Silicon Valley and Seattle dominate perceptions around elite American tech hubs. However North Carolina has quietly cultivated a world-class technology landscape that now rivals traditional stalwarts out West.
Between globally recognized research triangle anchor institutions, explosive job growth in Charlotte finance and healthcare tech, plus attraction of major tech HQs like Apple and Google, opportunities abound across NC today especially for specialized roles.
To quantify just how far the state has come as a destination for world-class tech careers:
- North Carolina boasts the #3 highest concentration of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) workers in the U.S.
- Over 515,000 tech jobs exist state-wide today, representing nearly 15% annual growth over the past 5 years
- The average tech salary in NC hovers around $96,000 – 13% higher than the national median
- Elite companies like Cisco, IBM, Fidelity Investments and more continue expanding major regional hubs
Below we outline the six technical occupations currently in highest demand across North Carolina by compensation. With insider insight from hiring managers and professionals working within these career tracks, we detail expectations around salary ranges, must-have skills, education credentials and more to successfully land one of these lucrative roles.
Whether launching your technology career or taking it to the next level, this guide spotlights pathways into NC‘s most promising and best paid technical occupations booming state-wide.
Overview of NC‘s 6 Highest Paying Technology Careers
| Title | Base Salary Range |
|---|---|
| Cybersecurity Engineer | $110,000 – $180,000 |
| Mobile Applications Developer | $88,000 – $140,000 |
| Database Administrator | $70,000 – $130,000 |
| Digital Marketing Content Creator | $50,000 – $83,000 |
| IT Product Manager | $125,000 – $275,000+ |
| Cloud Solutions Architect | $150,000 – $250,000+ |
Hot Job #1: Cybersecurity Engineer
Average Base Salary: $137,649
Cyber threats emerge and evolve at breakneck speeds. So cybersecurity talent that can keep infrastructure, networks and data secured maintains incredible value in 2023. Public sector agencies, healthcare giants, financial services and more now classify security engineers as mission critical hires.
These infrastructure experts identify vulnerabilities, continuously monitor systems for risks, and deploy defensive solutions to protect companies round the clock. High stakes work translating into excellent compensation – averaging over $137k in base salary across North Carolina today.
Responsibilities and Skills
- Penetration testing and vulnerability assessments
- Firewall, data and access management
- Security monitoring and analysis
- Risk identification and mitigation
- Security solution engineering and deployment
- Technical writing skills for reports and recommendations
Salary Expectations
- Entry-level / Junior Engineer: $80-95k base salary
- Mid-level Security Engineer: $110-130k base
- Senior Security Engineer: $150-180k base
Work Environments
- Fast paced, innovative security teams within large enterprises like banking institutions and healthcare networks. Cross-collaboration to implement organization-wide protocols.
- Specialized security consulting firms contracted by companies to test and fortify infrastructure
- High intensity startups building new security products and platforms
Educaton and Certifications
While cybersecurity roles don‘t mandate 4-year computer science degrees, relevant certifications signal functional expertise:
- Certified Info. Systems Security Professional (CISSP)
- Systems Security Certified Practitioner (SSCP)
- CompTIA Security+
- Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)
Hot Job #2: Mobile Applications Developer
Average Salary: $105,331
Consumer reliance on smart devices drives perpetual demand for skilled iOS and Android developers. Those coding expertise across languages like React Native, Kotlin and Swift can command six figure salaries in short order when working for brand name tech companies and well funded startups.
App creators conceptualize, wireframe, develop and launch mobile apps optimized for today‘s most popular platforms and OS versions. Expert troubleshooting and collaboration skills help navigate the intricate development process.
Responsibilities and Skills
- Gather technical and design requirements
- Full stack development from front to back end
- Write code across languages like Swift, Java, Kotlin
- Conduct app testing and fix bugs
- Launch apps and develop updates
- Collaborate with product designers and managers
Salary Expectations
- Entry-level Mobile Developer: $65,000 – $80,000
- Mid-level App Developer: $90,000 – $120,000
- Senior Mobile Developer: $120,000 – $140,000+
Work Environments
- Fast-paced small engineering teams at Series A+ startups
- Enterprise development teams collaborating cross-functionally
- Agile shop environments optimizing popular apps
Education and Certifications
- Bachelor‘s in Computer Science, Programming or Mobile Development
- Apple Certified iOS Developer
- Google Associate Android Developer
Hot Job #3: Database Administrator
Average Salary: $97,440
Every modern company relies on database architecture to structure, organize and manage essential information powering operations. Database administrators (DBAs) maintain these mission critical systems with acute focus on security, efficiency and continuity.
Whether migrating legacy databases to the cloud or configuring new data warehouses, skilled DBAs ensure data keeps flowing and evolving to meet changing business needs. High stakes work underpinning nearly all enterprise data and analytics functions today.
Responsibilities and Skills
- Design database architecture aligned to use cases
- Model and optimize data as needs shift over time
- Migrate databases to cloud platforms
- Enforce security and access protocols
- Troubleshoot issues and restore databases from backup
- Write database documentation for stakeholders
- Communicate ongoing management and strategy to executives
Salary Expectations
- Entry-level Database Admin: $55,000 – $75,000
- Mid-level DBA: $80,000 – $110,000
- Senior Database Admin: $120,000 – $130,000+
Work Environments
- Corporate IT teams supporting enterprise database platforms
- Cloud database architecture and engineering specialists
- External database consultant serving range of clients
Education and Certifications
- Bachelor‘s in Information Systems, Computer Science or technical field
- Certifications in MS SQL, Oracle DBA, MySQL, AWS Database Specialty
Hot Job #4: Digital Marketing Content Specialist
Average Salary Range: $50,000 – $83,000
Digital content creators are modern marketing magic makers. Using research, creative storytelling and technical optimization, they engage customers while driving measurable conversions. These skills transplant across nearly any industry from SaaS firms to ecommerce giants to nonprofit causes in perpetual need of digital messaging talent.
While some basic web development skills help, practical writing experience combined with savvy data analysis tops recruiting wish lists today. Candidates who showcase these abilities poised to secure $50k+ salaries early on.
Responsibilities and Skills
- Research target demographics and consume interests
- Conceptualize and create social posts, blog content, mass emails
- Optimize writing for search engines and engagement
- Design, manage and analyze digital ad campaigns
- Compile campaign results and surface insights to leadership
- Identify new trends and platforms to pilot
Salary Expectations
- Entry-level Digital Marketing Specialist: $40,000 – $55,000
- Mid-level Content Strategist: $60,000 – $75,000
- Senior Manager: $75,000 – $85,000+
Work Environments
- Fast paced startup teams optimizing digital content full time
- Larger marketing departments with specialized digital content teams
- External digital marketing consultants serving array of clients
Education and Certifications
- English, Marketing or Communications focused BA degrees
- Professional Certificates in Digital Marketing
- Google Analytics certification
Hot Job #5: IT Product Manager
Average Salary: $182,488
Skilled product managers thrive at intersection between customer needs, business objectives and functional software capabilities. They craft product visions, translate these into technical specifications and support engineering teams through successful deployment.
In sprints or marathon roadmap cycles, adept IT PMs align company priorities with user wants for optimum outcomes. Perpetual tech shifts means PM jobs maintain huge upside today especially in tech hubs like North Carolina.
Responsibilities and Skills
- Research demographics and conduct 1:1 customer interviews
- Analyze industry and market trends to influence strategy
- Define overarching product vision tied to business goals
- Write user stories and detail technical requirements
- Coordinate cross functional teams of designers, engineers etc
- Track KPIs and gauge product-market fit post-launch
Salary Expectations
- Entry-level Associate IT PM: $90,000 – $115,000
- Mid-level IT PM: $135,000 – $165,000
- Senior Product Manager: $180,000 – $275,000
Work Environments
- Fast-paced small product teams at high growth startups
- Enterprise product departments with extensive software portfolios
Education and Certifications
- BA in business, analytics, finance or technical domain
- Product management certificates through General Assembly, Product School etc
Hot Job #6: Cloud Solutions Architect
Average Salary: $196,183
Migrating business systems to the cloud for efficiency and cost savings requires specialized expertise many companies lack. That‘s where elite cloud architects enter the equation with their coveted abilities to translate infrastructure needs to optimally configured cloud platforms.
Whether migrating servers and databases or re-architecting custom applications, senior cloud solutions architects oversee pivotal transitions then continually enhance and secure configurations long term. Their perpetually evolving, architect-level skills necessitate top 1% salaries today.
Responsibilities and Skills
- Evaluate on-premise infrastructure and usage analytics
- Design public/multi cloud architectures aligned to business requirements
- Migrate legacy on-site systems and data to cloud platforms
- Continually monitor cloud costs, security and efficiency
- Apply infrastructure as code principles to automate cloud management
- Lead projects managing cloud admins and engineers
Salary Expectations
- Mid-level Cloud Engineer: $135,000 – $165,000
- Senior Cloud Solutions Architect: $180,000 – $250,000+
Work Environments
- Elite global IT consultancies contracted for enterprise cloud migrations
- Internal architecture teams at established corporates
- Cutting edge startups building nextgen cloud platforms and tools
Education and Certifications
- Bachelor‘s in Information/Computer Science, STEM or technical field
- AWS Solutions Architect – Associate
- Google Professional Cloud Architect
- Azure Solutions Architect Expert
Launch Your Technology Career in Thriving North Carolina
Beyond impressive compensation statistics, North Carolina flaunts a tremendously diverse professional landscape for technologists. Fromresearch triangle PARK area innovation driving the future of life sciences to revitalized banking/FinTech scenes in CHARLOTTE and everywhere between, impactful work awaits at seemingly every experience level.
While all jobs above absolutely reward relevant four-year degrees or enriched vocational credentials, alternative pathways exist too. Ambitious professionals willing to complement on-the-job experience with continual reskilling can absolutely chart routes to these well compensated careers.
For those new to tech, community college programs, coding academies like Code the Dream and even Harvard/Google-backed certificates prime entry points. Wherever you sit on the experience spectrum at present, tailored North Carolina tech jobs await given perpetual market demand.
Match Your Abilities to Open Opportunities
Get Started Today
- Browse open tech jobs on leading North Carolina career sites for real-time demand signals
- Spruce your LinkedIn profile and digital presence to align with target role requirements
- Enroll in supplemental technical training like Python programming or Google Analytics through Coursera
- Attend local tech networking events to connect with key hiring decision makers
- Evaluate bootcamps like Code the Dream for accelerated skills building beyond college curriculum
Combine above all else demonstrable enthusiasm for technology and insatiable learning appetite. This career mindset separates ordinary tech workers from perpetually employable practitioners that progress over decades-long careers.
North Carolina companies stand eager to welcome this next generation of innovative technologists across virtually every domain. For those ready to take onLucrative challenges at the cutting edge, claim your spot in one of America‘s most dynamic rising tech ecosystems today.
