If you are a relatively young person exploring entry-level job opportunities, it’s a lucrative move to break into the tech sector. Employment in the tech industry is projected to grow 15% over the next decade, which is much higher than the average growth rate for all occupations, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics. There is a wide variety of entry-level tech roles, from tech sales and software engineers to junior project managers and data analysts.
How To Get Started in Tech
In the technical field, a bachelor’s degree in computer science, information technology or engineering is generally preferred, but not always required, especially with the rise of bootcamps and certifications. Familiarity with programming languages like Python, SQL, JavaScript and HTML/CSS is beneficial, as many entry-level tech roles involve some coding or technical tasks.
Even for non-coding roles, like customer success manager, some understanding of technology is beneficial. Communication, critical thinking, problem-solving and collaboration are valuable assets across all tech positions. Showcase your skills through personal projects, open-source contributions or relevant online courses. Connect with people on LinkedIn, attend industry meetups and seek mentorship opportunities.
List of Entry-Level Tech Jobs
Many entry-level tech jobs offer excellent salaries and growth potential, even without extensive prior experience, making them attractive options for those looking to break into the tech field. Here are five high-paying, entry-level tech jobs you should consider:
1. Software Engineer
Software engineers are the builders behind the software that shapes our digital world. They transform ideas and requirements into functional applications, websites and systems by writing code, using various programming languages.
MORE FOR YOU
Entry-level software engineers work under the direction of more senior developers, performing basic troubleshooting, testing and debugging tasks, and contributing to new features by writing code or enhancing existing code. Entry-level software engineers are expected to have strong technical skills, some relevant experience and the ability to work collaboratively.
Average Salary: According to Indeed, entry-level software engineers earn an average base salary of around $64,482 per year.
2. Junior Project Manager
A junior level project manager assists senior PMs with tasks, such as scheduling meetings, planning and executing projects, ensuring they are completed on time, within budget and to the required specifications. A PM will collaborate with various teams and outline the project’s scope, objectives and deliverables. The role also calls for meeting project deadlines, allocating resources and providing regular feedback and communications to those involved with the project.
Although it's not mandatory, a background and working knowledge of tech and software will be helpful to get an interview.
Average Salary: According to Indeed, the average base salary for an entry-level project manager in the U.S. tech sector is $64,641 per year.
3. Tech Sales Engineer
The tech sales engineer role is seen as a "unicorn" position, as it requires a unique blend of technical knowledge and strong interpersonal and persuasion skills. These professionals bridge the gap between the sales and engineering teams, using their technical prowess to explain complex products or services to potential customers and ultimately close deals.
They excel at traditional sales skills, like prospecting, lead generation, building relationships and negotiating contracts. Tech sales engineers go beyond just selling features; they focus on understanding customer needs and demonstrating how their product or service is the optimal solution.
Communication, problem-solving and customer service skills are highly valuable for tech sales engineers.
Average Salary: According to Indeed, sales engineers earn an average base salary of around $84,908 per year, with commission on top.
4. DevOps Engineer
A DevOps engineer bridges the gap between development and operations teams in the software development lifecycle. They ensure a smooth flow from creating code to deploying and maintaining applications.
DevOps engineers streamline workflows by automating repetitive tasks, such as testing, deployment and infrastructure provisioning. They develop and manage tools that improve collaboration and communication between Dev and Ops teams, configure and manage the servers, cloud platforms and other infrastructure needed to run applications.
DevOps engineers monitor application performance, identify and troubleshoot issues, and work to ensure application reliability and security.
While there is no single path, having a background in IT operations, system administration or network engineering provides a solid foundation to becoming a DevOps engineer. Familiarity with scripting languages and configuration management tools is essential, as well as understanding cloud platforms like AWS or Azure.
Average Salary: According to Indeed, entry-level DevOps engineers earn a base salary of around $85,322 per year.
5. Data Analyst
A data analyst is a tech professional who analyzes and interprets data to extract valuable insights for businesses. They collect data from various sources and organize it to ensure accuracy and consistency, and identify trends, patterns and relationships. They work closely with business teams to understand their needs and provide data-driven recommendations to decision makers.
Some data analysts may specialize in a particular area, such as marketing analytics, financial analytics or customer analytics. With the fast ascension of artificial intelligence, machine learning and large language models, there will be a lot of career growth potential.
When interviewing, companies will look for a proficiency in data wrangling (cleaning and organizing data), SQL (querying databases) and data visualization tools, like Tableau and Power BI. While not always mandatory at entry-level, familiarity with Python or R is a huge asset for data manipulation and analysis.
Average Salary: According to Indeed, entry-level data analysts earn an average base salary of $87,610 per year.
