The healthcare and software development industries are experiencing explosive growth, and anyone interested in computers in healthcare should consider a career in health informatics. This field has been around as long as computers have been able to perform simple arithmetic operations, and since the 1950s, health informatics has played an important role in healthcare decision making.
Programming jobs in the medical field fall into two categories: research and software engineering. The work performed by computer science researchers varies depending on where they work. Researchers working in hospitals and universities are usually the ones working on cutting-edge technology that will be published in scientific journals and used by anyone who needs it. This work is mostly general and theoretical, and it isn’t intended to be used in any particular product. Funding for this research comes from government grants, so the research is made public after it’s finished.
Privately Funded Research Researchers working for medical supply companies are paid to develop new products that will be sold to hospitals and clinics. Their work is kept private and is patented by the company they work for. Programmers working in these areas develop medical technology such as robots, database models and medical software, and the level of education required depends on where they work.
Programmers are needed to write the software for medical equipment and for hospital administration. People with computer science skills are needed to analyze clinical data and manage healthcare IT departments. The field of healthcare informatics is growing rapidly, and employment is expected to increase twice as fast in this industry as in other occupations. Salaries range from $64,000 to $144,000 per year, depending on the worker’s level of education and experience.
The 21st century workplace is increasingly dominated by technology, and jobs that rely on a mastery of those machines are likely to become more important — and lucrative.
We assembled a list of fast-growing, high-paying jobs that are set to dominate the emerging digital workplace through 2026.
The Department of Labor’s O*NET Online occupational databaseincludes survey-based measures of several work characteristics for the nearly 1,000 occupations tracked by the database.
The O*NET database assigns importance scores to each job between 0 and 100 for each of these characteristics, with 0 indicating that the job doesn’t have that characteristic at all, and 100 suggesting that the characteristic is a major part of the job.
We averaged together the importance scores of the above skills to get an overall STEM score for each occupation. Because we are interested in high-paying, fast-growing jobs, we ranked those occupations with above-average annual salaries and growth prospects.
Here are the 30 jobs with above-average salaries and growth prospects with the highest STEM scores, along with descriptions of what each of the occupations entail from O*NET:
30. Postsecondary atmospheric, earth, marine, and space sciences instructors teach courses in these scientific fields
Average 2018 annual salary: $101,890
Projected employment growth between 2016 and 2026: 9.5%
STEM score: 55.1
Top three STEM areas:
Analytical thinking: 94
Innovation: 87
Science: 78
29. Computer and information systems managers plan, direct, or coordinate activities in such fields as electronic data processing, information systems, systems analysis, and computer programming
Average 2018 annual salary: $152,860
Projected employment growth between 2016 and 2026: 12.0%
STEM score: 55.6
Top three STEM areas:
Computers and electronics: 94
Analytical thinking: 81
Innovation: 68
28. Statisticians develop or apply mathematical or statistical theory and methods to collect, organize, interpret, and summarize numerical data to provide usable information
Average 2018 annual salary: $92,600
Projected employment growth between 2016 and 2026: 33.8%
STEM score: 56.2
Top three STEM areas:
Mathematics: 97
Analytical thinking: 94
Computers and electronics: 76
27. Industrial engineers design, develop, test, and evaluate integrated systems for managing industrial production processes
Average 2018 annual salary: $91,630
Projected employment growth between 2016 and 2026: 9.7%
STEM score: 56.4
Top three STEM areas:
Engineering and technology: 86
Analytical thinking: 86
Innovation: 79
26. Web developers design, create, and modify websites
Average 2018 annual salary: $75,580
Projected employment growth between 2016 and 2026: 15.0%
STEM score: 56.8
Top three STEM areas:
Computers and electronics: 85
Analytical thinking: 79
Programming: 78
25. Hydrologists research the distribution, circulation, and physical properties of underground and surface waters
Average 2018 annual salary: $82,790
Projected employment growth between 2016 and 2026: 9.9%
STEM score: 56.9
Top three STEM areas:
Analytical thinking: 88
Engineering and technology: 75
Science: 72
24. Geoscientists study the composition, structure, and other physical aspects of the Earth
Average 2018 annual salary: $107,800
Projected employment growth between 2016 and 2026: 14.0%
STEM score: 57.1
Top three STEM areas:
Analytical thinking: 90
Science: 78
Innovation: 73
22 (tie). Surveyors make measurements and determine property boundaries
Average 2018 annual salary: $66,440
Projected employment growth between 2016 and 2026: 11.2%
STEM score: 57.7
Top three STEM areas:
Analytical thinking: 87
Engineering and technology: 75
Mathematics: 75
22 (tie). Postsecondary architecture instructors teach courses in architecture and architectural design
Average 2018 annual salary: $99,320
Projected employment growth between 2016 and 2026: 10.6%
STEM score: 57.7
Top three STEM areas:
Analytical thinking: 92
Design: 91
Innovation: 85
21. Systems software developers research, design, develop, and test operating-systems-level software, compilers, and network distribution software
Average 2018 annual salary: $114,000
Projected employment growth between 2016 and 2026: 11.1%
STEM score: 57.9
Top three STEM areas:
Computers and electronics: 97
Analytical thinking: 89
Innovation: 78
20. Civil engineering technicians apply theory and principles of civil engineering in planning, designing, and overseeing construction and maintenance of structures and facilities
Average 2018 annual salary: $54,670
Projected employment growth between 2016 and 2026: 8.8%
STEM score: 58.4
Top three STEM areas:
Engineering and technology: 87
Design: 79
Analytical thinking: 77
19. Postsecondary physics teachers teach courses in physics
Average 2018 annual salary: $103,830
Projected employment growth between 2016 and 2026: 10.0%
STEM score: 59.2
Top three STEM areas:
Analytical thinking: 98
Innovation: 95
Computers and electronics: 77
18. Environmental engineers research, design, plan, or perform engineering duties in the prevention, control, and remediation of environmental hazards
Average 2018 annual salary: $92,640
Projected employment growth between 2016 and 2026: 8.3%
STEM score: 59.8
Top three STEM areas:
Analytical thinking: 91
Engineering and technology: 88
Design: 75
16 (tie). Petroleum engineers devise methods to improve oil and gas extraction and production
Average 2018 annual salary: $156,370
Projected employment growth between 2016 and 2026: 15.2%
STEM score: 60.4
Top three STEM areas:
Engineering and technology: 95
Analytical thinking: 88
Innovation: 76
16 (tie). Postsecondary computer science instructors teach courses in that field
Average 2018 annual salary: $96,200
Projected employment growth between 2016 and 2026: 8.1%
STEM score: 60.4
Top three STEM areas:
Computers and electronics: 87
Analytical thinking: 86
Innovation: 81
15. Operations research analysts formulate and apply mathematical modeling and other optimizing methods to develop and interpret information that assists management with decision making
Average 2018 annual salary: $88,350
Projected employment growth between 2016 and 2026: 27.4%
STEM score: 60.8
Top three STEM areas:
Analytical thinking: 100
Mathematics: 88
Innovation: 84
14. Biochemists and biophysicists study the chemical composition or physical principles of living cells and organisms
Average 2018 annual salary: $105,940
Projected employment growth between 2016 and 2026: 11.5%
STEM score: 60.9
Top three STEM areas:
Science: 91
Analytical thinking: 91
Innovation: 83
13. Computer-controlled-machine-tool programmers develop the means to control machining or processing of metal or plastic parts by automatic machine tools
Average 2018 annual salary: $56,300
Projected employment growth between 2016 and 2026: 16.3%
STEM score: 61.0
Top three STEM areas:
Programming: 78
Computers and electronics: 78
Analytical thinking: 77
12. Electrical engineers research, design, develop, test, or supervise the manufacturing and installation of electrical equipment, components, or systems
Average 2018 annual salary: $101,600
Projected employment growth between 2016 and 2026: 8.6%
STEM score: 62.7
Top three STEM areas:
Engineering and technology: 91
Analytical thinking: 86
Computers and electronics: 82
11. Astronomers observe, research, and interpret astronomical phenomena
Average 2018 annual salary: $111,090
Projected employment growth between 2016 and 2026: 10.0%
STEM score: 62.9
Top three STEM areas:
Analytical thinking: 96
Innovation: 87
Computers and electronics: 84
10. Civil engineers perform engineering duties in planning, designing, and overseeing construction and maintenance of building structures, and facilities
Average 2018 annual salary: $93,720
Projected employment growth between 2016 and 2026: 10.6%
STEM score: 63.0
Top three STEM areas:
Engineering and technology: 90
Design: 81
Analytical thinking: 78
9. Mathematicians conduct research in fundamental mathematics or in application of mathematical techniques
Average 2018 annual salary: $104,870
Projected employment growth between 2016 and 2026: 29.7%
STEM score: 63.1
Top three STEM areas:
Mathematics: 100
Analytical thinking: 98
Innovation: 87
8. Mining and geological engineers conduct sub-surface surveys to identify the characteristics of potential land or mining development sites
Average 2018 annual salary: $98,420
Projected employment growth between 2016 and 2026: 8.2%
STEM score: 63.7
Top three STEM areas:
Analytical thinking: 94
Engineering and technology: 87
Mathematics: 69
7. Computer and information research scientists conduct research into fundamental components of that field
Average 2018 annual salary: $123,850
Projected employment growth between 2016 and 2026: 19.2%
STEM score: 64.3
Top three STEM areas:
Computers and electronics: 90
Analytical thinking: 79
Innovation: 77
6. Postsecondary engineering teachers teach courses pertaining to the application of physical laws and principles of engineering
Average 2018 annual salary: $113,680
Projected employment growth between 2016 and 2026: 14.6%
STEM score: 66.9
Top three STEM areas:
Analytical thinking: 96
Innovation: 91
Engineering and technology: 90
5. Agricultural engineers apply knowledge of engineering technology and biological science to agricultural problems
Average 2018 annual salary: $79,090
Projected employment growth between 2016 and 2026: 8.2%
STEM score: 68.1
Top three STEM areas:
Engineering and technology: 91
Analytical thinking: 87
Design: 85
4. Applications software developers create and modify general computer applications software
Average 2018 annual salary: $108,080
Projected employment growth between 2016 and 2026: 30.7%
STEM score: 70.2
Top three STEM areas:
Computers and electronics: 99
Analytical thinking: 96
Innovation: 84
3. Physicists conduct research into physical phenomena, develop theories on the basis of observation and experiments, and devise methods to apply physical laws and theories
Average 2018 annual salary: $125,280
Projected employment growth between 2016 and 2026: 14.5%
STEM score: 72.7
Top three STEM areas:
Analytical thinking: 93
Science: 88
Mathematics: 85
2. Chemical engineers design chemical plant equipment and devise processes for manufacturing chemicals and products
Average 2018 annual salary: $114,470
Projected employment growth between 2016 and 2026: 7.5%
STEM score: 73.6
Top three STEM areas:
Engineering and technology: 100
Analytical thinking: 97
Design: 82
1. Mechanical engineers perform engineering duties in planning and designing tools, engines, machines, and other mechanically functioning equipment
Average 2018 annual salary: $92,800
Projected employment growth between 2016 and 2026: 8.8%
Almost all experts agree that coding will become nearly as ubiquitous as literacy in the future. But the nature of coding in the future may be very different.
Coding is increasingly being taught in high schools, and it’s become a desirable skill even outside of the tech industry.
Experts argue that coding is becoming the new literacy; a skill so fundamental that everyone should possess it to some degree.
However, the nature of coding in the future is likely to be wildly different than it is today.
It’s one of the most sought-after skills out there, and for good reason. Learning to program is difficult, despite what advocates of the “Learn to Code” movement may say. Human minds are a confluence of assumptions, biases, and irrational fantasies, and forcing these fickle things to speak in the rigorous language of computer programming takes work. Programming is difficult, but it’s also extremely valuable and — increasingly — necessary.
Many believe that just as basic computer skills went from the realm of specialists to a life skill everyone possesses, so too will programming become ubiquitous. Learning to code might become as commonplace as learning to read. Will this really be the case? And if so, what will the programmers of the future look like?
Teaching students to code
In 2016, Gallup and Google partnered together to quantify exactly how prevalent programming classes were in K–12 education. They found that 40 percent of all schools offered at least one coding class, but the truly illuminating indicator was that just a year before, this number was 25 percent. One can only imagine how quickly coding has grown in the years since the 2016 report.
Apple CEO Tim Cook underscored the importance of learning to code during a conversation he had with President Trump at the White House Policy Advisory Board in March of 2019: “We believe strongly that it should be a requirement in the United States for every kid to have coding before they graduate from K–12 and become somewhat proficient at it.” The city of Chicago appears to have listened to Cook. Chicago recently made having at least one credit of computer science a high school graduation requirement. Other municipalities and states are likely to follow suit.
There’s a very clear trend here. Coding is becoming an increasingly core part of a modern education. It seems to check all the boxes: not only does it train children to think logically and rigorously, its also a skill that will help secure them a lucrative job in the future. Coding is clearly being adopted at a high rate, but how far will this adoption spread?
Will knowing how to code be as common as knowing how to read?
English professor Annette Vee certainly thinks so. In her book, Coding Literacy: How Computer Programming is Changing Writing, Vee compares the role of programming in society with the role that literacy has had historically. Vee notes that in the Middle Ages, “Writing was a specialized skill and people became defined by their writing.” As time went on, however, literacy became increasingly common and increasingly necessary. “If you couldn’t read, you were left out.” Vee argues that the computationally illiterate will increasingly have to rely on others to navigate daily life in a way that will seriously hamper their prospects. “If you don’t know how to program, you can carry on with a perfectly fine life. But this is going to change soon.”
“Programming is too important to be left just to computer science departments,” said Vee. “It can be taught effectively outside of computer science. If we assume that those who learn to write need to be English majors, we would be in trouble.” This observation is also being reflected in the workplace. The tech industry isn’t the only place where coding skills are valuable. Programming is an increasingly desired skill in the healthcare and finance industries, among others.
The impact of low-code platforms and machine learning
While the breadth of programming skills may increase in the future, its depth is likely to decrease. More people will become fluent programmers, but the share of expert programmers probably won’t increase to the same degree. That number might even shrink as they become less necessary and as programming tools become more advanced and powerful.
Part of this is due to the rise of low-code platforms. As defined by Forrester Research, low-code platforms “enable rapid delivery of business applications with a minimum of hand-coding and minimal upfront investment in setup, training, and deployment.” These are platforms such as Salesforce or AgilePoint that simplify specific technical challenges (such as Salesforce with customer relations) or act as a generic tool for quickly building applications (as is the case with AgilePoint).
Low-code platforms will make it easier for non-experts to contribute to software development in the near future, but they represent part of a larger trend, too. Automation and machine learning are quickly transforming the nature of work, and software development is no exception. An automated future might mean that nobody will really need to know how to program anymore. Google AI researcher Pete Warden believes this change will come quickly. “There will be a long ramp-up as knowledge diffuses through the developer community,” wrote Warden in a 2017 blog post, “but in ten years I predict most software jobs won’t involve programming.”
In order for a machine-learning algorithm to work correctly, it needs access to the right kind of data. An algorithm that automatically identifies people’s faces from photographs, for instance, needs to be trained on a dataset where people’s faces are tagged, so it can know what to look for. Warden thinks that tasks like this will become the software developer’s primary job in the future: “Instead of writing and maintaining intricate, layered tangles of logic, the developer has to become a teacher, a curator of training data and an analyst of results.”
Investor and entrepreneur Mark Cuban also believes that this will be the case. He predicts that for this very reason, people who are experts in fields outside of computer science will become indispensable to software development. “Because it’s just math and so, whatever we’re defining the AI to do, someone’s got to know the topic,” he said on an episode of Recode Decode. “If you’re doing an AI to emulate Shakespeare, somebody better know Shakespeare […] The coding major who graduates this year probably has better short-term opportunity than the liberal arts major that’s a Shakespeare expert, but long term, it’s like people who learned COBOL or Fortran and thought that was the future and they were going to be covered forever.”
Altogether, it looks as though coding will indeed become a basic life skill similar to literacy, but the nature of coding and computer science is also going to change in significant and unpredictable ways. As the need for expertise diminishes due to machine learning, everyone will likely become a novice programmer, familiar with coding just to the extent that it is relevant for their job. Everyone can read and write today, but not everyone can write a best-selling novel or a nuanced critique of Jane Austen. In the future, this relationship will likely hold true for programming as well; the masses will know enough about programming and computer science to make use of flexible, smart, and robust software tools, while a handful of experts will continue to push the field forward.
JPMorgan is introducing mandatory coding courses for all employees in its asset management division, the FT reports. So far a third of the bank’s analysts and associates have been trained to use Python coding, the paper reports, with courses in data science and machine learning also being drawn up.
Mary Callahan Erdoes, head of JPMorgan Asset Management, tells the FT: “By better understanding coding, our business teams can speak the same language as our technology teams, which ultimately drives better tools and solutions for our clients.”
Elsewhere on Wall Street, the innovation bug is hitting Morgan Stanley, which is about to convert 1.2 million square feet of office space into a millennial playground.
The firm’s head of technology Rob Rooney tells Bloomberg: “The workplace needed to be designed around a much more dynamic, millennial kind of workforce. We’re trying to attract the next generation of the best and brightest.”
Dubbed ‘Workplace Evolution, the programme will see wood-panelled offices abandoned in favour of glass partitions and interactive whiteboards and a more relaxed dress code.