, especially if you worked in IT and had aspirations of focusing more purely on information security. Now, CISO is a run of the mill job fraught with stress and responsibility and likely to burn and churn or give you an ulcer."
Stayings added: "A job in IT or IS is very different from your grandfather's profession as a typesetter. There you started as an apprentice and learned the job while doing it. Over the years, you got better at reading the front page of the newspaper in back-to-front format and got faster and faster at setting type while your fingers became ever more stained with ink over years of perfecting that skill. The job remained the same, however, until the day you retired, and you didn't need to sit exams for certificates or study for years to obtain a degree before you were let loose at the job."
"If the morning paper had a misplaced character, it was noticed and you were held accountable, most likely, but the paper didn't shut down, didn't lose money or go out of business," Staynings continued. "If you make a mistake in cybersecurity, the repercussions are often huge and stretch far beyond your employer. That's why cybersecurity professionals are constantly reading, attending conferences like SecureWorld, and learning about the latest threats and risk remediation techniques."
Thanks to Ron Kness for the ClearanceJobs post.
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