How can you boost your bottom line in 2015?
A report released last week indicates that the answer for some could be a career change.
Technology careers are paying big dividends compared with other job sectors. The report from human resources consulting firm Robert Half International projects almost a 6 percent increase in starting salaries in the technology field. The company’s senior executive director, Paul McDonald, said it also predicts growth in traditional fields such as accounting and marketing, where technology is involved.
“Technology truly is running its course through all functional roles today,” he said. “You need technology as a foundational, functional understanding, in order to be successful in any one of these specialty areas.”
According to the report, among the top positions to watch are mobile applications developer, data architect and chief security officer. All three have starting salaries that top $100,000 a year.
McDonald said many careers in the technology sector don’t necessarily require four-year degrees, and can be secured with additional training that could be done at night or online.
“If you find yourself unemployed,” he said, “it’s really a good investment to go back and go to a trade school, go to a junior college to retrain yourself, to make yourself marketable in these very hot areas.”
Companies are making employee retention a priority, McDonald said, since turnover is challenging for high-tech positions. He said many businesses are offering flexible work hours to accommodate a work-life balance for skilled workers who are the right fit.
More information is at roberthalf.com.