As technologies grow and evolve, so does the job market and what skills are in demand. The higher-paying and more in-demand your skills are, the better – for both your career and your wallet.

U.S. workers are earning a little over a median salary of $60,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s nothing compared to the six-figure salary people need to live comfortably in some states and cities. 

As the cost of living goes up, so should your pay. It’s important for folks to learn high-income skills to be able to provide for themselves, their families, and to build the ideal life they want. 

The good news is that a college degree isn’t necessary to learn the skills you need to land a high-paying job, especially when nearly half of companies are eliminating bachelor’s degree requirements for some positions, according to a recent report by Intelligent. 

Let’s dig into some of the highest-earning skills we’ve found from interviewing professionals from all over the U.S.

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Key points:

• High-income skills are a mix of hard skills, soft skills, and transferable skills. 
• You don’t need to get a college degree to learn high-income skills and make a six-figure salary.
• Some of the highest-earning and in-demand skills include programming and coding, data science and analysis, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), and cybersecurity skills.
• From salary data we’ve collected, high-income skills can pay anywhere from $98,000 to over $600,000 (with some of these numbers being full compensation packages, not just salary).
• Browse 10,000+ salaries for high-income skills on our Salary Database.

What are high-income skills?

High-income skills are skills that include specialized abilities and knowledge areas, are in high demand, and have a high value among employers. Because of this, they tend to bring in higher salaries and have a fair amount of job openings, making it easier for folks to not only earn more, but also be able to bounce back quicker after going through a layoff or job change.

When thinking of what skills to learn to secure a stable and high-earning job, start with specialized hard skills. Hard skills are the key skills of a job. They are directly linked to your ability to perform that job and are usually expliciting mentioned in job descriptions.

Many STEM skills include hard skills. For example, knowing Python, which is a specific coding language, is seen as a hard skill in the software engineering world. Hard skills like this are very specific. 

Although you may notice that several high-income skills appear to be technical skills, your other hard skills, soft skills, and transferable skills are just as important. Learning these skills can be done in a number of ways, including getting a degree or certification, taking online courses, bootcamps, training programs, and on-the-job experience. 

Top 10 High-Income Skills to Learn

We’ve sleuthed into some of the highest-earning skills with the highest demand using salary data from past 3+ years of interviews, data we’ve collected in our Salary Database, and job demand data from the U.S.Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook. The results were pretty impressive.

1. Digital Marketing

Marketing is a huge component for companies to become successful. Without it, it would be difficult to keep up brand visibility, bring in revenue, and grow as a company. This high-demand marketing skill is also a required skill set for one of the highest-paying creative jobs out there – social media marketing management.

Digital marketing involves working with different marketing channels, such as SEO, email marketing, and social media marketing. This involves expertise in tools like Google Analytics and social media management platforms like Instagram for tracking and optimizing campaigns. To start learning these skills, try a few online digital marketing courses (like this free digital marketing course with certification from HubSpot) or play around with a business social media account to see if it’s something you’re interested in.

Possible job titles:

• Digital marketing manager
• SEO specialist (search engine optimization specialist)
• Content marketing manager
• Social media manager
• Email marketing specialist
• Digital marketing analyst
• Digital marketing specialist
• Affiliate marketing manager
• Marketing automation specialist

Median salary: $156,580 a year

Highest salary recorded in our Salary Database: $230,000 a year for a digital marketing manager role at AMD

Job outlook (2023-2033): 6% increase in job growth

2. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Machine learning (ML) is a type of artificial intelligence (AI) where computers learn from data to make predictions or decisions without being explicitly programmed. Naturally, this includes data science skills and using programming languages like Python and R, and you’ll often see an overlap of data science and AI skills in several job positions. Other abilities include understanding ML techniques, deep learning methods, and frameworks like TensorFlow and PyTorch. 

With these skills, you can create virtual work assistants, automate tasks, and even automate entire workflows. From searching for a job to finding an apartment or house — AI exists almost everywhere throughout our day-to-day lives. It’s one of the fastest growing and highest-paying jobs of the future, so it’s a skillset you definitely shouldn’t ignore! 

To start learning these skills, explore courses offered by Amazon Web Services, IBM, Google, or other online learning programs.

Possible job titles:

• Machine Learning Engineer
• AI engineer
• Research scientist (AI/ML)
• AI/ML specialist
• Deep learning engineer
• AI prompt engineer

Median salary: $145,080 a year

Highest salary recorded in our Salary Database: $550,000 a year (total compensation for a machine learning director at Glassdoor)

Job outlook from 2023 to 2027: 80% increase reported from the Future of Jobs Report 2025

3. Programming and Coding

Programming and coding include being proficient in programming languages, such as C++, Python, Javascript, Java, SQL, and other languages depending on their specialization. Since code ends up connecting different systems and data together, an understanding of data structures and databases is also included.

You really can’t go wrong learning any of these skills. They’re all foundational skills to many high-paying tech jobs and you don’t need to learn them through a degree. 70% of developers are self-taught, according to a Stack Overflow survey. Learning and building these skills can be done through online courses, bootcamps, and certifications, such as those offered by Codecademy. 

Possible job titles:

• Software engineer
• Software developer
• Software analyst
• Back-end engineer
• Front-end engineer
• DevOps engineer
• Web developer
• Application developer
• Full-stack developer
• Technical support engineer

Median salary: $130,160 a year

Highest salary recorded in our Salary Database: $450,000 a year (total compensation for a software engineer at Block)

Job outlook (2023-2033): 17% increase in job growth

4. Cloud Computing

Cloud computing skills involve working with cloud services, including computing power, storage, and databases. A familiarity with cloud platforms such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure is needed. These platforms are essential for deploying, managing, and scaling applications and services.

96% of companies use at least one public cloud, which 50% of their workload is run in, according to a report done by Vitana, an AI-driven cloud management and monitoring solutions provider. The demand doesn’t stop there. With AWS dominating 32% of the cloud market, the demand for these skills will only continue to go up. Exploring courses for AWS, Microsoft Azure, and other cloud platforms can help you get started in this area.

Possible job titles:

• Cloud solutions architect
• Cloud engineer
• Cloud support engineer
• Cloud developer
• Cloud systems administrator
• Cloud systems engineer
• Cloud consultant
• Cloud operations manager
• Cloud security specialist

Median salary: $129,840 a year

Highest salary recorded in our Salary Database: $261,000 a year for a cloud consultant role at Amazon Web Services

Job outlook (2023-2033): 15% increase in job growth

5. Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity skills involve understanding and implementing security protocols to protect systems and data from threats. This includes expertise in network security, encryption techniques, and vulnerability assessment to safeguard against data breaches and attacks. 

Cybersecurity exists everywhere. Where there is a system or network that needs protection, there is cybersecurity. These skills are in high demand and pay well for good reason. cybersecurity professionals have a lot riding on their shoulders. The security of entire companies depends on them and their skills.

To get started learning cybersecurity skills, explore free courses (like this one from Harvard) or explore CompTIA cybersecurity certifications.

Possible job titles:

• Cybersecurity analyst
• Information security analyst
• Cybersecurity engineer
• Incident response specialist
• Penetration tester (ethical hacker)
• Security consultant
• Network security engineer

Median salary: $120,360 a year

Highest salary recorded in our Salary Database: $760,000 per year for an information security analyst role

Job outlook (2023-2033): 32% increase in job growth

6. Sales

Being able to sell anything to another person is an amazing skill. It requires persuasion, good communication skills, and emotional intelligence. There are hard skills involved too, such as an expertise in lead generation, prospecting, and closing deals, and a strong understanding of customer relationship management (CRM) tools and sales analytics.

Sales skills can be learned and strengthened through working entry-level sales positions, learning about ecommerce through online courses, taking training, or pursuing formal education for a degree. LinkedIn Learning has a great selection of courses that you can get for free with your library card.

Possible job titles:

• Sales representative
• Sales associate
• Sales engineer
• Account manager
• Sales manager
• Business development manager
• Sales director
• Regional sales manager

Median salary: $116,950 a year

Highest salary recorded in our Salary Database: $420,000 a year for a sales manager role

Job outlook (2023-2033): 7% increase in job growth

7. Data Science and Analysis

Data science and analytical skills are among some of the fastest growing in-demand skills. They include working with programming languages like Python and R, as well as expertise in SQL or NoSQL databases for querying data. Data visualization and working with big data and machine learning frameworks are also involved. 

As data becomes more and more valuable in our digital world, these are the skills at the heart of the information technology industry. Resources like Data Camp are great places to start when looking to learn data and AI skills.

Possible job titles:

• Data scientist
• Data analyst
• Data engineer
• Data modeler
• Data architect
• Data visualization specialist
• Business intelligence (BI) analyst

Median salary: $108,020 a year

Highest salary recorded in our Salary Database: $260,000 a year for a data scientist role at Amgen

Job outlook (2023-2033): 35% increase in job growth

8. Financial Services

Skills in financial services involve financial analysis and forecasting, which includes analyzing large sets of financial data – so you have to love math and numbers. In order to effectively do this, there needs to be a strong understanding of budgeting, financial modeling, investment analysis, and risk management.

Skills that involve handling and managing money are definitely going to be high-paying. Financial technology and services make it possible for people to withdraw money from the bank, spend from a credit card, and even plan their financial futures and retirement. Working at a bank is a great place to start seeking out some of these skills. MIT has some wonderful free courses to get started with!

Possible job titles:

• Financial analyst
• Investment banker
• Financial advisor
• Financial planner
• Portfolio Manager
• Risk Manager
• Credit Analyst
• Accountant
• Tax Advisor

Median salary: $99,890 a year

Highest salary recorded in our Salary Database: $325,000 for a portfolio manager role

Job outlook (2023-2033): 13% increase in job growth

9. Project Management

Project management skills involve planning, executing, and overseeing projects, including defining scope, managing timelines, and budgets. The most important pieces of project management are being able to engage stakeholders and manage risks. Managing a project also means to see it through to the end, and requires a proficiency in methodologies like Agile and Scrum to successfully deliver projects. 

Some project management jobs may require a college degree, however project management certifications are great for breaking into project management. Start learning these skills with free courses like this one from the Project Management Institute, then browse their certifications. Google is another great certification resource for this one.

Possible job titles:

• Project manager
• Program manager
• Project coordinator
• Project director
• Project management officer (PMO)
• Scrum master
• Project lead
• Product manager

Median salary: $98,580 a year

Highest salary recorded in our Salary Database: $300,000 a year for a project manager role

Job outlook (2023-2033): 6% increase in job growth

10. UI/UX Design

UI/UX design skills include proficiency in design tools such as Adobe XD, Sketch, and Figma for creating user interfaces. This involves expertise in wireframing and prototyping, which set the stage for creating engaging designs that enhance user interaction. 

There are also 5 main skills that UI/UX designers should have, according to Adobe. Those are front-end development, voice design, writing microcopy, UI design skills, and understanding data. To start learning about UI/UX design, start with free courses online to see if it’s something you want to explore deeper. Adobe and Codecademy both have free courses to get started with.

Possible job titles:

• UI designer (user interface designer)
• UX designer (user experience designer)
• UI/UX engineer
• Web designer
• Product designer
• Interaction designer
• User researcher
• UI/UX engineer

Median salary: $92,750 a year

Highest salary recorded in our Salary Database: $175,000 a year for a UX designer role at Fidelity Investments

Job outlook (2023-2033): 16% increase in job growth

Trending High-Income Skills and Looking Forward

Skills that will continue to increase in demand over the next 10 years are software engineering, data science, cybersecurity, and AI/ML – which has the highest increase of 80%. Tech has always been a high-paying field, but it’s about to get even more so. 

There are also other high-income skills we didn’t mention in this list but are great areas to explore – such as nursing and nurse practitioners, which have a 38% increase in demand over the next 8 years. The healthcare sector alone is expected to account for 2.1 million new jobs by 2032, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

There are also high-paying trades that are increasing in demand over that time, such as occupational therapy assistants with a 23% increase in demand.

Whatever you choose to explore, we know you’ll make the right choice. Learning high-income skills is one thing, but it’s up to you to negotiate your salary and ask for future raises, to significantly increase your income with your new skills. We’ll be right here cheering you on!

That wraps it up for this week. Until next time, stay awesome, stay strong, and keep advocating for yourself no matter what! I’m Daniella, a writer, engineer, and creator of I Like to Dabble and Remote Work Bestie - my blog and podcast for leveling up your money, career, and side hustles. I’m extremely passionate about workers' rights and financial freedom, so it’s a pleasure to be able to bring you this type of content through the Salary Transparent Street blog (thank you for the opportunity, Hannah!) You can also follow me on Instagram, TikTok, Linkedin, and Twitter. Chat soon!

If this guide helps you land a higher-paying job, let us know! Send us an email ➡️ hello@salarytransparentstreet.com

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