Computer Science Education Week, this Dec. 5-11, is an annual call to action to celebrate all the contributions to the field of computer science and to inspire and motivate K-12 students to learn more about this field. Students and anyone else interested in computer science will have many job opportunities in the field since overall employment in computer and information technology occupations is projected to grow 14.6% from 2021 to 2031, much faster than the average for all occupations (5.3%); this increase is expected to result in about 682,800 new jobs over the decade.
A bachelor’s degree or higher is typically needed for entry-level positions in computer and IT occupations. And the median annual wage for this group, $97,430 in May 2021, is more than twice the median for all occupations!
Interested in a career in computer science? The following occupations are projected to grow much faster than the average from 2021 to 2031.
Note: Occupational openings are an estimate of the number of positions for workers entering an occupation.Occupational separations, an estimate of the number of workers who will leave an occupation because of retirement, career changes, or other factors, combined with projections of employment change, provides the number of occupational openings.
Information security analysts plan and carry out security measures to protect an organization’s computer networks and systems.
2021 annual median pay: $102,600
Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree
Number of jobs, 2021: 163,000
Projected growth, 2021–31: 34.7%
Occupational openings, 2021–31 annual average: 19,500
Web developers create and maintain websites.
2021 annual median pay: $77,030
Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree
Number of jobs, 2021: 95,300
Projected growth, 2021–31: 30.3%
Occupational openings, 2021–31 annual average: 11,000
Software developers design computer applications or programs.
2021 annual median pay: $120,730
Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree
Number of jobs, 2021: 1,425,900
Projected growth, 2021–31: 26.0%
Occupational openings, 2021–31 annual average: 143,400
Computer and information research scientists design innovative uses for new and existing computing technology.
2021 annual median pay: $131,490
Typical entry-level education: Master's degree
Number of jobs, 2021: 33,500
Projected growth, 2021–31: 21.3%
Occupational openings, 2021–31 annual average: 3,300
Software quality assurance analysts and testers identify problems with applications or programs and report defects.
2021 annual median pay: $98,220
Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree
Number of jobs, 2021: 196,300
Projected growth, 2021–31: 20.8%
Occupational openings, 2021–31 annual average: 19,500
Web and digital interface designers develop, create, and test website or interface layout, functions, and navigation for usability.
2021 annual median pay: $79,890
Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree
Number of jobs, 2021: 101,800
Projected growth, 2021–31: 16.3%
Occupational openings, 2021–31 annual average: 10,800
You can explore these and hundreds of other occupations in the Bureau of Labor Statistics'Occupational Outlook Handbook.
Emily Krutsch is an economist in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Follow BLS on Twitter at @BLS_gov.
