14 Highest Paying Coding Jobs (2023)

Programming is one of the most lucrative career choices you can make today. The annual salary of a software developer is around $106,000 – almost 3 times the average salary of the average worker in the US.

AccordingUS Bureau of Labor Statistics, programming jobs will grow by 22% between 2020 and 2030. So it should come as no surprise that the future of programming looks promising.

However, not all coding jobs are created equal. There are full-stack developers who build web applications and there are cybersecurity engineers who protect applications from threats and attacks.

Both jobs are equally valuable and require multiple skill sets. However, these two jobs may not be in the same demand. Therefore, one may have higher salaries than the other.

So what are the highest paying coding jobs today?

In this guide, we will discuss

• the best paying coding jobs and their responsibilities,
• skills required to obtain the job and
• highest paying companies in 2022.
  

So let's get started.

Highest Paying Coding Jobs

In the US, most coding jobs offer a 6-figure salary. ONElooking for a stack overflowshowed how much developers earn in 2021:

As you can see, the highest paid coding position is Chief Technology Officer (CTO), with an average annual salary of $177,500 in the US.

However, we cannot claim that a CTO has the best coding job. Although they pay well, they need about 10 years of experience to get the job.

In comparison, data scientists and artificial intelligence engineers earn lower salaries. But they don't need that many years of experience to get a job in their respective fields.

Also, the roles and responsibilities of a coder are important in determining their salary.

So let's dive into these coding jobs and discuss the responsibilities and skill set each job requires.

1. Chief Technology Officer (CTO)

It was the highest paying coding job in 2021. A developer with years of IT experience is more likely to become a CTO as he has a stronger knowledge base in this industry.

Average annual salary:177.500 USD

Skills:

• In addition to technical skills, a CTO must have strong business and leadership skills.
• A CTO does not need to code, so no coding skill is required. However, it is preferred.
  

Functions:

• Oversees the company's technical needs.
• Development, implementation, management and evaluation of the company's technological resources.

2. Project/Engineering Manager

Project managers have the second highest paying coding job. Similar to CTOs, project managers require a lot of skills and experience working in the technology industry.

Average annual salary:165.000 USD

Skills:

• Technical and communication skills
• leadership
• Problem solving skills
• Budget management skills
  

Functions:

• Lead a project from start to close
• Design and develop the project
• Create the team for the project
• Set deadlines and track progress
• Communicate with customers

3. DevOps Engineer

DevOps engineers work with development and operations teams to improve their collaboration process.

The researchers found that the speed and efficiency of the software development process is relatively higher when the company hires DevOps Engineers. Due to the high demand, the pay for DevOps engineers is very good.

Average annual salary:135.000 USD

Skills:

• Knowledge of various DevOps tools like Git, Docker, Puppet, Gradle etc.
• Must have good knowledge of Linux and a scripting language like Python.
  

Functions:

• Provide the right infrastructure to teams to produce and deliver goods on a regular basis.

4. Web Developer

There are 3 types of web development jobs.

I. Front-end developer

Front-end developers implement the design of the web page, which is what users see on the screen.

Average annual salary:115.000 USD

Skills:

• Front-end developers must know HTML and CSS.
• They should also know Javascript and its frameworks like React, JQuery, AngularJS etc.
• Additional skills include Bootstrap CSS framework, PHP, etc.
• You must be familiar with version control tools such as Git, CVS or SVN.
  

Functions:

• Implement website design.
• Make sure users can easily interact with the website.
• Optimize web pages to maintain efficiency.

II. support developer

Backend developers take care of the behind-the-scenes functionality of the website. Users cannot see the work of backend developers, but they can interact with the functionality they create.

Average annual salary:133.000 USD

Skills:

• Backend developers need to know scripting languages ​​like JavaScript, PHP, Ruby, etc.
• They should know at least one framework like Django (Python framework), Node.js (JavaScript framework), Laravel (PHP framework) etc.
• Must know how to integrate databases into the application.
• You must know code collaboration tools like Git, CVS or SVN.
  

Functions:

• Build and maintain the server, database and application.
• Write web services and APIs used by front-end developers.
• Ensure application efficiency and speed.

III. Fullstack developer

Full stack developers work on both the frontend and backend of the application.

Average annual salary:120,000 US dollars

Skills:

• Full-stack developers should be familiar with frontend and backend technologies such as HTML/CSS/JavaScript, Python, PHP, React, Django, Laravel, etc.
• Must be familiar with version control and code collaboration tools such as Git, CVS or SVN.
  

Functions:

• Responsible for handling frontend and backend development processes.
• Write web services and APIs that front-end developers can use.

5. Game developer

As cool as game development sounds, the job requires a lot of technical skills. However, you can have a secure and profitable career once you learn these skills.

Average annual salary:128.000 USD

Skills:

• Knowledge of game development languages ​​like C, C++, C#, HTML5 etc.
• A game developer needs to be creative to build game engines along with coding skills.
• They must be proficient in mathematics and physics and have good problem-solving skills.
  

Functions:

• Create game mechanics, build game engines and manage a game's AI and logic.
• Implement the game design using the relevant programming language.

6. Cyber ​​Security Engineer

Cybersecurity engineers have one of the most demanding coding jobs. They must prevent cyber attacks and recover the system in case of successful hacking. Fortunately they also get decent wages.

Average annual salary:126,747 USD

Skills:

• You need a solid understanding of cyber trends and hacking tactics.
• Must be able to work under pressure and have problem solving skills.
• Excellent in technologies such as Firewall, C++, Node, Python, Go or Power Shell.
  

Functions:

• Design secure network solutions to prevent hacker attacks.
• Recover the system in case of attack or hacking.

7. Software Architect

Software architects manage the components required to develop software. It's a fun job for people who enjoy management and leadership. But it also requires a lot of experience.

Average annual salary:125,550 USD

Skills:

• Software architects must be familiar with the Unified Modeling Language (UML) to represent complex architectures.
• They must also be proficient in programming languages ​​such as Java, Python, JavaScript, Go, C, etc., and familiar with DevOps practices.
• Along with technical skills, management skills are needed to manage people and projects.
  

Functions:

• Review the appropriate tools, platform, and coding standards for the project.
• Responsible software development planning.

8. Data Scientists

Data scientists analyze data using machine learning and statistics and extract meaningful insights.

Compared to other professions, Data Scientists require less experience. However, data science is one of the highest paying careers today.

Average annual salary:125.000 USD

Skills:

• Excellent knowledge of artificial intelligence, database, statistics and mathematics.
  

Functions:

• Process the raw data to extract meaningful information.

9. AI Engineer / Machine Learning

Artificial intelligence and machine learning engineers work in different fields of artificial intelligence such as natural language processing, neural networks, data science, etc.

Like data scientists, professionals in these fields do not need to be very experienced. However, they must possess high levels of technical skills.

Average annual salary:125.000 USD

Skills:

• Excellent knowledge of programming languages ​​such as Python or R.
• You must have good pattern recognition skills.
• You must be able to manipulate data using mathematics.
  

Functions:

• Work with machine learning techniques such as natural language processing and neural networks to build models that power AI-powered applications.
• Develop AI systems to make predictions, classify and perform regression analysis on data.

10. Mobile App Developer

Mobile app developers create software for phones and tablets.

Average annual salary:120,000 US dollars

Skills:

• Must know languages ​​like Kotlin, Java, Swift, Objective-C, JavaScript, Dart, C# etc.
• Must have a clear understanding of mobile applications and how they work.
• Ability to write automated tests in JUnit, Espresso, Enzyme, etc.
  

Functions:

• Create, maintain and deploy code for mobile application development.
• To develop the code and release it to the app stores.
  

11. System Administrator

System administrators build and maintain servers and systems. They also deal with problems and outages that arise in the system.

Average annual salary:115.000 USD

Skills:

• Experience with databases and networks.
• Must be familiar with operating systems.
• Must be good at handling and troubleshooting.
  

Functions:

• Set up and maintain user accounts in the system.
• Install and configure software, hardware and networks.
• Monitor system performance.
• Ensuring the security of the IT infrastructure.

12. Database Administrator

A database administrator (DBA) manages all activities related to database systems, such as ensuring their availability and security.

Average annual salary:115.000 USD

Skills:

• Solid PC knowledge.
• Must be proficient in Structured Query Langauge (SQL) and databases like MYSQL, Oracle, MongoDB etc.
  

Functions:

• Maintain the database system and ensure data integrity.
• Responsible for data backup and recovery.

13. Quality control and auditor

QA and testers test the system for bugs, errors and other issues and report bugs to the development team.

Average annual salary:110,000 US dollars

Skills:

• Must be able to document and debug.
• You need to pay attention to details to find bugs and anomalies in the software.
• Must be familiar with different QA methodologies and test management software like qTest, Zephyr etc.
  

Functions:

• Run test cases and report bugs, errors and other technical issues to the software engineer.
  

14. UI/UX Designer

UI/UX designers design the user interfaces for apps, websites, or other platforms.

Good design greatly affects the user experience, which is why they are highly sought after and well paid.

Average annual salary:108.000 USD

Skills:

• Proficiency in design editing tools such as Figma, Illustrator, Photoshop, etc.
• Must possess creativity to create good designs.
  

Functions:

• User interface design for different platforms.
• Work with front-end developers to ensure design is implemented.
  

Now that we've explored the highest paying coding jobs for 2021, let's find out which companies pay their employees the most.

better paying companies

There are many technology companies in the world today. Some companies pay more and offer additional benefits to their employees. But who are these companies?

Well, according tohacker reactor, here are the companies with the highest paying coding jobs:

As you can see, Meta is one of the highest paying companies today. It is probably the only company with 7 figure salaries for software engineers.

So if you are looking for high paying companies, now you know where to send your resume.

common questions

1. Who are the highest paid software engineers?

According to StackOverflow, DevOps Engineersthey are the highest paid software engineers, with an annual salary135.000 USD.

DevOps engineers work with development and operations teams to improve their collaboration process.

The efficiency of the software development process is very high when the company hires DevOps engineers, which explains the high salary of a DevOps engineer.

2. What are the highest paying software jobs in the US?

The 5 highest paying software jobs in the US are:

Technology Managersthey have the best paying jobs, with an average annual salary177.500 USD.