Technology Industry Overview

Technology, especially information technology, is the primary driver of innovation in all major industries in the 21st century. From Apple to Twitter to Amgen to Dolby Laboratories, a galaxy of large and expanding tech firms are growing jobs in technology for millions of Americans. Whether they are two-employee startups or blue-chip enterprises with tens of thousands of workers, technology companies are in the forefront of efforts to keep American industries competitive in challenging times.

Technology Job Market

There were more than 600,000 computer support specialists working in 2010, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Computer systems analysts were nearly as numerous at 544,400, with another 120,400 of these technology jobs projected to be added by 2020. Network and computer systems administrators, numbering nearly 350,000, were projected to increase by almost 100,000 over the forecast decade.

With information technology penetrating most aspects of nearly every business, tech jobs account for an ever-larger share of the US labor economy. From manufacturing to healthcare, marketing to financial services, executives stake their companies’ futures on investments in the technology of information. Job opportunities in technology are as close to a sure thing as the American worker will find in the 2010s.

Typical technology careers include technology consultant, technology support administrator, technology trainer, Web developer, technology manager, technology risk manager, information technology manager, director of information technology and chief technology officer.

Technology Salaries

Median wages for computer support specialists were $47,660 in May 2011, according to the BLS. Network and computer systems administrators did considerably better, pulling in median salaries of $70,970. At $78,770, computer systems analysts had even higher median earnings, with the top 10 percent making $120,060.