Software developers (sometimes called programmers) get paid an average $90,060, with the top 10 percent earning $138,880, according to the latest stats available from the Labor Department.
Plus, the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts there will be nearly 140,000 brand-new software development jobs created before 2022,
says the US News study.
If you can't be a software developer, your next bet is computer systems analyst, which is a job that deals with tech design, troubleshooting and analysis. The systems analyst role is morphing into something called a "data scientist," a new job title in huge demand thanks to the big data trend. A data scientist helps companies munch through massive amounts of information — like tweets, news articles and sales stats — to find business insights.
A computer systems analyst earns $83,800 on average, and $122,090 on the high end. Pay for this job will increase as demand skyrockets. The BLS predicts a whopping 24.5 percent growth for this job by 2022.
Both of these jobs are better than being a dentist or a doctor, US News says. In fact, here's the Top 5 best jobs, according to the report:
No. 1: Software developer
No. 2: Computer systems analyst
No. 3: Dentist
No. 4: Nurse practitioner
No. 5: Pharmacist
No. 6: Registered Nurse
No. 7: Physical Therapist
No. 8: Physician / Doctor
No. 9: Web Developer
No. 10: Dental Hygienist
